In this compelling drama about fidelity, sorrow and forgiveness, Nobel Prize-winning author Sigrid Undset tells the story of Ida Elisabeth, who marries her teenage sweetheart, Frithjof, in an effort to redeem her reputation. Early in their marriage, she realizes that her charming husband is incapable of supporting the family and she sews dresses to make ends meet. When Frithjof becomes involved with another woman, Ida Elisabeth leaves him and moves with her children to a small town.
Still young, the admirably hardworking Ida attracts the attention of a successful lawyer, who possesses the manly virtues that her husband lacked. As she contemplates marrying again, Frithjof, now gravely sick, re-enters her life.
Unlike Undset's famous historical novels, which are set in medieval Norway, the story of Ida Elisabeth opens in 1930. As in Undset's other fiction, however, Ida Elisabeth poignantly illustrates how poor choices affect the course of a person's life and how the suffering endured because of grievous mistakes can become the means by which a love is purified.
With its setting in modern times, Ida Elisabeth examines the difficulties inherent in male-female relationships as they are experienced in contemporary society. Undset's descriptions of the Norwegian people and countryside coupled with her profound understanding of the human heart won her worldwide literary acclaim. Both are powerfully displayed in this moving story about fidelity and mercy.
Up Next in Most Popular
-
100 Hearts: Betrayal and Forgiveness ...
The pain of betrayal by a trusted friend and the freedom born from forgiveness unfolds in two parallel dramas in the life of Blessed Clelia Merloni, Foundress of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Professor Giulia de Magistris, a contemporary newly promoted school administrator. Each m...
-
Chapter 4: Where does this fit in the...
Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to bring all of humanity back into a relationship with Him. In order to accomplish this mission in every place and in every era, Jesus established a Church, gathered around this mission. If the Church has been sent in this way, as the Bride of Christ, then so h...
-
Discernment and the Holy Spirit
Join Dr. Tim Gray and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger for a conversation on discerning God's path, making decisions and listening to the Holy Spirit.
6 Comments