I think the three volumes that make up Kristin Lavransdatter rank with the world's greatest novels--including Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. The depth of the characterizations, the completeness with which the author captures life in medieval Norway, and the universal emotions and spiritual and temporal struggles which drive Kristin and those around her are unmatched. I have read these three volumes three times (at about decade long intervals) and each time have found new reasons to love and appreciate them. This is a book against which one can mark one's own life.