Barberry Bush

by Kathleen Thompson Norris

ASIN: B000HLUCRS

Genres: Fiction

378 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

Educated at the University of California, Kathleen married Charles Gilman Norris, brother of the late Benjamin Franklin Norris, Junior, in 1909. She was a prolific author, producing over 80 novels in addition to numerous short stories and articles. Norris was a regular contributor to leading magazines such as Atlantic and Ladies' Home Journal. Her first novel, Lost Sunrise, appeared in 1909 and was immediately popular. By the end of her career her books had sold over ten million copies and made her the highest paid female author of her day.

Reviews

[Jessica]

I picked this up at a yard sale for 50 cents because I like the look of the old hardbacks--it sat around until I came down with 5th disease and I was terribly ill--I spent a whole day lying in bed reading. I rarely ever re-read a book, but this one I have read several times. It absolutely transports me to another place and time. Barberry (Barbara) must choose between two men that both want to marry her--she makes the wrong choice (interestingly enough, it's the same choice I would have made if it were me!). Her creative poet of a husband turns out to be a passive aggressive, childish jerk. I wouldn't really agree with the previous review that there aren't any catastrophic events--I think there are some crises in Barbara's life that form the framework of the story. When I first started reading it, I thought it was going to be prudish and uptight in dealing with relationships, but it wasn't at all, even though there aren't any lurid details. It just goes to show you, you don't necessarily need graphic sexual details--it somehow comes through without the author having to say anything at all. A beautiful book.

[Elise Jensen]

NOTE: My copy of this book says it was published in 1927, not '29.

I picked this up off the bookcase at my mother's yard sale when I was minding the shop and there were no customers. It was a book of hers from when she was a child, based on the handwritten name and address of her childhood home in the front cover.

I absolutely loved it. It's not a time period I've read much from and it was so interesting seeing that attitudes of the time as they pertained to just the simple matters of marriage and housekeeping and decency. I like stories about people that don't need a big catastrophic event to make them interesting. People's lives are often interesting enough when the story is told by a gifted writer. And Kathleen Norris' writing is really lovely.

[Alicia]

Written in 1929, this novel is about a young woman trying to choose between two men who both want to marry her, and she makes the wrong choice. Through all that follows, Barberry is a woman of integrity and grace. I love this author. I give the story 3 stars but the writing brings the rating up to 4 stars.

[Vanessa Thomas]

I liked this story line a lot. Honestly, the first couple of chapters were kind of slow and confusing but as it went on, I was surprised at how engaging the story became. I wasn’t always sure who was speaking in dialogue but I enjoyed Norris’s style of writing.