When this novel was first published in 1969, followed by a steamy TV adaptation, it was quite controversial. Now, the book is back and another TV version was recently screened in the U.K. The tale of a father's obsessive love for his daughter, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire is gripping.
Peter Manson is beside himself with anger and anguish when his beloved daughter, Prue, 19 and pregnant, insists on marrying layabout loser Gavin. In a daze of confusion and pain, Peter starts an affair with his new secretary, Sarah. She understands her position with Peter: "You're in love with Prue. Not me, or your wife, just Prue... you're obsessed with her." That sums up the pivotal conundrum of the novel. There is no actual incest, but it is patently obvious what is at the center of Peter's unregenerate rage.
Prue is selfish, spoiled and has a penchant for inviting a violent reaction to her taunting behavior. The night of a confrontation with her parents, she gets that reaction in spades. From there to the end, the melodrama is about knee deep, with several excursions into amateur psychology. There is much pain--psychic and physical--inflicted all around, and Gavin, the free spirit, has yet another arrow in his quiver and Cassie has her own secret to reveal. In spite of yourself, you will not be able to stop reading. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.