Barbed: A Memoir

by Julie Morrison

"Her poetic prose places readers right alongside her as we root for her and the friends she makes along the way." – MacKenzie Chase, Arizona Daily Sun

"An extraordinary memoir and one we highly recommend!" – Chanticleer Reviews

Standing at a professional crossroads, Julie Morrison decides to saddle up and start over. Her family’s ranch is on the brink of bankruptcy. While fighting for its future, she simultaneously seeks to salvage her marriage and rediscover her best self.

When you ride across the rock-strewn terrain of a family-owned horse and cattle business, though, a gritty challenge awaits along the trail to every panoramic view. Entangled in the barbs of ranching and relationships, Julie will meet cold-hearted cowboys and funny farriers, learn how to ranch one-handed, and become an expert in assessing what’s essential.

This is a romance in which the objects of devotion are hard-working horses and iconic western vistas, where hope and horseshoes harmonize and help arrives from the most unlikely places. Julie's journey of personal discovery will inspire readers to blaze their own trails to a future only they can create.

"... keenly observant prose, capable of transporting readers directly to the trail." – Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2021

About the author

2023, Chanticleer International Book Awards Grand Prize for Journey, Narrative Non-Fiction

2023, MFA in Creative Writing, Seattle Pacific University, Poetry Emphasis

2021, 2022 Faculty Associate, The Writer's Hotel Poetry Workshop

2019, 2021 Contributor, SoWest Desert Sleuths Anthology

2020 First Place Gertrude Warner Award for Middle Grade Fiction

2020 Writer's Digest Top Ten Short Stories, Literary Fiction

2019 Grand Prize Gertrude Warner Award for Middle Grade Fiction

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a story of second chances and the courage we find within ourselves to grant them - even when we don’t know what they are going to look like. Ms. Morrison’s writing speaks to the heart. I cared about her journey - I cared about the horses. And I thought about how we don’t know how stories end - and that is part of the journey. Ms. Morrison’s writing and story have stayed with me - reminding me that love, loss, joy, discovery, and sorrow too, are gifts to treasure even when our hearts have been barbed.

[Ivory Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie and Brett were seeking a tree change and swapped their city life for one on her parents property.
The author writes with honesty and insight into her marriage, the good and bad of farming including dealing with cowboys, broken equipment and horses. This is an entertaining and enlightening read to be enjoyed by a wide range of readers.
Like the author I too can relate to the feel of power and grace in the fluid motion that being on a horse gives the rider. The horse side of this book gave it a head start in my eyes and I enjoyed every part of it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the advance review copy in return for an honest review.

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely brilliant. I just loved every minute of it. This book is so well written and tells the absolute truth of the struggles of running a ranch with all its difficulties. It covers the strains put on family and co workers and the relationships between these. The struggles with the weather in Arazona, the cost of keeping and supplementing the animals. And most of all the lack of profit margins due to the distances to the processing plants in rural areas. Also the lack of government support to correct these issues. I loved seeing how the ranch was ever trying to diversify to create enough income to keep it going. However with rural ranching there is always a small community who are willing help and support each other, with a few exceptions to the rule along the ways. These relationships with various new friends made this book for me. It was just so wonderful reading about things that people can achieve when they have friends to help one another.
So much praise to the author and publishing team for bringing us this very true life book for others to read and enjoy and also for some to learn from.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir about transformation and change is intertwined with a peek into the good and the ugly of modern day Western ranching and navigating complicated family relationships. Morrison provides a lovely sense of place as she describes her experiences with horses and being the unwanted interloper while she and her husband strive to preserve a northern Arizona ranching business.

[sbtbkb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a sad book. It just seemed to keep having bad things happen only to end with the onset of COVID. I never really felt like I knew the author. I never got a sense of who she was or what she wanted. The characters encountered were described well but was really only I interested in the horses and ranch life.

[Readers Choice · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆: Barbed
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Julie Morrison

𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
I love reading memoirs as it gives a chance to sneak peek into someone's life and gives us the opportunity to learn from their experiences. Recently I read the memoir BARBED written by Julie Morrison.

Once Julie's father joked about “Anytime you want a change, you guys could just move down here and help me out". Julie who was looking to feel at home: within her marriage, life and herself took the opportunity along with her Colorado born husband Brent. On Julie's anniversary weekend, her Dad invited Julie and Brent for ranch's management so they can get a firsthand look at how ranch life is. They took the job and had to save the property. There were challenges after challenges testing patience at every step. Will Julie give up?

If you have good knowledge about the ranch life and are well aware about some terms, you could find yourself totally involved in the story quickly. I enjoyed every bit of this book. It opened my eyes to not get scared with small challenges in life. Also, it motivated me to take a chance in life if I am looking for a change from my current one.

𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4/5

[_sassy_39 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbed is an extraordinary memoir penned by the author Julie Morrison. Julie and her husband Brent left their life in Washington as they got the opportunity to work on her father's ranch. Julie and Brent's marriage was getting affected. Together they started working on the ranch but they didn't think that the ranch life could be full of challenges and tiresome. Brent had to struggle to be accepted by the cowboys. The couple spent their anniversary weekend as an orientation, a try-before-you-buy exploration into the ranch.

I truly agree with the author when she has mentioned that pain in one place will eventually spread. I am delighted to read about Julie's love for horses. Her story is inspiring. In life, we may have to face so many challenges but we should keep on trying alternative approaches to figure out what will work for us. Writing style of Julie is something that I really loved. I am glad to get my hands on this memoir.

Those who love reading memoirs should definitely get their hands on this one.

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barbed, A Memoir, Julie Morrison

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Biographies & memoirs, Non fiction

I really, really wanted to love this because...well...horses! That's enough isn't it? However, it was not to be ;-(
'
The description really had me dying to get reading, I've a lifelong love of horses, and some of my happiest memories are when I was out riding, just me and my horse.
Sadly though I got to 25% and it just wasn't working for me. I didn't gel with Julies issues, just couldn't connect with the story. I know by now that if I feel this way about a book by quarter in, its not going to get better for me, so I DNF it.

Its a shame when a book doesn't work but not all books suit all readers, stories and who they appeal to are very subjective. Others will love this I'm sure, just not me.

Stars: Two, one that wasn't for me.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

[bookhaven__ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbed
By
Julie Morrison

Review:
Julie Morrison's Barbed is a captivating story of the author. It hooked my attention from the first page itself and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. By reading this memoir, you will get to know about Julie and her husband Brent's struggles after they moved to Flagstaff, Arizona to work on the family's ranch.

Julie and Brent had to work their way to save the family's ranch from bankruptcy. Will Julie be able to save the family ranch, her marriage, etc?

Julie's self-discovery journey is a true motivation to everyone else. Readers will be inspired to start their own self-discovery journey after reading this book. Cover photo of the book is nice and the title is suitable. It is an insightful memoir which made me much aware about the horses, ranches, etc. I appreciate Julie for sharing her story with us. This book is worth reading. Go ahead with it without any second thoughts.

Rating: 5/5

[Rosalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful read!  I thoroughly enjoyed every page.  Ms. Morrison’s style is engaging, clever and paints a picture in one’s mind of the scenery, the people, the horses.  I loved how she was able to weave her personal story and struggles in with all the happenings at the ranch.  The story flowed effortlessly.  I grew to really care about some of the folks, and of course, the horses.  Very well done. Congratulations on a fabulous first book. The first of many, I trust.

[Julie Morrison]

WINNER! Chanticleer International Book Award Grand Prize for Journey, Narrative Non-Fiction

I am grateful and delighted - thank you Chanticleer community!

[Christin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting, definitely a glimpse into an often glamorized life. Unfortunately, the story was often mundane and I didn’t fully connect with the character/events.