The Beloved Woman is a novel by Kathleen Thompson Norris, a prolific American author known for her romantic and domestic fiction in the early 20th century. First published in 1921, the novel explores themes of love, family, duty, and societal expectations, which were common in Norris's works.
The story follows Alix, Countess of Waringham, a young and beautiful widow who finds herself entangled in complex relationships. After her husband's death, she becomes the object of affection for multiple men, including her late husband's cousin, Christopher "Kit" Waringham, and a wealthy American, John Voorhees.
At the time of its release, The Beloved Woman was well-received by readers who enjoyed Norris's romantic yet thought-provoking storytelling. It remains a compelling example of early 20th-century women's fiction.
About the Author
Kathleen Thompson Norris (July 16, 1880 - January 18, 1966) was an American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid female writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. Norris was a prolific writer who wrote 93 novels, many of which became best sellers. Her stories appeared frequently in the popular press of the day, including Atlantic, The American Magazine, McClure's, Everybody's, Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Home Companion. Norris used her fiction to promote family and moralistic values, such as the sanctity of marriage, the nobility of motherhood, and the importance of service to others.
Kathleen Thompson Norris was born in San Francisco, California on 16 July 1880. Her parents were Josephine (n�e Moroney) and James Alden Thompson. When she was 19 both her parents died. As the oldest sibling she became effectively the head of a large family and had to work. Initially, she found employment in a department store, which was soon followed by work in an accounting office and then the Mechanic's Institute Library. In 1905, she enrolled in a creative writing program at the University of California, Berkeley and began writing short stories. The San Francisco Call, which had published a few of her stories, hired her to write a society column in September 1906. In the course of that work she met Charles Gilman Norris (whose late older brother was the famous novelist Frank Norris), and they soon fell in love. He moved to New York to be art editor of The American Magazine. After eight months of daily correspondence and some improvements in her family's financial situation, she joined him there and they were married in April 1909.
Norris became involved in various social causes, including women's suffrage, Prohibition, pacifism, and organizations to benefit children and the poor.
Kathleen Thompson Norris died January 18, 1966 in San Francisco at the home of her son Dr. Frank Norris. She was 85. (wikipedia.org)
