{"product_id":"the-reef","title":"The Reef","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Reef is possibly one of Edith Wharton’s lesser known novels, but according to Anita Brookner in her introduction to my Penguin Twentieth Century Classics edition was written during her most brilliantly creative period. In 1910 Edith Wharton’s affair with journalist Morton Fullerton had ended, and it would appear that he is present here, in some respect at least, in the character of George Darrow. The Reef is apparently the novel of Wharton’s most admired by Henry James, and is said to be the most Jamesian of all her novels. I read a number of Henry James novels about twenty odd years ago, some I liked more than others, and I can certainly see echoes of James in this novel of Wharton’s – but I infinitely prefer Wharton’s writing to that of Henry James.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSorry folks – there may be spoilers ahead.\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/heavenali.wordpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/whartonreview1.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5460\" src=\"https:\/\/heavenali.wordpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/whartonreview1.jpg?w=300\u0026amp;h=300\" alt=\"whartonreview\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge Darrow is a young diplomat seemingly in love with American widow Anna Leath, living in France with her young daughter and adult step-son. Having known one another years earlier, they have renewed their relationship after meeting in London. The marriage of Anna to her first love seems assured, once she has prepared her family for the change in her circumstances. On his way to Anna’s French chateau George receives a telegram from Anna asking him to delay his arrival by some weeks – with no explanation immediately following, George feeling angry and disappointed encounters Sophy Viner. Sophy is a very different kind of woman to Anna, having been working as a kind of dogsbody to a notoriously vulgar society woman in London; Sophy is travelling to France to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. Sophy is a spontaneous vibrant young woman unable to hide her feelings; she has little of the reserved self-restraint that Anna Leath is possessed. Upon their arrival in Paris, George Darrow decides to treat Sophy to a kind of holiday while she awaits news of her friends, and decides what she will do next. Over the next few days they dine together, and they visit the theatre – where George bumps in to Owen Leath, Anna’s step son. Sophy manages to slip out of sight, unaware that Owen has caught a glimpse of the edge of her pink cloak as she slid away, and Darrow believes he is safe from any embarrassing explanations. They return to their hotel, their rooms next door to one another, George is very much aware of Sophy on the other side of the wall. There is a kiss, and the irrepressible Sophy is certainly relaxed enough in George to playfully put her hands over his eyes – a little tease if ever there was one – but just how far their relationship goes is never explicitly revealed, although one assumes they went a little further than the conventions of the time would think proper. However it is this brief relationship – if it can even be called that – that is the reef of the title – the reef on which George Darrow and Anna Leath’s future happiness may yet flounder.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"wordads-ad-wrapper wordads-ad-wrapper--inline\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"wordads-ad\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"wordads-ad-title\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"wordads-ad-content\" id=\"wordads-ad-917614\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"wordads-ad-controls\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Edith Wharton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49004365250713,"sku":null,"price":1495.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/5642\/6905\/files\/1000498129.jpg?v=1789046793","url":"https:\/\/booksworldstore.com\/products\/the-reef","provider":"Books World","version":"1.0","type":"link"}