The Reef is a novel written by Edith Wharton, first published in 1912. The story revolves around the lives of four characters: Anna Leath, a young widow; her fianc�����, George Darrow; her former lover, Owen Leath; and Owen's wife, Sophy Viner. The novel explores themes of love, marriage, and the consequences of one's actions.The story begins with Anna Leath traveling to Paris to visit her former lover, Owen Leath. She is engaged to George Darrow, but she is unsure of her feelings for him. Owen is married to Sophy Viner, a young woman who was once Anna's secretary. As Anna spends time with Owen, she begins to question her decision to marry George.Meanwhile, George arrives in Paris and meets Sophy. They begin a flirtatious relationship, and George becomes increasingly drawn to her. As the four characters navigate their relationships with each other, their pasts come back to haunt them, and they are forced to confront the consequences of their actions.The Reef is a complex and nuanced exploration of love and morality. Wharton's writing is elegant and insightful, and the characters are richly drawn and fully realized. The novel is a timeless examination of the human heart and the choices we make that shape our lives.Sitting opposite, in the compartment from which he had contrived to have other travellers excluded, Darrow looked at her curiously. He had never seen a face that changed so quickly. A moment since it had danced like a field of daisies in a summer breeze; now, under the pallid oscillating light of the lamp overhead, it wore the hard stamp of experience, as of a soft thing chilled into shape before its curves had rounded.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.