Edith Wharton ( born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 - August 11, 1937) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer. The Reef is a 1912 novel by American writer Edith Wharton. It concerns a romance between a widow and her former lover. The novel takes place in Paris and rural France, but primarily features American characters. While writing the novel, Edith Wharton visited England, Sicily, and Germany, among other locations.In a letter to Bernard Berenson in November 1912, Wharton expressed regret regarding her novel, calling it a 'poor miserable lifeless lump'. She wrote, 'Anyhow, remember it's not me, though I thought it was when I was writing it-& that next time I'm going to do something worthwhile Plot: George Darrow, an American diplomat residing in London, has remained in contact with his former love, Anna Leath, who had previously married another man. Now widowed, she resumes contact with Darrow. Darrow desires to continue the