Edith Wharton

The Fruit of the Tree-Original (Annotated) Edith Wharton

The Fruit of the Tree is a novel by Edith Wharton written in 1907. The novel tries to deal with issues such as euthanasia, the problems of labor and industrial conditions, and professions for women. When first published it received mixed reviews, and critics (I don't know who they are) complained of its uneven structure, which combines an industrial plot (Amherst's and the mills), an ethical plot (the question of euthanasia) and the romance plot. There's a divorce in there somewhere too.