The Mother’s Recompense

Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton's THE MOTHER'S RECOMPENSE (1925) is the story of Kate Clephane's reluctant return to NYC society after having abandoned her husband and infant daughter for Europe.

Her return is at the bequest of her daughter, Anne, now grown and intent on marrying Chris Fenno, an opportunistic war hero who Kate has remained deeply in love with most of her life. What is a mother to do?

In conversation with

Jennifer Wilson is a staff writer at The New Yorker covering books and culture. Previously, she was a critic at the New York Times Book Review.

Joanna Biggs is the Deputy Editor of The Yale Review and the author of A Life of One's Own: Nine Women Writers Begin Again.