The Tree of Knowledge: A Novel

"The Tree of Knowledge: A Novel" by Baillie Reynolds is a late 19th-century fiction set in Devonshire, where an artist named Osmond Allonby seeks solace from his London life. After finding peace within nature, he suffers a violent attack that shatters his calm and entangles him with Elaine Brabourne, a young woman, and her maid, Jane, whose lives are upended by the intrusion of violence into their serene world. When Elaine and Jane happen upon him, his life drastically changes, and their reactions hint at deeper emotional complexities and set the stage for a story about how a single, life-altering incident can ripple through a community. The narrative contrasts the artist's initial appreciation for the unspoiled countryside with the dark realities that surface, fundamentally altering all involved.