Pulitzer Prize Fiction Winner
Early Autumn
by Louis Bromfield
Summary
In a stately house outside Boston, the inherited traditions, pride, and concealed scandals of her husband's once distinguished New England family slowly suffocate Olivia Pentland. Bromfield uses the household as an emblem of a fading Puritan elite unable to adapt to modern emotional and social realities. Written with measured drawing room realism, the novel studies duty, repression, and the longing for renewal.
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Historical Context & Significance
Bromfield was a celebrity farmer and socialite who lived in France. His win reflected the 1920s fascination with the decline of the Old Guard Puritan elite.