Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield ~ my review

 

In his Pulitzer(1927)-winning novel, Early Autumn, Louis Bromfield prismatizes 1920s New England high society through each main character’s perspective. The Pentland family estate near Boston represents old money and rigid societal expectations of such families. Anson and Olivia Pentland, Anson’s father, wife, aunt, and adopted cousin, as well as two teen daughters are all immersed in this culture. All have different perspectives, from fierce family pride to contemptuous rebellion and every nuance between. As Bromfield pens each perspective on the page, they splay out into a many-colored story.

 

The novel begins with a debutante ball that Olivia half-heartedly throws for her daughter. Several characters ominously profess to be wary about the adopted cousin’s (Sabine) return from Europe to stay a few months. They fear she will stir up trouble, and in fact, shortly thereafter, Sabine decides that a little rocking of the Pentland boat might amuse her. Knowing that Olivia is very unhappy in her marriage to Anson, Sabine arranges for Olivia to get to know a handsome outsider, a scorned Irish immigrant.

 

Although Bromfield at times employs omniscient POV, Early Autumn is truly Olivia Pentland’s story. In fact, his subtitle is A Story of a Lady. As events unfold, ninety percent of the action is Olivia’s inner conflicts about those events, romantic temptation, her daughter’s best interests, her discovery of ruinous Pentland family secrets, navigation of relationships with Sabine and the aunt who prove to be very unsafe people for Olivia, choices to be kind when no one else is, and her inner journey from one perspective about the Pentland family name to another. Through it all, she proves herself to be a lady.

 

I very much admire Olivia’s strength and dignity. Today we no longer place much importance on “being a lady,” because somehow being a lady now translates to being a fuddy-duddy or weak. But Olivia quietly, gracefully faces both overt and covert dangers. She is the clear heroine of this novel. “In a world which survived only by deceiving itself, she found that seeing the truth and knowing it made her strong.” [page 63 in my edition]

 

Early Autumn is a rich character study. Bromfield not only reflects attitudes in post-World War I America, but he also holds up to the light the very quality necessary in any era—tenaciously seeking truth before acting.