An Autumn Sowing

"An Autumn Sowing" by E. F. Benson is a story that looks at the Keeling family, especially Mr. Thomas Keeling, as he struggles with what he believes is right, what people expect of him, and the different relationships in his family. The story kicks off with a church sermon that gets into big ideas like social class, doing what's proper, and family drama. The book starts by showing Mr. Keeling thinking about a tough sermon about going to hell. His kids, John and Alice, are dealing with their own worries, and Mrs. Keeling doesn't seem to care much about what her husband is thinking about. Things get tense when Mrs. Goodford, Mr. Keeling's mother-in-law, shows up, and her mean comments show that there's a lot of fighting and bad feelings in the family. These first parts of the novel set the scene for a closer look at how people act around each other, what they want in life, and the weight of family history in a world that's changing.