Kate Mosse’s Autumn is a personal, affectionate portrait of West Sussex and its landscapes, folklore and history. The book matters less as a conventional guide than as a meditation on belonging, showing how a place can shape family life, memory and storytelling across generations.

Mosse draws on her lifelong connection with Sussex, from childhood in Fishbourne and adulthood in Chichester to life with her extended family. She combines local legends and natural history with stories of writers including William Blake, John Keats, Hilaire Belloc and Rudyard Kipling, while framing autumn through memories of school, Halloween, Bonfire Night and harvest traditions. The reviewer praises the book’s warmth and enthusiasm, although occasionally finds its approach guide-book-like.