The Setons depicts ordinary Scottish country life in the early 20th century, as young Elizabeth Seton uses her strength of character to keep the household together following her mother's death.

Published in 1917, The Setons offers a convincing glimpse into the lives of an ordinary Scottish family, whose members share a passion for books and reading. Through her story, Olivia Douglas is keen to express the values of a society now long departed, recounting simple scenes and events which carry their own unique, heartfelt and pleasant qualities.

Although lacking in adventure, this book offers an illuminating look at how community and family life stood at the heart of traditional Scotland. The conclusion, at the very beginning of World War I, foreshadows the modern world; men in the locality are at first excited to be leaving their quiet and secluded Scottish homeland, but this exuberance is replaced by sorrow as news of death after death reaches home.

A minor classic for accurately depicting a world of tight-knit rural community, The Setons remains as one of Olivia Douglas' best regarded and most readable novels.