Cynthia Propper was born Oct 11, 1926 in New York City to Charlotte Jansen and Karl Propper. She graduated from the Fieldston School in Riverdale, New York and earned her B.A. from Smith College in 1948. She was married to Paul Seton, the Smith College physician and psychiatrist; the two had five children: Anthony, Julia, Margaret, Jennifer, and Nora. After living in Natick and Stockbridge, Massachusetts the family moved in 1957 to Northampton, where they remained for the rest of Seton's life. Starting in 1956 Seton worked as a journalist, serving for 12 years as a writer for the Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where she wrote a column on modern motherhood called "Skirting the Issue." Her column was also printed in the Washington Post for a year, from 1959-60. She published three essay collections and five novels. Additionally, Seton also wrote articles for magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, Redbook, and McCall's, and regularly contributed book reviews to several publications. Many critics praised Seton's work, calling her "a latter-day Jane Austen, writing a comedy of manners." Her third novel, A Fine Romance, was nominated for a National Book Award in 1976. In addition to writing, Seton lectured on literary and feminist topics and taught at the Indiana Writer's Conference. After a decade-long battle with Hodgkin's disease and leukemia, Seton died in Northampton on October 23, 1982.