One of the most romantic writers ever to inspire the imagination of young readers is the heroine of this fascinating novel. Focusing on the period between Charlotte Bronte's seventeenth and thirty-first years, it tells the moving story of the pale, shy girl who surmounted almost impossible obstacles to offer a large and lasting contribution to the literary world.

How this young woman from a Yorkshire parsonage eventually came to astound a London publisher with the news that she was the author of Jane Eyre is skillfully related by Miss Kyle. Among the many characters she portrays are the members of the Bronte family; M. Heger, who influenced Charlotte's work; and Arthur Nicholls, the young curate with whom Charlotte was to fall in love. In these absorbing pages, young readers will also discover the origins of many famous scenes in Jane Eyre which grew out of Charlotte's real experiences and will be encouraged to explore the work of the Bronte sisters, aided by the list of suggested reading which Miss Kyle has supplied.

From the dust jacket