A plain, shy, frail girl with vast reserves of pride and determination, Charlotte Bronte is the main character in Girl with a Pen. Her shyness makes her reluctant to leave home, but her handling of the girls in her class at Madame Heger's pensionnat and her trip to London to confront George Smith prove her ability to think quickly and act decisively. Her letter to Robert Southey demonstrates her ambition. She will consult no lesser authority than the poet laureate, and his negative response hurts her pride.

Nevertheless, her persistence leads her to continue writing and to mail her novel to London publishers despite the rejections she receives.

While Girl with a Pen is Charlotte Bronte's story, her sisters Emily and Anne also play important roles. Emily, the more forceful personality, combines shyness and brusqueness. She resents any invasion of her privacy, but her...