Julie Trelling

Julie is the protagonist of the story that spans her life from the age of seven to seventeen. As the novel begins, Julie is only seven years old. Her mother has just died from an unnamed illness from which Julie herself has recovered. Julie and her brother, Chris, are sent to live with their Aunt Cordelia, because their father's profession as a university professor does not allow time to care for young children. Julie is vaguely familiar with Aunt Cordelia and her huge house and finds a degree of comfort with the woman, which grows into full-fledged love over the years. As a young girl, Julie learns lessons of compassion and responsibility through her interactions with classmates and family.

Julie grows to love the beauty of nature and aesthetic and cultural pursuits such as poetry and writing fiction, which help her to express her feelings as she...