Emily Byrd Starr

Father Cassidy

Father Cassidy is Emily's spiritual confidant and mentor, guiding her through grief and moral dilemmas with gentle authority.

Ilse Burnley

Ilse is Emily's fiery, loyal best friend who shares adventures and secrets, though their temperaments often clash.

Ellen Greene

Ellen is the Murrays' sharp-tongued housekeeper who often scolds Emily but also protects her in her own gruff way.

Rhoda Stuart

Rhoda is Emily's jealous, spiteful classmate who delights in humiliating and undermining her at every opportunity.

Aunt Ruth

Aunt Ruth is Emily's critical, unloving relative who treats her as a burden and constantly finds fault with her.

Uncle Wallace

Uncle Wallace is Emily's pompous, judgmental uncle who tries to control her upbringing and dismisses her literary ambitions.

Perry Miller

Perry is Emily's scrappy, ambitious friend from the wrong side of town, with a bond built on mutual loyalty and teasing.

Mr. Carpenter

Mr. Carpenter is Emily's harsh but brilliant teacher who recognizes her literary talent and pushes her to excel.

Teddy Kent

Teddy is Emily's sensitive, artistic neighbor with whom she shares a deep, unspoken romantic connection and creative kinship.

Saucy Sal

Saucy Sal is Emily's beloved pet cat, her constant companion and confidant in moments of loneliness.

Lofty John

Lofty John is Emily's Irish neighbor and friend who shares his wisdom and stories, offering her a connection to her father's heritage.

Caroline Priest

Caroline Priest is a gossipy village woman who takes a nosy but not malicious interest in Emily's affairs.

The House in the Hollow

The protagonist, a imaginative and sensitive child who finds joy in nature and writing.

A Watch in the Night

Emily learns of her father's impending death, recalls her mother's funeral, and finds comfort in her father's words about love and the afterlife.

A Hop Out of Kin

Grieving her father's death, defiant toward the Murrays, and determined to be brave.

IV: A Family Conclave

Grieves her father, writes in her journal, and hides under the table to overhear the Murray family discussion.

Diamond Cut Diamond

Emily draws the lot that assigns her to Aunt Elizabeth, burns her account book to protect her privacy, and bids farewell to her old home.

VI: New Moon

Feeling homesick and father-sick, but trying to be heroic and adapt to New Moon.

The Book of Yesterday

Explores New Moon and the family graveyard, learns Murray family history from Cousin Jimmy.

Trial by Fire

Endures her first day at Blair Water School, facing bullying and ostracism. She defends her family's honor, discovers her poetic identity, and experiences a 'flash' of creative transcendence.

A Special Providence

Emily experiences the highs of school friendship and the lows of Miss Brownell's slap, finding solace in writing on old letter-bills.

X: Growing Pains

Emily experiences heartbreak over not being invited to Rhoda's party, writes a poem about buttercups, and fiercely defends her hair from being cut.

XI: Ilse

Locked in the spare-room as punishment, she escapes and befriends Ilse Burnley, sharing her poetry and forming a new bond.

The Tansy Patch

Quarrels with Ilse over the playhouse parlour, then reconciles; becomes a regular visitor to the Tansy Patch; writes letters to her father about her experiences.

XIII: Daughter of Eve

Emily succumbs to temptation, eats a poisoned apple, and prepares for death with a dramatic farewell letter.

Fancy Fed

Emily revels in the magical evenings of potato-boiling, poetry, and friendship; she bravely rescues her kitten Mike II from drowning and defies Aunt Elizabeth.

XV: Various Tragedies

Emily explores the old well, is terrified by the bull, and is rescued by Perry Miller. She later teaches Perry grammar and writes to her father about her friends.

Check for Miss Brownell

Emily writes poetry instead of doing sums, is caught and humiliated by Miss Brownell, but later finds refuge in composing an epic poem.

Living Epistles

Narrates the chapter through her letters, describing her adventure, birthday, and interactions with others.

Father Cassidy

Emily is devastated by Lofty John's threat to cut down the bush, feeling responsible and heartbroken. She visits Father Cassidy under the pretense of discussing her poem but secretly hopes he will intervene.

Friends Again

Emily successfully negotiates with Lofty John to save the bush, receives her first letter from Father Cassidy, and later meets him in Shrewsbury.

By Aerial Post

Narrates her letters to her father, sharing her dreams of writing, her actions at school, and her feelings about family and friendship.

Romantic but Not Comfortable

Confesses to reading a novel and a medical book; cuts her own bang out of jealousy; is horrified by Aunt Tom's marriage proposal.

Wyther Grange

Receives invitation to Wyther Grange, overhears aunts discussing the visit, and prepares to leave her friends and playacting.

XXIII: Deals with Ghosts

Emily experiences intense fear during her first night at Wyther Grange, believing the room is haunted, but later feels foolish and relieved upon learning the truth about the swallows.

A Different Kind of Happiness

Narrates her stay at Wyther Grange, her adventures, and her moral struggle after breaking the Jakobite glass.

XXV: "She Couldn't Have Done It"

Emily is deeply affected by the story of Ilse's mother, crying for hours and struggling to reconcile the tale with her belief in Beatrice's innocence.

On the Bay Shore

Nearly falls over a cliff while picking farewell-summer; prays for rescue; later recites her poem to Dean and feels a mix of gratitude and rebellion.

The Vow of Emily

Emily returns to New Moon, is given her mother's room, and feels a profound sense of belonging and connection to her mother. She also continues her friendship with Dean Priest, finding in him a kindred spirit.

A Weaver of Dreams

Submits her poem 'Evening Dreams' to the Enterprise, suffers rejection, and later writes a story to vent her frustration. She also argues with Aunt Ruth about her appearance and pleads with Aunt Elizabeth to study for the Entrance.

XXIX: Sacrilege

Defends her letters and privacy against Aunt Elizabeth's intrusion, but later feels remorse for the hurt she caused.

When the Curtain Lifted

Grows rapidly in body, mind, and soul; burns old manuscripts; falls ill with fever and has a visionary revelation about Beatrice Burnley's fate.

XXXI: Emily’s Great Moment

Recovering from illness, receives Mr. Carpenter's critique, and starts a diary.