Charlotte

Charlotte is the novel’s protagonist. Although the book is a work of fiction, her character is based on the real Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst. Ryan portrays Charlotte as a larger-than-life character from the beginning of the novel. As a baby, she survived fevers that no other child would have survived. She hit all the typical toddler milestones at an extremely early age, having “walked before most babies crawled” (11). She also never cried. Charlotte also had an almost supernatural connection with horses. When her parents were killed in a wagon accident, Charlotte was found grasping the rein of one of the horses while the rest of them stood around protecting her.

Charlotte was raised in an orphanage full of boys. She was the only girl. The author speculates that this may have contributed to her rough and tumble personality but suggests it may have been “just her spit and...