Up a Road Slowly

Up a Road Slowly Summary | Plot Summary

Up a Road Slowly is Irene Hunt's story of a young girl, named Julie Trelling, coming of age beautifully, in spite of personal tragedies and insecurities. At the age of seven, Julie is sent to live with her unmarried aunt, Aunt Cordelia, when her mother dies leaving Julie, her younger brother, Chris, and their older sister, Laura. Laura is seventeen at the time, and the decision is made to let her remain at the family home with their father, because she requires little care. Chris and Julie, however, are sent to live with their mother's sister, Aunt Cordelia, who is an unmarried schoolteacher. Julie has only vague memories of her aunt but Aunt Cordelia's huge house in the country is familiar and eventually becomes a haven to Julie as she struggles to adjust to her new world without her mother.

Julie and Chris make friends with Danny Trevort, Jimmy Farris, and Carlotta Berry and remain friends throughout their school years. When Chris is sent away to boarding school, Julie lives alone with Aunt Cordelia and her quirky Uncle Haskell, who lives in the carriage house on the property. Julie adapts to Aunt Cordelia's rules both as a teacher and guardian and ultimately comes to love her aunt for her stability during some very insecure times during Julie's childhood.

Julie learns more of life's heartbreaks when an underprivileged classmate, Aggie Kilpin dies never having experienced any of the basic pleasures that Julie takes for granted. Aunt Cordelia is there to balance the guilt Julie feels at her mistreatment of Aggie and helps Julie to learn the lesson of compassion toward others more unfortunate. Throughout her grade school years, Julie plans to return to her father's home to live but, when the time comes, her father has recently remarried, and Julie opts to stay with Aunt Cordelia through her high school years so that she will not interfere in her father's new marriage.

Julie's security falters slightly, when she hears rumors that Aunt Cordelia is getting too old to care for a teenager but Aunt Cordelia never falters in her unconditional love for Julie. Julie also learns that Aunt Cordelia had once been in love with a boy named Jonathan Eltwing, who returns to town many years later to find Aunt Cordelia still unmarried due to family commitments. Julie feels that Jonathan still loves Aunt Cordelia and, when Jonathan's wife dies, Jonathan and Aunt Cordelia rekindle their friendship.

During high school, Julie learns her first lesson of betrayal, when she learns that her boyfriend, Brett Kingsman, dates her only because of the help she can provide him so that he does not fail his classes. Ultimately, Julie and Danny realize that they have loved each other since childhood and plan to marry after college. By the end of the story, Julie has not only surmounted personal grief but also enjoyed great happiness and has a firm starting point from which to continue her life's journey.