The book I'm thinking of is about a girl whose mother is dead and her brother has left. She is of French background I think. She lived on a farm with her father and siblings but she really wants to go to college. Her friend got married and had babies. She went to town and got a job as a waitress. There is a perverted man there. She gets engaged then breaks it off. She has a teacher who is a famous writer and encourages her passion for writing.
That's all I can think of.