Daddy Long-Legs

By Jean Webster

Daddy-Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, a young girl named Jerusha "Judy" Abbott, through her college years. She writes the letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: anboco
• Release date: Sep 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9783736411425

Jean Webster

Jean Webster (1876-1916) was a pseudonym for Alice Jane Chandler Webster, an American author of books that contained humorous and likeable young female protagonists. Her works include Daddy-Long-Legs, Dear Enemy, and When Patty Went to College. Politically and socially active, she often included issues of socio-political interest in her novels.

Book preview

mid-air.

THE LETTERS OF MISS JERUSHA ABBOTT

to

MR. DADDY-LONG-LEGS SMITH

215 Fergussen Hall,

September 24th.

Dear Kind-Trustee-Who-Sends-Orphans-to-College,

Here I am! I traveled yesterday for four hours in a train. It ’s a funny sensation is n’t it? I never rode in one before.

College is the biggest, most bewildering place—I get lost whenever I leave my room. I will write you a description later when I ’m feeling less muddled; also I will tell you about my lessons. Classes don’t begin until Monday morning, and this is Saturday night. But I wanted to write a letter first just to get acquainted.

It seems queer to be writing letters to somebody you don’t know. It seems queer for me to be writing letters at all—I ’ve never written more than three or four in my life, so please overlook it if these are not a model kind.

Before leaving yesterday morning, Mrs. Lippett and I had a very serious talk. She told me how to behave all the rest of my life, and especially how to behave toward the kind gentleman who is doing so much for me. I must take care to be Very Respectful.

But how can one be very respectful to a person who wishes to be called John Smith? Why could n’t you have picked out a name with a little personality? I might as well write letters to Dear Hitching-Post or Dear Clothes-Pole.

I have been thinking about you a great deal this summer; having somebody take an interest in me after all these years, makes me feel as though I had found a sort of family. It seems as though I belonged to somebody now, and it ’s a very comfortable sensation. I must say, however, that when I think about you, my imagination has very little to work upon. There are just three things that I know:

I. You are tall.

 II. You are rich.

III. You hate girls.

I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater. Only that ’s sort of insulting to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that ’s insulting to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is such a very external quality. Maybe you won’t stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get smashed up in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I ’ve decided to call you Dear Daddy-Long-Legs. I hope you won’t mind. It ’s just a private pet name—we won’t tell Mrs. Lippett.

The ten o’clock bell is going to ring in two minutes. Our day is divided into sections by bells. We eat and sleep and study by bells. It ’s very enlivening; I feel like a fire horse all of the time. There it goes! Lights out. Good night.

Observe with what precision I obey rules—due to my training in the John Grier Home.

Yours most respectfully,

Jerusha Abbott.

To Mr. Daddy-Long-Legs Smith.

October 1st.

Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

I love college and I love you for sending me—I ’m very, very happy, and so excited every moment of the time that I can scarcely sleep. You can’t imagine how different it is from the John Grier Home. I never dreamed there was such a place in the world. I ’m feeling sorry for everybody who is n’t a girl and who can’t come here; I am sure the college you attended when you were a boy could n’t have been so nice.

My room is up in a tower that used to be the contagious ward before they built the new infirmary. There are three other girls on the same floor of the tower—a Senior who wears spectacles and is always asking us please to be a little more quiet, and two Freshmen named Sallie McBride and Julia Rutledge Pendleton. Sallie has red hair and a turn-up nose and is quite friendly; Julia comes from one of the first families in New York and has n’t noticed me yet. They room together and the Senior and I have singles. Usually Freshmen can’t get singles; they are very scarce, but I got one without even asking. I suppose the registrar did n’t think it would be right to ask a properly brought-up girl to room with a foundling. You see there are advantages!

My room is on the northwest corner with two windows and a view. After you ’ve lived in a ward for eighteen years with twenty room-mates, it is restful to be alone. This is the first chance I ’ve ever had to get acquainted with Jerusha Abbott. I think I ’m going to like her.

Do you think you are?

Tuesday.

They are organizing the Freshman basket-ball team and there ’s just a chance that I shall make it. I ’m little of course, but terribly quick and wiry and tough. While the others are hopping about in the air, I can dodge under their feet and grab the ball. It ’s loads of fun practising—out in the athletic field in the afternoon with the trees all red and yellow and the air full of the smell of burning leaves, and everybody laughing and shouting. These are the happiest girls I ever saw—and I am the happiest of all!

I meant to write a long letter and tell you all the things I ’m learning (Mrs. Lippett said you wanted to know) but 7th hour has just rung, and in ten minutes I ’m due at the athletic field in gymnasium clothes. Don’t you hope I ’ll make the team?

Yours always,

Jerusha Abbott.

P. S. (9 o’clock.)

Sallie McBride just poked her head in at my door. This is what she said:

I ’m so homesick that I simply can’t stand it. Do you feel that way?

I smiled a little and said no, I thought I could pull through. At least homesickness is one disease that I ’ve escaped! I never heard of anybody being asylumsick, did you?

October 10th.

Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

Did you ever hear of Michael Angelo?

He was a famous artist who lived in Italy in the Middle Ages. Everybody in English Literature seemed to know about him and the whole class laughed because I thought he was an archangel. He sounds like an archangel, does n’t he? The trouble with college is that you are expected to know such a lot of things you ’ve never learned. It ’s very embarrassing at times. But now, when the girls talk about things that I never heard of, I just keep still and look them up in the encyclopedia.

I made an awful mistake the first day. Somebody mentioned Maurice Maeterlinck, and I asked if she was a Freshman. That joke has gone all over college. But anyway, I ’m just as bright in class as any of the others—and brighter than some of them!

Do you care to know how I ’ve furnished my room? It ’s a symphony in brown and yellow. The wall was tinted buff, and I ’ve bought yellow denim curtains and cushions and a mahogany desk (second hand for three dollars) and a rattan chair and a brown rug with an ink spot in the middle. I stand the chair over the spot.

The windows are up high; you can’t look out from an ordinary seat. But I unscrewed the looking-glass from the back of the bureau, upholstered the top, and moved it up against the window. It ’s just the right height for a window seat. You pull out the drawers like steps and walk up. Very comfortable!

Sallie McBride helped me choose the things at the Senior auction. She has lived in a house all her life and knows about furnishing. You can’t imagine what fun it is to shop and pay with a real five-dollar bill and get some change—when you ’ve never had more than a nickel in your life. I assure you, Daddy dear, I do appreciate that allowance.

Sallie is the most entertaining person in the world—and Julia Rutledge Pendleton the least so. It ’s queer what a mixture the registrar can make in the matter of room-mates. Sallie thinks everything is funny—even flunking—and Julia is bored at everything. She never makes the slightest effort to be amiable. She believes that if you are a Pendleton, that fact alone admits you to heaven without any further examination. Julia and I were born to be enemies.

And now I suppose you ’ve been waiting very impatiently to hear what I am learning?

I. Latin: Second Punic war. Hannibal and his forces pitched camp at Lake Trasimenus last night. They prepared an ambuscade for the Romans, and a battle took place at the fourth watch this morning. Romans in retreat.

II. French: 24 pages of the Three Musketeers and third conjugation, irregular verbs.

III. Geometry: Finished cylinders; now doing cones.

IV. English: Studying exposition. My style improves daily in clearness and brevity.

V. Physiology: Reached the digestive system. Bile and the pancreas next time. Yours, on the way to being educated,

Jerusha Abbott.

P. S. I hope you never touch alcohol, Daddy?

It does dreadful things to your liver.

Wednesday.

Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

I ’ve changed my name.

I ’m still Jerusha in the catalogue, but I ’m Judy every place else. It ’s sort of too bad, is n’t it, to have to give yourself the only pet name you ever had? I did n’t quite make up the Judy though. That ’s what Freddie Perkins used to call me before he could talk plain.

I wish Mrs. Lippett would use a little more ingenuity about choosing babies’ names. She gets the last names out of the telephone book—you ’ll find Abbott on the first page—and she picks the Christian names up anywhere; she got Jerusha from a tombstone. I ’ve always hated it; but I rather like Judy. It ’s such a silly name. It belongs to the kind of girl I ’m not—a sweet little blue-eyed thing, petted and spoiled by all the family, who romps her way through life without any cares. Would n’t it be nice to be like that? Whatever faults I may have, no one can ever accuse me of having been spoiled by my family! But it ’s sort of fun to pretend I ’ve been. In the future please always address me as

Reviews for Daddy Long-Legs

[judithproctor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my Dreamwidth friends recently mentioned "Daddy Long Legs" in her journal. My brain went "You can get it free on Project Gutenberg!" and about half an hour later, I had it on my ebook reader. It's an absolutely delightful book. I originally read this when I as young and never forgot it. I was pleased to discover that I enjoyed it even more as an adult.It's a series of letters from an orphan to the mysterious benefactor who is paying for her college education. She doesn't know what his name is, but the deal is that he supports her education as long as she writes him a regular letter about what she's doing. As she's only even seen his elongated shadow, she nicknames him "Daddy Long Legs".She tells him about what she's learning, what she thinks of it, cheerfully berates him for never writing back, tells him of what she gets upto with her friends, comments on all kinds of things with a cheerful irreverence. (She knows that one of the reasons he chose to help her is that she wrote a humorous school essay mocking the trustees' annual visit to the orphanage)It's partly a wonderful window into the world of 1912, from the social attitudes to orphans, to the clothes worn by young women, but it's also very funny. I laughed out loud several times while reading it.There's a romance that develops between Judy and a relative of one of her college friends, but she is concerned about her background and the fact that he comes from an upper-class family. (Orphans really were low status back then)It reminds me a little of "84 Charring Cross Rd". There's the same love of literature, and the same cheerful, humorous, slightly disrespectful but fond attitude towards the correspondent.You can get it for free! Read it. Far more fun than most classics.

[lycomayflower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I never read this as a kid, but I remember a friend carrying it around with her a lot. @foggidawn reviewed it a little while ago, bringing it back to my attention, and it sounded like fun. I loved it and got very caught up in all the little details of women's college life in the 1910s. The identity of the "mysterious" Daddy-Long-Legs seemed very obvious to me, though I rather suspect I might not have thought so if I had read this when I was ~nine. While some of the story is a bit dated, very little terribly much bothered my modern sensibilities, especially as I think Jersuha would have been a fairly forward-thinking and "modern" woman in her time.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seventeen-year-old Jerusha Abbott has spent her entire life at the John Grier Home, an orphanage. When one of the trustees takes an interest in her (due to a humorous but unflattering essay on visiting day at the orphanage) and decides to send her to college. He elects to remain anonymous; all Jerusha knows is that he is tall (she caught a glimpse of him silhouetted in the doorway on his way out), rich, and has only ever sponsored the education of boys before. One of the conditions of her education is that she is to write him monthly letters on her progress, with the understanding that he will not respond in any way. This book comprises that one-way correspondence, and readers will soon find themselves charmed by Jerusha's youthful exuberance and zest for life. But will she ever discover the identity of her mysterious benefactor?Some aspects of this book are indicative of its time, but all in all, I think it holds up pretty well. I know of readers who are bothered by certain aspects of the book, particularly the ending, but I find I don't mind them, even on a second reading. All in all, I found it a pleasant, quick reread, and will probably read it again at some time in the future.

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book when I was about eight or nine years old, and I loved it from the start. The whole "writing letters" method of storytelling has always appealed to me since, and I really blame (or give credit) this book for that, because Judy comes so alive in her letters. We don't see her "in action" after the first chapter in the book, but that doesn't matter, because her letters are so funny and heartfelt. And the other characters, whom we never "see" outside of her letters, come alive as well: Sallie, Julia, Jervie, and even Daddy-Long-Legs, from whom we hear so little.Rarely a year goes by when I don't skim through this book. I usually read the first chapter (when Judy is still in the orphanage and gets her scholarship from a benevolent trustee) and read some of the more meaningful (to me) letters, and then I turn to the back and read the last six or so letters. Without fail, even though I have done this almost annually for almost thirty years, I still get the "awwww" fuzzies at the end. Just reading those last few letters can snap me out of a bad funk.I've seen people online say that they wish that they could read Harry Potter for the first time again, without knowing what is going to happen. Harry Potter's an okay series (although I never got obsessed with it like so many have), but forget it - I'd rather be able to read this book again for the first time! I remember when I read it for the first time, I was SO SURPRISED that Jervie was Daddy-Long-Legs. I may have squealed a bit on the bus. Don't judge me. Although it's great to go through the book and watch Judy mention Jervie multiple times (giving Jervie the hint that she returns his feelings, which I'm not sure he would have had had if she hadn't spilled out her heart in her letters to her Daddy-Long-Legs), it'd be amazing to go into this book not knowing and see if I'd figure it out as an adult.Child-me would have given this book five stars without question. Adult-me gives it four and a half. This book was written in a different world, really, one that was only a hundred years ago! It's hard to believe how much has changed since then. Judy is talking about women needing the right to vote and how, if she marries, it's rather expected that she gives up aspirations for a career, although she sees that it might be possible to have both a husband and a career. Jervie is a socialist (which is all kinds of YAY, because blatant socialists almost never appear in books, at least as "good" characters) and a social reformer. He is quite hot-headed and demanding, which is one of the reasons why I lower the book half a star. He has a tendency to be rash and even insulting (at one point he calls Judy a "child" because she is trying to do the RESPONSIBLE thing and work for the summer instead of going to Europe). And Judy freely admits that she molds her personal opinions to fit his, which...rubs me wrong. I try to tell myself that it was a different time. Yes. And it may be a little creepy to have Jervie reading all of these letters to him, letters in which Judy is frank about her emotions in a way that he would never have known had he not been the recipient. It's weird reading her describe him to him, all without her knowing. It almost feels like an invasion of her privacy, like he should have let her know that he didn't want to hear about her love life (he's a bit brusque with her a few other times, so I think this would have fit his "Daddy-Long-Legs" character). I still love me some Jervie/Judy, though. That ending letter. Yum.Besides the stuff under the spoiler cut, I guess my only other real complaint is that this book is too short! I'd love for it to be at least four times longer than it is, perhaps supplemented with letters from Judy to other characters (she mentions that she's writing to both Freddie and Jervie, and I would KILL to read some of her letters with Jervie back and forth) or third-person chapters (like the first one) showing what they're doing. I'd love for more Jervie/Judy scenes; I will not lie. But, alas, it's not meant to be, and I really don't care all that much for the "sequel," Dear Enemy, so...yeah. I'll just fill out the story in my mind. ;)

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think it can be really hard to pull off a book that is solely in letter form-especially when the letters are only from one character-but Webster does a great job of making Judy's world come alive. Judy is a vibrant, entertaining, highly likable character (an orphan sent to college by a mysterious anonymous benefactor, to whom she writes), and this is a quick, delightful read.

[jean_sexton-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How did I miss this book for so long? It was a thoroughly delightful book that made me smile and laugh out loud. There are really two main characters in the book. Jerusha Abbott writes letters to her benefactor whom she calls Daddy Long Legs, well, most of the time. The other is the unseen Daddy Long Legs.I fell in love with Jerusha. She's remarkable independent, especially considering the time period the book was written in. She has a keen eye for people and the ability to make the reader see them, too. Her letters are clever, amusing, and yet filled with insight. I loved watching her grow up.If you enjoy well-written books, this should interest you. Be aware there are illustrations that matter to the book, so be sure the version you get has those illustrations.

[kathleen586 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book apart from the socialist propaganda, but that kind of ruined it. One of Judy's diary entries is basically, "Dear Diary, Should I become a Communist or a socialist?"!

[byroade · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Judy Abbott, a bright young orphan, is the first girl sent to college by one of the orphanage's trustees. Her only obligation is to write a monthly letter summing up her studies. Her benefactor is anonymous, so she bestows the name "Daddy-Long-Legs" on him because she's only seen his tall shadow. The novel is told in her letters to him, relating her college experiences which reveal not only her lively intelligence but the deprivations of her institutional upbringing. It is one of the more completely satisfying stories I have ever read. It provides a vivid slice of life at a woman's college early in the 20th century. Webster was a graduate of Vassar College.

[merrymary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a delight! A wonderful book that refuses to age. The college experience, while different in detail from modern times, is still very accurate when it comes to friendship, love, and the growing of a heart.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful classic, I first read it as a teenager, and I have read it several times since. The story is told through an orphan girl's letters to her mysterious benefactor, as he pays her way through college. There is a delightful sense of the ridiculous in Judy's depiction of her daily life and studies. I find it entertaining both as a simple romance story, and also as a historical look at what life was like at a women's college in the early 1900's.There is a excellent sequel, Dear Enemy, telling the story of Judy's room mate Sally, and her work as the new head of the Judy's childhood orphanage.

[victoriaeva_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I read in English. I studied the language with my beloved teacher, Galina Vasilievna, in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). I would have 2-3 private classes a week, and she would usually give me an obscene amount of home work - well, thanks for that! After some time spent with study books, I came to a point when she suggested 'additional reading' and gave me this book. I was supposed to prepare a couple of pages of reading once a week. By 'prepare' I mean exactly what it sounds like - PREPARE. Translate every word - understand it in context. Write it down. Translate, write down the definition and construct in writing 5 sentences with the phrases underlined by my teacher. Usually those were expressions, like 'dragged itself to a close' - Gosh, I still remember it!Well, I have to say that I have never finished the book in the way Galina Vasilievna wanted me to. In about half a year I just wanted to know 'what's up?' and flipped through the many remaining pages in one evening, grasping the meaning over the words I did not know. Proud, I said to the teacher "I can tell you the story!" "It is not reading, my dear! I need you to learn the expressions!" she replied as calmly, as usually.I have read many books after that time. Most of them have been in English language. I am getting my Master's degree in International Relations, reading, writing everything in English. I write a weekly column in English for a newspaper. For about four years 85% of my communications are in English. I am thrilled with the bookstores. And the door to all of this, the door in terms of Books, is my very first one: Daddy-Long-Legs, read when I was about 15-16 years old.As for the book itself: it was cute. I may read it once again, just to have a complete picture, un-fragmented with my initial page-a-week jumps.

[knitcrazybooknut · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quiet, well-written novel about an orphaned girl with a private benefactor she's never met. The story, while slightly formulaic, is very well-written, and the voice is completely engaging and believable.

[reneh-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantastic and witty little book. Another reviewer here wrote that only women should read it. Well, I'm a man and I enjoyed it tremendously. Maybe it was written for young adults in the first place, but I believe that anybody, man or woman, of any age, will - and should - enjoy this 100 years old pearl of literature. Five stars, there can be no doubt about it.

[saretta7l · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Perchè non ho mai letto questo romanzo prima? (tutta colpa dell'irritante Judy nell'omonimo anime)
E' un bellissimo romanzo epistolare e Judy è un personaggio fantastico, una ragazza positiva e dalle sue lettere traspare il senso dell'umorismo, l'amore per lo studio e l'ostinazione nel voler crescere con le sue forze.
La struttura epistolare è decisamente coinvolgente e molto scorrevole; l'ebook gratuito di "girlebooks" ha anche il vantaggio di avere le illustrazioni originali, simpatiche e in linea con il carattere di Judy.
Assolutamente consigliato.

---
Why I did not read this novel before? (all the blame to the noisy Judy from the homonymous Japanese anime).
This is a wonderful epistolary novel and Judy is a great female character, always positive; her letters are humoristic and they show her love in studying and her stubbornness in wanting to grow up with her own strength.
The epistolary structure is very involving and fluent; the free ebook by "girlebooks" contains also the original illustration that are nice and Judy-like.
Absolutely recommended.

[murphy4jacobs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Of course I have seen the movie a dozen times so I started looking for the book a few years ago. In many ways, of course, the book is better -- the movie replaced the social commentary and sparks of independent woman with musical numbers and 1950s sauciness and a lot of Fred Astaire (which is fine in a musical but...). in fact, i was a bit suprised how closely the movie did adhere to the spine of the novel...although only to the sweet parts of the spine.

The book was published in 1912 but the thoughts and feelings of the young protagonist felt so very contemporary and fresh. As an epistolary novel it is unusual because we see only one person, really, writing, so it is more of a diary in letter form, but that works quite well to reveal the characters sussinctly.

I have the next book waiting (Dear Enemy) waiting for me.

[booksovertv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it, very entertaining. A reread for sure.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was expecting to find Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster a light-hearted, sentimental read that would barely hold my interest. Well, yes, it is both light-hearted and sentimental but I also found an element of creepiness in the relationship that Daddy and Judy had. Starting out as a benefactor to an orphan by paying for her to go to college, his lurking in the background, pulling the strings and almost shaping this young girl into his future wife was rather disturbing. However, now that I have voiced my concern, I do have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Daddy-Long-Legs is presented in a letter format as Judy is instructed to write to her benefactor and keep him up to date on her life. She calls him Daddy-Long-Legs as she only ever saw a quick glance at him from behind and remembered him mostly for the length of the shadow he cast. She dutifully writes him, and here lies the charm of this book. Her letters are fun, breezy informative chat-fests. She is an open book and tells all, establishing a relationship with this shadow figure who continues to hide his identity.Over the course of the book we discover that Judy isn’t the meek and mild orphan that she appears to be, she has backbone and an inner strength and when she wants to she knows how to stand up for herself. By the book’s end, it is clear that Judy will have a wonderful life with her Daddy-Long-Legs, and in a romantic tale such as this, this is the happy ending that was hoped for.

[readermom68 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this story! While it is definitely outdated in many ways it is still a charming escape.

[strandbooks_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up at the Books on Tap book club at Forager. It was recommended by one of Rochester's librarians as one of her favorites as a kid. It surprised me that it was written in 1912. The story follows Jerusha, an orphan, who is picked by a secret trustee of the orphanage to go to college. The story is predictable, but fun to read. I know if I had read it at age 12 it would have been a favorite like Anne of Green Gables, David Copperfield and Oliver Twist. Books about orphans seem to be a successful formula for pre-teens!

[katylit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sweet old story about an orphan writing letters to an anonymous benefactor who pays for her college education. The orphan, Judy, is a delightful character, very likeable, such a joy in learning. Lots of innocent humour.

[anneofia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story, told in a series of letters, follows an orphan from her youth in the orphanage to college, which is provided by an anonymous benefactor who only asks that she keep him updated as to her progress. I loved this book as a child and read it many times.

[riofriotex · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The audiobook reader, Julia Whelan, sounded the right age (17-21), but read too fast, not pausing enough between the letters. Predictable ending. Couldn't view the downloadable material which supposedly includes some very childish stick-figure drawings (some referred to in the text) by Webster. Sounds like it is no great loss.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I was so young, around 6, my brother and I would wake up early to watch an anime series called "يا صاحب الظل الطويل" aka "The Man with the Long Shadow" aka "Daddy Long Legs".

Little did I know by then, that the story would stay with me till this very day; I guess what we get attached to while young does stick in our minds and hearts, and as always a well written story is always a classic.

It helps also that I'm always attracted to protagonist who are writers, like Judy Abbott, Anne Shirley and Jo March.

Years ago, I bought the book and a few days ago I reread it and fell in love with the spirit of the author more than ever. I think the best adaption of the story was the Japanese cartoon version, it's so close to the actual book and so deep, the cartoonist and director really brought the story to life, I wish the people who brought Downton Abbey to TV would just make the cartoon a reality because it's simply amazing.

[karin7-11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

5 stars and a heart

Written and set in pre-WWI Northeastern USA.

Jerusha (Judy) Abbott grew up an an orphanage, but is offered a full college education with allowance by an anonymous trustee who appreciates a witty high school essay she wrote about life in the orphanage. Her one form of repayment is to write him a letter each month and to address it to Mr. John Smith. Having seen his shadow and knowing he had long legs, she starts writing to Daddy Long Legs after the second letter, and her colourful, illustrated letters take us through her four years of school including the summer breaks.

If you've never read it, it's really something that, while totally different, is right up there with Anne of Green Gables (from a similar time; I'm not sure why it hasn't stayed as popular other than she is older than Anne when Anne starts out. There's no sentimentality, but it is definitely a fun read.

[theeditrix · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A most delightful book. A charming, fluffy, sweet little literary morsel. The only downer is. . . the heroine decides to become a Fabian Socialist. NOOOO!!!

But other than that, a truly delightful read, as I believe I mentioned. Highly recommended for fans of L.M. Montgomery, Grace Livingston Hill, and other similar authors.

Now, to read the sequel: "Dear Enemy". And I must also watch the Fred Astaire musical and the Mary Pickford silent film, though I doubt either will be half as magical as the book.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audio book narrated by Julia Whelan.

Jerusha (Judy) Abbott is an orphan who has been raised at the John Grier Home. Being the oldest orphan, she is in charge of the younger children. Children are usually released from the Home at age sixteen. Jerusha, having excelled at school was allowed to go to the village for high school, and kept on at the Home two years past the usual time frame. But this exception, too, must come to an end. An unusual offer has come to her, however. In the past, one of the Home’s trustee’s has sometimes helped a particularly bright boy by paying his college tuition. This year, one of Jerusha’s essays has captured this benefactor’s attention, and he has agreed to pay her college tuition for four years. He will remain anonymous, but does require that she write to him monthly – not to thank him, but to tell him of her experiences, much as she would write to her parents.

So begins this delightful book of letters from Judy to the man she knows as “Mr John Smith,” but whom she affectionately calls Daddy Longs Legs (or just Dear Daddy). The reader witnesses her growth from an immature but exuberant young girl to an accomplished and delightful young woman as her horizons are broadened by all she learns. My only complaint is with the unrealistic (and somewhat abrupt) ending. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t say more about that. I’m guessing this is a difference in styles and expectations from the time when it was first published – 100 years ago in 1912.

Julia Whelan does a wonderful job of performing the book. Her enthusiasm as Jerusha is introduced to experiences she hadn’t even dreamed about is infectious. Also, she perfectly voices Judy’s genuine need to explain herself and her continual questioning of her benefactor for some guidance and answers. What the audio cannot convey, however, are the illustrations that the text contains. These are drawings the author, herself, included in the original, and I think they add to the charm of the book. So, if you are going to listen … get a copy of the text so you can at least see the drawings that are referred to.

[eustaciatan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is interesting and fun to read. The only thing that prevented it from getting five stars from me was the fact that the tone of the protagonist sounded like that of a 10 year old, not a college student and certainly not the 21 year old girl she is at the end of the book.

[carolynschroeder · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a really cute book that ages surprisingly well! I had asked for "feel good" book suggestions (was feeling down in the dumps), and a few people came up with this one. It is just a simple story, about a young woman raised in an orphanage who gets a wealthy benefactor who sends her to college. His only requirement is that she send him letters of her life and education at college. He doesn't write back. She nicknames him "Daddy Long Legs" (from a fleeting glimpse she had of him) but otherwise, he is anonymous. The book is mostly comprised of her letters, which are insightful, very witty and funny and because her background is so different from the "rich girls" she looks at things in a unique way. There is much about appreciating the small wonders in life. So it really is a nice little book. There is a surprise ending, which is a good one, fit well. This is not amazing literature, but it's a great escape for an afternoon. I recommend it well, for a "feel good" book!

[citizenjoyce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful book about the the education of a young girl saved from oppression and poverty in an orphanage and sent to college by an anonymous benefactor who requests for his largess that she write him a letter every month telling him about her progress. There's insightful feminist commentary about politics, religion, forced gratitude, mingling of the classes, and the methods and meaning of education.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jerusha is an orphan at the John Grier home, a teen who has worked for her room and board since graduating early from high school. When one of the orphanage trustees anonymously provides her with money for college, she has the opportunity of a lifetime. Her story is conveyed in the letters she sends her benefactor - whom she calls Daddy-Long-Legs after a glimpse of his tall shadow - as she grows to know the wide world beyond the orphanage.This book was written in 1912, and I couldn't help but make comparisons to the story of another orphan, published only four years before. Like Anne Shirley, Jerusha is full of life and humor, quirky phrases, and sometimes swinging from emotional highs to the depths of despair. She never knew a family, and she wants to be an authoress. But there are substantial differences as well. The format is almost entirely letters, and the author often calls attention to the fact that this is a story - Jerusha, who quickly renames herself Judy, often makes comments like "if we were in a storybook" or "if we were story characters." Judy also talks more about what she's learning academically, discussing such subjects as languages, biology, and philosophy. She has rather more progressive politics than Anne, who, I daresay, would find some of Jerusha's educated opinions shocking (and Rachel Lynde would have found them downright blasphemous). An entertaining read, but one that I would expect would interest adults interested in classic young adult literature or the history of women's colleges than today's teens.