Books I love: Daddy-Long-Legs

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster was written almost 100 years ago in 1912. I first read this book as a juvenile and enjoyed it thoroughly! More than 40 years later I still enjoy this epistolary* short novel because it is simple and romantic. The denouement (last part) was a very pleasant surprise for me because I read it as a very young adult then.

The story is about the teen protagonist Jerusha 'Judy' Abbot, an orphan living at the John Grier Home. A mysterious rich benefactor sponsors her through College with the proviso that she not find out who he is and that she writes often about her progress. Her letters to him (whom she nicknames Daddy-Long-Legs) forms the story in this book.



My copy of Daddy-Long-Legs (CNB 2011)



One of the sketches by the author in DDL (CNB 2011)

There are seven films made based on this book, including in Japanese, Korean and Dutch. I have not seen any. I also have yet to read its sequel, Dear Enemy, written in 1915.

*Epistolary - expressed/written in the form of letters
Ex Libris CNB 0017