Jean Webster’s Daddy-Long-Legs is a charming and witty epistolary novel that has charmed readers since its 1912 publication. The story is told entirely through the letters of Jerusha “Judy” Abbott, a spirited and intelligent young woman who has grown up in the John Grier Home, an orphanage. Her life changes dramatically when one of the asylum's trustees, a mysterious millionaire she nicknames “Daddy-Long-Legs” after seeing his elongated shadow, offers to send her to college. His conditions are twofold: she must write him a letter every month detailing her experiences, and he will never respond. Judy, eager for an education and a chance at life, eagerly agrees. The letters form the narrative, chronicling her transformation from a naive orphan into an independent, thoughtful young woman. She details her academic struggles and triumphs, her friendships, her forays into writing, and her growing affection for the father-figure she has never met. The novel is a sharp, often humorous critique of women's education and social conventions of the era, all filtered through Judy’s irresistible voice—by turns irreverent, grateful, and profoundly insightful. The identity of Daddy-Long-Legs and the resolution of their one-sided relationship provide a deeply satisfying and romantic conclusion to this classic coming-of-age story.

Table of Contents:

Daddy-Long-Legs. Part 1

Daddy-Long-Legs. Part 2