Customer Reviews

Daddy-Long-Legs (Puffin Classics)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Usually I absolutely hate novels that are supposed to be a collection of letters and/or diary entries for this simple reason, they are as transparent as saran wrap. Something along the lines of "I'm just jotting down a casual letter to inform you that I just had a terrible fight with so-and-so, here's what we said word for word complete with speaker attributes"

That's why I was so pleasantly suprised with this book. The writing is entertaining, intelligent and always realistic. That is EXACTLY how a person in their late teens, early twenties writes (I know, I'm a letter writer in that age group) and it is so refreshing to read an author who knows what she is talking about on the subject.

Judy Abbott is most certainly not a Pollyanna, she teases, gets angry and argues but she has a nice nature and always manages to patch things up. She is an orphan who writes to her mysterious benefactor whom she dubs "Daddy-Long-Legs". Because he is her fairy godmother for all purposes, she confides in him even though she knows he will never answer. The ending is marvelous with a great little twist. I think this book is great for girls 8-80 and am sorry I did not read it sooner

I've read this book a few times, and every time I come back to it, I can't put it down. It's short (around 200 pages) & sweet. The book was published in 1912, and is one-of-a-kind, as it consists almost entirely of letters written by Judy. Judy is an orphan from the John Grier Home, an orphange she was raised in since she was a baby. Her future seems very bleak until one day she is unexpectedly offered the opportunity for a paid college education to become an author by one of the orphanage's trustees. In return, she has to write monthly letters to the unknown trustee who is known as Mr. John Smith. She calls him "Daddy-Long-Legs" because she saw his tall shadow as he left the building. Her letters are very entertaining, and often impertinent. That is really all I want to tell of the story, but here are a couple of quotes from the book that I loved:

"It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh -- I really think that requires spirit."

"I think the most necessary quality for any person to have is imagination. It makes people able to put themselves in other people's places. It makes them kind and sympathetic and understanding. It ought to be cultivated in children."

Judy is a surprisingly modern heroine in this epistolary novel, an orphan rescued by a mysterious benefactor and sent to college at the turn of the last century. She's entertaining, has a sense of humor that the hardships of her past has not diminished, is a talented writer, and aspires to be a "useful citizen." This is a perfect girls' fantasy with a storybook ending, and has held up over time remarkably well. I've only seen the Fred Astaire version of the movie adaptation, which I cannot recommend...read the book instead, it's truly charming.

Daddy Long Legs is one of my favorite books of all time. It looks like an old book, but it is as current as any of todays best seller. Throughout the years, I have re-read Daddy-Long-Legs, time and time again. When I read this novel, I laughed and I cried. Each event that happens in this novel has you glued to your chair. In every letter that Judy (aka, Jurusha Abbott) writes to her favorite Daddy-Long-Legs, she tells of her daily life. She shares her happiness, her sadness, her everything, to a man that she doesn't know, but loves so much. I strongly recommend this book to anyone that has a dream that they think will never come true. After reading this book, you will know there are miracles. Dreams do come true.

This book is one of the dearest to my heart. I must have read it 50 times. Jean Webster delicately molded this novel to tell the tale of a girl coming-of-age through letters to her mysterious gaurdian. The ending surprises me every time. People young and old will genuinly treasure this story of a poor ophan growing into a learned, beautiful woman.

Practical Jean Webster must not have believed in fey folk, however, as this novel's fairy-godmother is a man--and an orphan asylum trustee, of all things. (Readers find out exactly what that is by at least the third page and never forget it.) Nevertheless, he does bring the heroine closer to her dreams by sending to her to college for free. He's also mysterious and eccentric--a nice touch.

This heroine is Jerusha Abbot, who pluckily changes her name to Judy as soon as she enters college. Most of the novel is composed of her letters to the kind trustee, whom she has named Daddy-Long-Legs. Her observations on her roommates, friends, classes, teachers, and life in general are a delight to read and her style is light and funny. She remains as likeable today as she was when this book was first published in 1912.

Thankfully, the "modern" details that Webster sprinkled throughout the text will not get in the way of readers' enjoyment. When Judy confesses that she hadn't known that R.L.S. stood for Robert Louis Stevenson or that George Eliot was a lady--and almost laments that she "wasn't brought up on 'Little Women'"--readers don't mind that neither had they. It is the spirit of the words that comes through to them: they understand what is important--her embarrassment at the fact and her motivation to correct it--and that is enough.

As Webster considered herself a socialist and a reformer, one of the reasons she wrote "Daddy-Long-Legs" was definitely to show the more uppity folk of the early twentieth century that even children who are brought up in orphan asylums _can_ become useful, productive adults when they grow up.

Of course, the appeal of this children's novel has less to do with that message than with Judy's (and therefore, Webster's) sense of humor. I'm sure that children breeze through--and soon forget--Judy's little sermons about the need to cultivate imagination in children or the virtue of doing things out of love and not duty. (The passages about socialism are another story, however. Judy's socialist streak is one of the most fun--and one of the most important--elements in "Daddy-Long-Legs".)

On the other hand, children will love the more whimsical details. For example, during one lonely Christmas, Judy bought herself some presents; pretended that they came from her family in California; and proceeded to make up, name and characterize each hypothetical family member. Yes, this novel is great fun.

One of my favourite, or shall I say, my ALL TIME favourite books about an aspiring authoress, and woman who wants to be considered, [in pre-World War I days when women didn't have voting rights!], at least "a useful citizen".

The protagonist, Jerusha (Judy) Abbot, an orphan whose name is picked off a tombstone and surname from the telephone directory,...remains one of the most believable and beautiful character portrayals in literature. Her sense of humour in the face of all odds, (a product of Webster's brilliant imagination and adept pen) kept me coming back to this book a countless number of times.

The superb narrative style, the book being a compilation of letters from a cheeky, unique woman growing up in the early part of this century to her benefactor who never replies, is stunning in it's currency to this day. It is hard to believe that a book, written almost over 90 years ago should still find an adoring audience. It deals with issues like women's independence, happiness, indentity and that old demon, 'love'! It is most definitely a "Classic". Rather like old wine it seems to have aged perfectly! I could go on forever, but will end by saying this is a MUST for every library and anyone who knows how good it is to be alive.

I learned so much while reading Daddy-Long-Legs! One of the most satisfying aspects of the book was learning intimately and in depth about who Jerusha Abbott really was. After I finished the book, I had a feeling as if I knew a completely amazing woman. Some of the things that Jerusha says in her letters to Daddy-Long-Legs was inspiring and uplifting. I enjoyed the book immensely. It was a true page-turner for me. The ending alone is enough to want to read the book. I encourage it to everyone who likes a book written in the form of letters.

Daddy-Long-Legs is a story about an orphan named Jerusha Abbot, who lives in the John Grier Home. She is the oldest girl resident and therefore has countless responsibilities. All her life, she's lived in an orphanage, worn other people's used clothes, and therefore has been made fun of for being too poor to afford her own clothes. You would think that somebody growing up in a place as dull and uninspiring as the JGH would be dull and uninspired themselves, but Jerusha is anything but dull. In fact, she is a talented writer and her writing actually becomes her ticket to freedom from the horrible orphanage she's lived at all her life.

While visiting the JGH one Wednesday, one of the trustees takes a particluar interest in Jerusha's writing and agrees to pay for her entire college tuition. All Jerusha has to do in return is to write him a detailed letter once a month, describing her education. As part of the agreement, the trustee refers to himself as "John Smith" and Jerusha is expected to know that he will never respond to her letters, so she shouldn't expect anything.

Suddenly, naive and innocent Jerusha Abbot, whose first name comes from a tomb stone and last name was picked from the telephone directory, is released into the real world and she doesn't quite know what to do. Changing her name to Judy immediately after she arrives at the college, she tries her hardest to fit in and make up for the past 18 years of her life that she has lived completely without even the slightest access to the outside world. The entire book is composed of letters that Judy sends her benefactor, whom she calls Daddy-Long-Legs because the first and only time that she saw him, she saw his shadow stretching on the wall and making his legs appear very tall. There are also humorous illustrations that Judy drew of things that she saw from her perspective.

Despite the fact that this book was published in 1912, Judy's opinions are surprisingly modern. This is a book that you'll read again and again, without ever getting tired, even though you already know the ending. It is a wonderful writing achievement and Jean Webster has truly got a grasp on what young adults like Judy think and say. I recommend this book to anyone over the age of 11 or 12. It's true that even 8 year-olds can read and enjoy this book, but I think that maybe younger readers may not understand the meaning and the message of the book and may not appreciate it the way older readers do. Also, if you like this book, you should also read "Dear Enemy", which is the sequel, and is written from the perspective of Judy's best friend and roommate, Sally McBride. Bravo Miss Webster, for writing two heart-warming and humorous books.

My sister made me read this book during my recent vacation. Since I am not a fan of books that consist of a series of letters, I was very skeptical about this one. But I must say that it is an excellent book. The author has beautifully portrayed the character of the orphan girl who gets a chance to go to college due to the generosity of a mysterious orphanage trustee. The letters highlight the girl's emotional highs and lows brilliantly, as she adjusts to (and then thrives in) this new environment that is so very different from where she grew up.

I am surprised that some people found a "twist" at the end of the book, I could guess the ending pretty early on. Anyway, its not the ending, but the individual letters that are the true gems in the book. I highly recommend this book for people that like character portrayals.