Daddy-Long-Legs

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster is an epistolary novel about Jerusha Abbott, an orphan whose anonymous benefactor sends her to college on the condition that she write regular letters. Through Judy's lively voice, the book follows education, friendship, independence, humor, ambition, and the slow discovery of a wider world beyond institutional childhood.

The novel suits readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories, campus settings, witty letters, and early twentieth-century women's fiction. Daddy-Long-Legs is light in tone but serious about opportunity: Judy's intelligence grows because she is finally given space, books, choices, confidence, and affectionate encouragement. Webster's charm comes from making self-formation feel intimate and funny, while still asking who gets the chance to become fully themselves as adults.