Dear Enemy

Dear Enemy by Jean Webster continues the world of Daddy-Long-Legs through the letters of Sallie McBride, who takes charge of an orphan asylum and writes with wit, frustration, reforming energy, and growing affection. The novel mixes comedy, social criticism, romance, and practical concern for children who need more than institutional care.

Readers who enjoy epistolary fiction, early twentieth-century women's writing, and humane reform stories will find Dear Enemy lively and warm. Jean Webster keeps the tone light, but the book is serious about education, health, work, affection, and emotional attention. Its charm comes from watching Sallie become less ornamental and more capable, as responsibility changes her ideas about love, usefulness, independence, service, family, and adulthood.