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    Daddy-Long-Legs
    Daddy-Long-Legs
    Daddy-Long-Legs
    Audiobook4 hours

    Daddy-Long-Legs

    Written by Jean Webster

    Narrated by Julia Whelan

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    First published in 1912, Daddy-Long-Legs is an epistolary novel that follows orphan Jerusha "Judy" Abbott through her college years through a series of letters written to her anonymous benefactor, whom she nicknames "Daddy-Long-Legs." As Judy learns to navigate the complex world of studies, social life, and romance, her letters convey her growth and address the increasingly complex questions that preoccupy her. A classic coming-of-age story featuring a clever, engaging, and altogether realistic heroine, Daddy-Long-Legs has been a beloved tale since its publication and continues to delight its audiences.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 30, 2011
    ISBN9781452672557
    Author

    Jean Webster

    Jean Webster (1876-1916) was a pseudonym for Alice Jane Chandler Webster, an American author of books that contained humorous and likeable young female protagonists. Her works include Daddy-Long-Legs, Dear Enemy, and When Patty Went to College. Politically and socially active, she often included issues of socio-political interest in her novels.

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    Reviews for Daddy-Long-Legs

    4.5/5

    67 ratings47 reviews

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    • 5/5
      One of my Dreamwidth friends recently mentioned "Daddy Long Legs" in her journal. My brain went "You can get it free on Project Gutenberg!" and about half an hour later, I had it on my ebook reader. It's an absolutely delightful book. I originally read this when I as young and never forgot it. I was pleased to discover that I enjoyed it even more as an adult.It's a series of letters from an orphan to the mysterious benefactor who is paying for her college education. She doesn't know what his name is, but the deal is that he supports her education as long as she writes him a regular letter about what she's doing. As she's only even seen his elongated shadow, she nicknames him "Daddy Long Legs".She tells him about what she's learning, what she thinks of it, cheerfully berates him for never writing back, tells him of what she gets upto with her friends, comments on all kinds of things with a cheerful irreverence. (She knows that one of the reasons he chose to help her is that she wrote a humorous school essay mocking the trustees' annual visit to the orphanage)It's partly a wonderful window into the world of 1912, from the social attitudes to orphans, to the clothes worn by young women, but it's also very funny. I laughed out loud several times while reading it.There's a romance that develops between Judy and a relative of one of her college friends, but she is concerned about her background and the fact that he comes from an upper-class family. (Orphans really were low status back then)It reminds me a little of "84 Charring Cross Rd". There's the same love of literature, and the same cheerful, humorous, slightly disrespectful but fond attitude towards the correspondent.You can get it for free! Read it. Far more fun than most classics.
    • 5/5
      In 1912 Webster wrote a delightful epistolary novel (a favorite style for me when it is well done) about an orphan girl who is sponsored anonymously to go to college. The only stipulation is that she must write a progress report to her sponsor each month without expecting to get any replies. It is a delight to accompany Judy as she discovers the world and discovers herself. My recommendation and rating are based entirely on my personal passion for this book.
    • 3/5
      I read this long time ago so I don't remember details much. However, I do remember that book is collection of letters of girl to his (fictional) father. It did have some nice moments and definitely is an unconventional book worth going through.
    • 5/5
      This is the first book I read in English. I studied the language with my beloved teacher, Galina Vasilievna, in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). I would have 2-3 private classes a week, and she would usually give me an obscene amount of home work - well, thanks for that! After some time spent with study books, I came to a point when she suggested 'additional reading' and gave me this book. I was supposed to prepare a couple of pages of reading once a week. By 'prepare' I mean exactly what it sounds like - PREPARE. Translate every word - understand it in context. Write it down. Translate, write down the definition and construct in writing 5 sentences with the phrases underlined by my teacher. Usually those were expressions, like 'dragged itself to a close' - Gosh, I still remember it!Well, I have to say that I have never finished the book in the way Galina Vasilievna wanted me to. In about half a year I just wanted to know 'what's up?' and flipped through the many remaining pages in one evening, grasping the meaning over the words I did not know. Proud, I said to the teacher "I can tell you the story!" "It is not reading, my dear! I need you to learn the expressions!" she replied as calmly, as usually.I have read many books after that time. Most of them have been in English language. I am getting my Master's degree in International Relations, reading, writing everything in English. I write a weekly column in English for a newspaper. For about four years 85% of my communications are in English. I am thrilled with the bookstores. And the door to all of this, the door in terms of Books, is my very first one: Daddy-Long-Legs, read when I was about 15-16 years old.As for the book itself: it was cute. I may read it once again, just to have a complete picture, un-fragmented with my initial page-a-week jumps.
    • 5/5
      Loved this story! While it is definitely outdated in many ways it is still a charming escape.
    • 5/5
      This is a wonderful book about the the education of a young girl saved from oppression and poverty in an orphanage and sent to college by an anonymous benefactor who requests for his largess that she write him a letter every month telling him about her progress. There's insightful feminist commentary about politics, religion, forced gratitude, mingling of the classes, and the methods and meaning of education.
    • 5/5
      Story of a girl who grew up in an orphanage and was sent to college by an anonymous, male benefactor who required her to write him once a month. Delightful! Best I've read lately.
    • 5/5
      A heartwarming story about Judy Abbott and her adventures at college. It was quite heartwarming at the end. I expected Daddy Longlegs to be the love interest's father, but was pleasantly surprised.
    • 5/5
      Judy Abbott, a bright young orphan, is the first girl sent to college by one of the orphanage's trustees. Her only obligation is to write a monthly letter summing up her studies. Her benefactor is anonymous, so she bestows the name "Daddy-Long-Legs" on him because she's only seen his tall shadow. The novel is told in her letters to him, relating her college experiences which reveal not only her lively intelligence but the deprivations of her institutional upbringing. It is one of the more completely satisfying stories I have ever read. It provides a vivid slice of life at a woman's college early in the 20th century. Webster was a graduate of Vassar College.
    • 5/5
      I loved it, very entertaining. A reread for sure.
    • 4/5
      A charming novel, which is apparently a classic but which I had never heard of as a child - presumably because the winter-spring romance that develops would now be considered scandalous. But I found it enjoyable and not too implausible as far as romances go, and enjoyed the letter format - reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice.
    • 4/5
      The book is interesting and fun to read. The only thing that prevented it from getting five stars from me was the fact that the tone of the protagonist sounded like that of a 10 year old, not a college student and certainly not the 21 year old girl she is at the end of the book.
    • 4/5
      Another American classic, this one not half so preachy and therefore enjoyable. A few years ago, I read Dear Mr Knightley by Katherine Reay, which is an update of Jean Webster's 1912 novel, and was not impressed. The epistolary form is a difficult style of narrative to pull off, and the premise of an anonymous benefactor dictating the life of a disadvantaged young woman certainly doesn't translate well into a modern setting. The original, however, is short and sweet.When Jerusha Abbott turns seventeen, she is told that an anonymous trustee of the orphanage has offered to send her to college, on the condition that she writes him a letter every month. For the next four years, Jerusha - who wisely changes her name to Judy - fulfils her side of the arrangement, penning witty, forthright and free-spirited accounts of her life at college. Her benefactor never replies directly, but occasionally sends a message through his secretary - usually when trying to control Judy's life, telling here where she is allowed to spend her summers and whether or not to accept a scholarship. That side of the story remains a little worrying - not to mention how she calls her guardian 'Daddy Long Legs' and sometimes just 'Daddy' - but luckily Judy is a strong-minded young woman who knows how to pick her battles!I loved some of Judy's thoughts, on religion - 'Their god (whom they have inherited intact from their remote Puritan ancestors) is a narrow, irrational, unjust, mean, revengeful, bigoted person. Thank heaven I don't inherit any god from anybody!' - and 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' - and enjoyed her character. She's from a poor background without family, yes, but doesn't bang on about how having no money is some sort of spiritual experience like A Tree Grows In Brooklyn or how women exist only to serve others (Louisa May Alcott, looking at you).Great fun - I bought an actual printed copy, shock horror, and will definitely keep to read again.
    • 4/5
      I was expecting to find Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster a light-hearted, sentimental read that would barely hold my interest. Well, yes, it is both light-hearted and sentimental but I also found an element of creepiness in the relationship that Daddy and Judy had. Starting out as a benefactor to an orphan by paying for her to go to college, his lurking in the background, pulling the strings and almost shaping this young girl into his future wife was rather disturbing. However, now that I have voiced my concern, I do have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Daddy-Long-Legs is presented in a letter format as Judy is instructed to write to her benefactor and keep him up to date on her life. She calls him Daddy-Long-Legs as she only ever saw a quick glance at him from behind and remembered him mostly for the length of the shadow he cast. She dutifully writes him, and here lies the charm of this book. Her letters are fun, breezy informative chat-fests. She is an open book and tells all, establishing a relationship with this shadow figure who continues to hide his identity.Over the course of the book we discover that Judy isn’t the meek and mild orphan that she appears to be, she has backbone and an inner strength and when she wants to she knows how to stand up for herself. By the book’s end, it is clear that Judy will have a wonderful life with her Daddy-Long-Legs, and in a romantic tale such as this, this is the happy ending that was hoped for.
    • 4/5
      Seventeen-year-old Jerusha Abbott has spent her entire life at the John Grier Home, an orphanage. When one of the trustees takes an interest in her (due to a humorous but unflattering essay on visiting day at the orphanage) and decides to send her to college. He elects to remain anonymous; all Jerusha knows is that he is tall (she caught a glimpse of him silhouetted in the doorway on his way out), rich, and has only ever sponsored the education of boys before. One of the conditions of her education is that she is to write him monthly letters on her progress, with the understanding that he will not respond in any way. This book comprises that one-way correspondence, and readers will soon find themselves charmed by Jerusha's youthful exuberance and zest for life. But will she ever discover the identity of her mysterious benefactor?Some aspects of this book are indicative of its time, but all in all, I think it holds up pretty well. I know of readers who are bothered by certain aspects of the book, particularly the ending, but I find I don't mind them, even on a second reading. All in all, I found it a pleasant, quick reread, and will probably read it again at some time in the future.
    • 4/5
      I first read this in my teens and I really loved it - I found it funny, and charming, and romantic. I loved the cheerful but unsentimental tone of the story, and I loved how fresh and vivid and likeable Judy was.

      BUT
      I re-read this recently, and while I still enjoyed its humour and its happy ending, I am a bit more ambivalent about the Judy/Daddy-Long-Legs relationship. Now that I am older and more aware of things like the connection between relationships and power, I can see instances where Daddy Long Legs' behaviour is controlling and possessive (e.g. when he ordered Judy to head to the farm for the summer, rather than spend it with her friend Sallie (and her brother Jimmy).

      I think part of my unease is because I can't see how the romance has developed, based on the one-sided communication - perhaps he just wants her because she is totally under his control!? Dear Daddy Long Legs, I want to know how you fell in love with Judy. I want to see your actions justified in the name of jealousy borne out of infatuation. Please tell your side of the story!
    • 5/5
      Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster is a hundred year old epistolary novel about a young woman getting a chance to follow her dreams because of the sponsorship of an unnamed benefactor. The story follows Jershua "Judy" Abbott through her college education and the early days of her career as a writer.I come to the book, though, through the 1955 film adaptation staring Fred Astaire as the titular character and Leslie Caron as Judy (renamed Julie for the movie). While the gist of the film is the same as the book: older man provides money for a younger woman's college education — the set up is completely different and more troubling. At the time the film was made, Fred Astaire was more than twice Leslie Caron's age. Although he plays a young-at-heart character (one enamored with rock and roll drumming), he is still clearly old enough to be her father.So it was with an uneasy curiosity that I read Jean Webster's book.The differences between the film and original source material are immediately apparent. First and foremost — the setting is domestic. Judy, though still an orphan, has been raised in the United States. She is not an exotic — post WWII French teacher of French orphans. She is, instead, an American contemporary with LM Montgomery's Anne Shirley. Judy's experience at the orphanage and her sponsorship into an American university, is therefore, recognizable and credible — something the film version can't pull off.In the film, there is a heavy dose of voyeurism of the dirty old man variety as Julie's benefactor befriends her under false pretenses and otherwise keeps an eye on her. Of course voyeurism is part and parcel of film story telling but it's clearly at odds here with the source material. In the book, Judy and Jervys (changed to Jervis in the film), do meet and become friends, as he keeps up the secret identity as her benefactor. But their meeting is circumstantial and as he's significantly closer in age to her (late twenties/early thirties to her late teens/early twenties), it is far more plausible that she and he would become more than just friends.Judy's letters are written in a believable, charming voice that rings true a century later — and I suspect well into the next century. Along with her quirky turns of phrase are drawings, little sketches that Judy sometimes sends along in her missives. They too add to the overall appeal of the novel.Keeping all those thoughts in mind, I adore the novel. It is delightful. Anyone who loves LM Montgomery's books or anyone who is a fan of Louise Rennison's books, will enjoy Daddy-Long-Legs.
    • 5/5
      I tremendously enjoyed this poignant tale of young orphaned Jerusha Abbot brought up in the John Grier Home where daily submission and repeated groveling is expected.When a board of trustee member provides funds for her college education, she escapes the confinements of the home and ventures into the world of elite privilege.With no knowledge of social mores, she develops a spirit tough enough to know she is of equal intellect, but pliant enough to know she has a lot to learn. Jerusha's paradoxical feelings of self assuredness and insecurity are excellently described and keenly felt.Unaccustomed, she bubbles along, feeling out of place, but, she is also spunky enough to overcome the ackwardness of a life of poverty.Writing letters to her unseen, mysterious benefactor whom she only glimpsed as he walked away from the home, and, noting he was tall, she now pens heart felt missives to "Daddy Long Legs."This is a book that grabbed and kept my attention. It is wonderfully written with a keen sense of the need for social justice and of the tenacity of the human spirit.Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      A coming of age story about a young orphan girl who meets her benefactor and soul mate.
      I did not believe that Jerusha was dependent on her benefactor, Daddy Long Legs. Jerusha was an independent woman. Her love of Daddy Long Legs, comes from her desire to belong to a family. He became her entire family; her grandmother, her uncle, her father, all rolled into one. Her love for him was based not only this, but also for his generosity to her. He had given her a way out of the drudgery her life was, in the asylum. Who wouldn’t be grateful and loving to such a person? ‘I love college and I love you for sending me.’

      Jerusha proved, that by accepting a Trustee’s gift of a college education, anything more than that, would make her dependent, and she was not comfortable with this.
      Jerusha received a $50.00 check from Daddy Long Legs, after she had written to him about the lovely hats Julia bought. This check was unacceptable to Jerusha. She knew she was a charity case, and although she was able to accept the allowance and college funding from him, this was above and beyond. Especially since Jerusha had intended to pay him back, everything he had given her. ‘Id love pretty hats and things, but I mustn't mortgage the future to pay for them.’ The check was returned to him.

      Jerusha shows her independence by following her judgement, in accepting the scholarship she was awarded. The scholarship would cover board and tuition for two years. Jerusha won it for marked proficiency in English. Her benefactor conveyed to her, not to accept it. “I don’t understand your objection in the least. But anyway, it won’t do the slightest good for you to object, for I’ve already accepted it and I am not going to change!” She further communicates her independence as she writes, ‘don’t be annoyed because your chick is wanting to scratch for herself. She’s growing up into an awfully energetic little hen - with a very determined cluck and lot of beautiful feathers (all due to you).’ She is telling him that she is developing her own mind and can make important decisions on her own, thanks to her maturity, and her education.

      Jerusha’s mind was also made up when she wrote Daddy Long Legs, about her spending the summer at the seaside with Mrs. Paterson, to tutor her daughter. She would be earning fifty dollars a month. She did not give him the chance to object, because her mind was set. In this instance, she was going to earn money, just as she had when she won the scholarship. She was realizing her potential, and that she could pay back some of the charity, given to her. She was also demonstrating that she had free will. ‘How does my program strike you, Daddy? I am getting quite independent, you see. You have put me on my feet and I think I can almost walk alone by now.’
    • 4/5
      This is a favourite kids book that I alway enjoy reading.

      The book is written in the style of letters, which I actually find quite annong. The sequel to the book (Dear Enemy) is written the same way.

      However I find the plot sweet, and the books quick to read.
    • 5/5
      This is a wonderful classic, I first read it as a teenager, and I have read it several times since. The story is told through an orphan girl's letters to her mysterious benefactor, as he pays her way through college. There is a delightful sense of the ridiculous in Judy's depiction of her daily life and studies. I find it entertaining both as a simple romance story, and also as a historical look at what life was like at a women's college in the early 1900's.There is a excellent sequel, Dear Enemy, telling the story of Judy's room mate Sally, and her work as the new head of the Judy's childhood orphanage.
    • 4/5
      Very funny tale but it seams to skip pieces of the story. Orator was very good in animating the story.
    • 4/5
      This is my first kindle novel, it was free and the only book that interested me, mainly because I'd seen the Fred Astair film, I didn't know it was a book. I loved it, and wish I'd come across it years ago. An easy enjoyable read, I'd recommend it to anyone.
      Judy was a likeable heroine, a bit like Anne in Anne of Green Gables.
    • 4/5
      Quiet, well-written novel about an orphaned girl with a private benefactor she's never met. The story, while slightly formulaic, is very well-written, and the voice is completely engaging and believable.
    • 5/5
      Sweet old story about an orphan writing letters to an anonymous benefactor who pays for her college education. The orphan, Judy, is a delightful character, very likeable, such a joy in learning. Lots of innocent humour.
    • 5/5
      When I was so young, around 6, my brother and I would wake up early to watch an anime series called "يا صاحب الظل الطويل" aka "The Man with the Long Shadow" aka "Daddy Long Legs".

      Little did I know by then, that the story would stay with me till this very day; I guess what we get attached to while young does stick in our minds and hearts, and as always a well written story is always a classic.

      It helps also that I'm always attracted to protagonist who are writers, like Judy Abbott, Anne Shirley and Jo March.

      Years ago, I bought the book and a few days ago I reread it and fell in love with the spirit of the author more than ever. I think the best adaption of the story was the Japanese cartoon version, it's so close to the actual book and so deep, the cartoonist and director really brought the story to life, I wish the people who brought Downton Abbey to TV would just make the cartoon a reality because it's simply amazing.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book apart from the socialist propaganda, but that kind of ruined it. One of Judy's diary entries is basically, "Dear Diary, Should I become a Communist or a socialist?"!
    • 4/5
      Jerusha is an orphan at the John Grier home, a teen who has worked for her room and board since graduating early from high school. When one of the orphanage trustees anonymously provides her with money for college, she has the opportunity of a lifetime. Her story is conveyed in the letters she sends her benefactor - whom she calls Daddy-Long-Legs after a glimpse of his tall shadow - as she grows to know the wide world beyond the orphanage.This book was written in 1912, and I couldn't help but make comparisons to the story of another orphan, published only four years before. Like Anne Shirley, Jerusha is full of life and humor, quirky phrases, and sometimes swinging from emotional highs to the depths of despair. She never knew a family, and she wants to be an authoress. But there are substantial differences as well. The format is almost entirely letters, and the author often calls attention to the fact that this is a story - Jerusha, who quickly renames herself Judy, often makes comments like "if we were in a storybook" or "if we were story characters." Judy also talks more about what she's learning academically, discussing such subjects as languages, biology, and philosophy. She has rather more progressive politics than Anne, who, I daresay, would find some of Jerusha's educated opinions shocking (and Rachel Lynde would have found them downright blasphemous). An entertaining read, but one that I would expect would interest adults interested in classic young adult literature or the history of women's colleges than today's teens.
    • 5/5
      How did I miss this book for so long? It was a thoroughly delightful book that made me smile and laugh out loud. There are really two main characters in the book. Jerusha Abbott writes letters to her benefactor whom she calls Daddy Long Legs, well, most of the time. The other is the unseen Daddy Long Legs.I fell in love with Jerusha. She's remarkable independent, especially considering the time period the book was written in. She has a keen eye for people and the ability to make the reader see them, too. Her letters are clever, amusing, and yet filled with insight. I loved watching her grow up.If you enjoy well-written books, this should interest you. Be aware there are illustrations that matter to the book, so be sure the version you get has those illustrations.
    • 5/5
      I read it over and over. I wish I were Judy.