Daddy Long Legs is an epistolary novel, formed of letters from Judy Abbott, an orphan who grew up in a

children’s home, to her benefactor, a trustee of the children’s home, who has anonymously given her
the funds to go to college once she turns 18. The only glimpse of this trustee Judy has had was his long,
thin shadow as he left the orphanage, and so she decides to affectionately name him ‘Daddy Long Legs’
in her letters. Judy has no family to write to, so she tells Daddy Long Legs every detail of her new life at
college. Intelligent, enquiring, and terribly naive due to her lack of education and exposure to family life,
Judy’s observations, emotions and ambitions are often innocently hilarious, and incredibly heart
warming. She asks Daddy Long Legs if he has ever heard of Hamlet, because she has found it to be very
good, and describes a weekend at her friend’s home, where she sees a mother and father and family life
for the first time, and marvels at it.

Her discovery of the world, and desire to learn and discover and educate herself, are just so beautiful,
and unlike anything I’ve read before. Her lack of a conventional upbringing and ignorance of things like
family Christmases opened my eyes to just how many of the ordinary life experiences Judy longs to have
experienced, I don’t appreciate as I should. I don’t treat having a meal with my family as something
special or exciting, but this book has shown me that it should be; having a tableful of people who love
and cherish and delight in me should be something I am truly thankful for and appreciative of. From the
book I also understood the poignancy of Judy’s longing for a mother very keenly, and despite the
lightheartedness of this book, it did touch me quite deeply in places.

Judy stops to take notice of the things most people have learnt to take for granted by her age, and this
delight in everything she sees, and thankfulness for everything, no matter how small, make her both
beautifully childlike, and wonderfully optimistic. Despite her often loveless and difficult childhood, she
has managed to grow a generous, warm, big heart that loves passionately and rejoices in the world that
has dealt her a pretty hard hand. She frequently says that she has nothing to be sorry about, and
everything to be thankful for, and this determination not to dwell on what she doesn’t have, but to be
happy about what she does have, is a lesson I am sure many of us could do with learning again through
the eyes of Judy. Judy can’t change the fact that she has no family, so she doesn’t pity herself. Instead,
she works on creating a surrogate family of her own, and her desire to love others in the way she was
never loved herself sees her making many friends throughout her time at college, and falling in love…

Aside from this personal journey of discovery, and lively, adorable voice of Judy that can’t help but make
you fall in love with her from the very first page, there is also the fascinating account of Judy’s time at
college in the early 20th century, and how much she relished the opportunity to study full time. The
description of her comfortable dorm room, the coffee parties, formal meals, skating trips and hours
spent in the library all sounded wonderful, and gave a real insight into what college life was like for
women in America at that time. Judy wants to be a writer, and she is given plenty of encouragement by
her teachers, and her benefactor, to do so, which is quite rare to come across in a book of this period,
and something that I think would really inspire many young readers. Judy has a dream, and she works
hard to make it happen, while also enjoying her life to the utmost and being grateful for every day. She
is a wonderful heroine, and by the end of her letters, she has grown into a sparkling, vivacious young
woman who is ready to take the world by storm.
All in all, this has been one of the most unexpectedly lovely books I’ve read, and will become another
classic comfort read I’ll return to time and time again. Judy’s discovery of the joys of life, and her lack of
bitterness despite her often harsh childhood experiences, will open your eyes to the beauty of the world
around you, and make you more thankful for the simple things you take for granted in life.