Daddy-Long-Legs By Jean Webster

Daddy-Long-Legs By Jean Webster was my 17th of 2020 and 3rd in February.  It is called an  epistolary novel. An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use. Though have read such books, never knew of this term. Seems even Pride and Prejudice was written in this format  in it's initial  edition.  Sibi recommended  this book, which I thoroughly  enjoyed and was also reminded  of her question  when in school to Gladis Miss on Pride and Prejudice.  Also the book is categorized as Fiction, and I wonder, really?

Jerusha Abbott was brought up at the John Grier Home, an old-fashioned orphanage. The children were completely dependent on charity and had to wear other people's cast-off clothes. Jerusha's unusual first name was selected by the matron from a gravestone (she hates it and uses "Judy" instead), while her surname was selected out of the phone book. At the age of 17, she finished her education and is at loose ends, still working in the dormitories at the institution where she was brought up.

One day, after the asylum's trustees have made their monthly visit, Judy is informed by the asylum's dour matron that one of the trustees has offered to pay her way through college. He has spoken to her former teachers and thinks she has potential to become an excellent writer, especially after reading her Blue Wednesday, which was a trend in the orphanage, when the trustees visited, and everything had to be spick and span.  He will pay her tuition and give her a generous monthly allowance. Judy must write him a monthly letter because he believes that letter-writing is important to the development of a writer. However, she will never know his identity; she must address the letters to Mr. John Smith, and he never will reply.

Judy catches a glimpse of the shadow of her benefactor from the back, and knows he is a tall long-legged man. Because of this, she jokingly calls him Daddy-Long-Legs. She attends a "girls college" on the East Coast. She illustrates her letters with childlike line drawings, also created by Jean Webster.

The book chronicles Judy's educational, personal, and social growth. One of the first things she does at college is to change her name to Judy. She designs a rigorous reading program for herself and struggles to gain the basic cultural knowledge to which she, growing up in the bleak environment of the orphanage, never was exposed.

During her stay, she befriends Sallie McBride (the most entertaining person in the world) and Julia Rutledge Pendleton (the least so) and sups with them and Leonora Fenton. Then there comes Master Jervie. Mr. Jervis Pendleton of the House of Julia; her uncle, being in town on business, decided to meet his niece.  As Julia was busy, she asked Judy to take him around. For vacation they go to the perfectly beautifyl Lock Willow Farm.  She writes to Daddy about him, slowly  she starts liking him and wanted to take daddy's advice  about him. But then thinks her priority  should be repaying daddy. She is confused and wants to meet dady, but gets to know he is seriously ill. She is invited and allowed to meet him for some time and lo and behold,  the Bollywood drama unfolds.

Did you know there is a Malayalam movie based on this book. 

Kanamarayathu.