I recently read a book* that reminded me of Daddy-Long-Legs, which I'd read as a preteen. I wanted to read it again to see just how similar the plots are. In Daddy-Long-Legs, Judy is an orphan who has lived in an orphan home her whole life. She's 17 and finished with high school. As the oldest of the orphans, she basically works for her board, helping with the younger children and with cleaning, especially prior to visits by the members of the Board of Trustees. After one of their visits, Judy is told that one trustee, upon learning that Judy has excelled in writing, wants to finance her college room and board. The only requirement is that she write to him every month to let him know how things are going. He stays anonymous ‒ to her, he is "John Smith." Not sure who he is exactly, and not liking the generic name John Smith, she refers to him as Daddy-Long-Legs.
Judy is a perky and enthusiastic young woman who often illustrates her letters with drawings that add to the charm. Her writing shows that she is sometimes impulsive but quite thoughtful, and oh-so-happy to be at college with hopes of becoming a writer, and with a budget for proper clothing so that she no longer looks like an orphan. Judy's letters continue all through college, until she finally meets Daddy-Long-Legs some months after graduation.
For a bit, I wondered if Judy was "being groomed" by the trustee or by society at large, but decided no, based on her spunky personality and her sometimes stubborn streak that seem to be a good compass for her choices, especially notable since the book was written over a hundred years ago and has Judy writing in favor of more rights for women. Fast read.
* Dear Mr. Knightley, by Katherine Reay
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