Book Name: Daddy-Long-Legs
Author: Jean Webster
Genre: Epistolary
Year Published: 1912
Daddy-Long-Legs is an epistolary novel, meaning it's written in the form of letters. All of these letters are from Jerusha (Judy), an orphan who is sent to college by one of the asylum's trustees, who chooses to remain anonymous. She is tasked with writing to him about her progress and the book therefore consists of said letters, in which, knowing nothing about the man, she addresses him as Daddy-Long-Legs, because she glimpsed him once at the asylum and recalls him as tall and skinny.
I'd been requested by someone who reads this blog to put a short piece concerning what the novel is about at the start of each review, but I have to say I find it a little difficult and clunky to write these kind of blurbs. I hope the above suffices... I'll try and do a better one next time, and maybe with practice they will get better!
Now, I really liked this style of writing. I've read similar books before which used letters, e-mails, texts and other media during the novel to convey how relationships between characters were progressing, but I don't think I've read one in which the entire novel was based on them. I remember thinking at the time that they broke up the book nicely, in a new and interesting fashion, because I wasn't used to books doing that I suppose, but of course this book was written quite a while ago in 1912 so it's clearly not a recent concept.
It was strange at first having all the letters be from Judy to Daddy-Long-Legs, without any responses from him. I liked the way you could clearly read her emotions in her letters, from confusion at being in a new place, to frustration when he didn't respond to her, to her happiness or sadness when things occurred in her life - all these things were expertly conveyed in the writing. As the letters are sent over 4 years you get to really see the changes in Judy's life and learn a lot about her as a character. It's a lot more intimate than the relationship you might develop with a normal novel's characters therefore.
Now, the next paragraph is going to consist of a MASSIVE SPOILER. So if you don't want to read about the novel's culmination you're best off skipping to the bit where I've written "spoiler ends" further down in capitals.
During the book, Judy befriends and indeed falls for a man - Master Jervie - who is the uncle of one of her contemporaries at college. She writes a lot to Daddy-Long-Legs about him of course, as well as everything else that is going on her life. At the end of the book, it is revealed (though there are a few clues here and there earlier on) that Daddy-Long-Legs is in fact Master Jervie. I couldn't decide honestly whether this whole book was therefore really weird or not. It's kind of nice of course that he's sent her to college and they end up falling in love etc. but at the same time she goes on about how well they get on together and he likes the same things as her and so forth and all I can think is Well, of course he knows all about you because you write to him every week about everything you're doing and what you're interested in! So I guess it's a little creepy in a way...?
SPOILER ENDS
Despite the strangeness of the book's ending, it was still fun to read, very light and good pacing. I read quite a lot of it at a time which is always a good sign, and there was no point at which I struggled and thought I didn't want to carry on reading it. Anyway, if you read the bit in the spoilers paragraph and have read the book, I'd love to know your thoughts... If you haven't read it, read it and then let me know! So undecided!
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