Daddy Long-Legs

I loved to read as a child.  Still do.  My mother was in the habit of buying me books that she thought I would like whenever opportunities presented themselves; one day when I was in junior high or high school, I came home and this book was on my bed.

Written by Jean Webster in 1912, it is the story of an orphan girl who grows up in a foundling home, and who is subsequently sent to college by one of the home's benefactors.  Much of the story is presented in the format of her letters to her benefactor.  I liked the book very much the first time I read it.  Then I happened to come across a quotation from the book a few weeks ago, which led me to track down an e-copy of the book and read it again.  I also found out that there is a sequel, which is now in the queue for reading as well.

A couple of quotations from the book that I particularly liked:

“It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit.

It's the kind of character that I am going to develop. I am going to pretend that all life is just a game which I must play as skillfully and fairly as I can. If I lose, I am going to shrug my shoulders and laugh - also if I win.” 

― Jean Webster

(On the subject of a snobby classmate--this is one of my favorite passages!)

“Her mother was a Rutherford. The family came over in the ark, and were connected by marriage with Henry the VIII. On her father's side they date back further than Adam. On the topmost branches of her family tree there's a 

superior breed of monkeys with very fine silky hair and extra long tails.” 

― Jean Webster