Dear Enemy is Sallie McBride's (if you read Daddy Long-Legs, you'll remember that Sallie was Judy's friend and roommate) story. She has graduated from college and is living the life of a well-to-do socialite when Judy offers her the position of superintendent of the John Grier Home.
Sallie accepts. She is a determined, feisty, funny heroine and her letters reflect
that spirit. In the beginning, she takes the job partially because
Gordon, her boyfriend, laughs at the very idea of her running an orphan
asylum, but it turns into something more. Sallie has these big ideas she wants to implement, ranging from the food to the dresses to fresh air.
Sallie is optimistic, but there are definitely trying times. She deals
with problems from trustees who don't think she's very well-qualified to
staff not used to change to someone giving her dog Singapore a haircut.She learns so much about managing things and opens her heart up to the orphans and of course, she changes and learns along the way.
Dear Enemy delves much more deeply into asylum life and orphans and running an institution. I
enjoyed reading about Sallie's attempts to brighten up the children's
lives, and her sparring with the "enemy," the doctor who recommends
scientific texts in order to provide her with the scientific knowledge
that befits an orphan asylum superintendent. There's a scene that really reminds me of Jane Eyre (you'll know exactly what I mean if you read it).
The novel is in letter format, like Daddy Long-Legs. I found Dear Enemy to be charming and witty and entertaining as well, but I wasn't as big a fan as I was of Daddy Long-Legs. Anyway, it's a pretty inspiring story - but not preach-y.
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