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Ah, Jane Austen + Daddy Long Legs

Back in September we went on vacation to Maine, which included a very long drive up and a long drive back.  Along the way, I read an ebook titled Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay.  One would assume that this book is going to be another modern retelling of Emma (in which Mr. Knightley is a character.  Not so.  This story is the retelling of Daddy Long Legs with a conspicuous name borrowed from Austen's novel from long ago.

Last year, I bought a copy of the classic, Daddy Long Legs.  I remembered enjoying it, so I wanted to see if I would share it with my girls.  After reading it, I shelved the book and actually donated it back to the library book sale.  I didn't like the moral tone of the book.  Sad to say, it's been a while so I can't remember what my specific concerns were, but I had enough concerns to realize that my girls wouldn't enjoy reading it and I wasn't going to force it upon them.

I do like the premise of Daddy Long Legs, though, and it is a fun tale of rescuing a lost girl and giving her hope and a future via the contributions of an anonymous donor.

Ms. Reay follows this formula in a modern setting of Chicago.  I liked the characters for the most part, and followed the story easily.  But, I was disappointed in the ending.  I find that often authors just suddenly wrap things up and they're done.  I wanted more.  I wanted more development to the ending.  That was my source of disappointment in this story.  Other than that, it was fine.  The heroine is not always likeable and had a lot of rough edges to her, but when you can get past these and sympathize, your heart can follow the story.

Please note that I received a complimentary ecopy of this book for review from Thomas Nelson.
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