Dear Enemy

"Dear Enemy" by Jean Webster is a novel written during the early 20th century. It explores the life and challenges of Sallie McBride, who finds herself unexpectedly appointed as the superintendent of the John Grier Home, an orphan asylum. With her humorous and candid style, Sallie grapples with the daunting task of transforming the stark and unwelcoming environment of the institution, all while coping with her own insecurities and the resistance from those around her. The opening of the novel introduces Sallie's witty correspondence with her friend Judy, where she expresses disbelief at her new role and the expectations placed upon her. Through her letters, readers are taken into her reflections on her qualifications for the job, her struggles with the institution's austere conditions, and her initial encounters with the staff and children. Sallie vividly describes the dreary environment of the orphanage and her determination to bring joy and warmth to the children's lives, setting the stage for her journey of self-discovery and growth amidst the challenges she faces in her new position. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Jean Webster was the pen name of Alice Jane Chandler Webster, an American author whose books include Daddy-Long-Legs and Dear Enemy. Her best-known books feature lively and likeable young female protagonists who come of age intellectually, morally, and socially, but with enough humor, snappy dialogue, and gently biting social commentary to make her books palatable and enjoyable to contemporary readers.