"Paddy-The-Next-Best-Thing" by Gertrude Page is a romantic comedy novel published in 1908. Set near Carlingford, Ireland, the story follows Paddy Adair, the spirited daughter of an impoverished general who had hoped for a son. Embracing her role as "the next best thing" to a boy, Paddy navigates family dynamics and matters of the heart when she falls for a landowner previously connected to her elder sister. This charming tale of an unconventional heroine became a theatrical sensation in 1920s London. (This is an automatically generated summary.)