Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Challenges
TBR Challenge
Young Adult Challenge
Numbers Challenge
Book Around the States - Massachusetts
19th Century Women Authors
What a lovely pice of work this is. I believe I liked it better than Little Women because I was disgruntled when Jo didn't marry Laurie. In Eight Cousins, the heroine is way too young to be thinking about romance. My particular volume is a delightful old edition from Nelson Doubleday, Inc. (no dates, but I'm sure my mother bought it before I was born) with beautiful black-and-white illustrations and one full-color drawing. Even the end pages are covered with drawings from children's literature. Someday I will have to take the time to figure out what stories they represent. I wonder what happened to the other books from this series and why I never read Eight Cousins before.
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Rose Campbell is orphaned at the age of thirteen and her new guardian is Uncle Alec, a forty-year-old doctor who she knows very little of. Of course, he is wonderful and she seeks to please him as he determines to experiment with her upbringing to see if she can be made healthy and happy. Helping with the year-long experiment are seven aunts, seven cousins, and a house maid about her age. The experiment is almost too successful as Rose grows healthy and a bit too strong-minded for a young lady in that day and age. The book is so light-hearted and innocent, but brimming over with morals and good advice. Alcott manages to make commentary about the need for parents to spend time with their children and really get to know them, the importance of moral courage and standing up to peer pressure, the value of exercise and diet, and, something lacking now, courtesy and respect for others. I enjoyed this book so much, that I promptly decided to read its sequel, A Rose in Bloom, even though it's not on a single challenge.
Rating: 4.5
I'm not sure if the book is set in Massachusetts, it is never mentioned; but it feels like the Massachusetts shoreline and Alcott grew up and lived in Concord, Massachussets, so I'm counting it.
I've added Rose in Bloom to the 19th Century Women Authors Challenge.
Posted by Framed at 10:08 AM

7 comments:
Sherry said...
Eight Cousins is my favorite of Louisa May Alcott's books, and I think you'll like ROse in Bloom as well, even though in the second one Rose IS old enough to think of romance.
1/12/2008 10:47 AM
sally906 said...
I have just gone and ordered both of these books. I loved Little Women and Jo's boys - so assuming I will love these too :)
1/12/2008 2:37 PM
sage said...
Never got into Alcott's books, but thanks for stopping by and commenting on my review of Rock Springs--yes, the town is going through a boom--at least it did 4 years ago when I was last there. I lived a little over 10 years in Utah--an interesting state for a gentile (as the relief president, you'll know what I'm talking about). I like your idea of picking a book per state--that's clever and your book for NC (a Valley of Light) is wonderful even if it's written by a Georgian. Your book for Wyoming (Where Rivers Change Directions) was my book of the year for 2004--the one I recommend in my Christmas letter.
1/12/2008 4:50 PM
Bohae said...
I never got to reading Eight Cousins...but it's sitting comfortably in my bookshelf right now - I hope :) Oh yeah, and thanks for the comment you left on my blog ;)
1/13/2008 2:02 AM
Alix said...
I've never heard of this book but it sounds sweet. I wanted Jo to marry Laurie too I always thought it really strange that he married Amy instead and no one minded!Thanks for visiting and do read The Glass Castle if you get a chance it's very interesting.
1/13/2008 12:10 PM
Andrea said...
I read Eight Cousins when I was younger and loved it. And I also really enjoyed the sequel. I liked that even more because there IS some romance in it! You're right, I liked both even better than Little Women. Have fun reading A Rose in Bloom!
1/13/2008 3:02 PM
Tristi Pinkston said...
I love love love Eight Cousins, and Rose in Bloom rocks. However, and I kinda need to point this out -- if Jo had married Laurie, it would have been totally out of character for her. She wanted more time to discover who she was. Laurie was her friend but he wasn't the steady anchor she needed. She found that in the Professor -- he kept her anchored to the ground so she could sail as high as she wanted to.I get very passionate about Alcott. :)