Eight Cousins (original 1875; edition 1985)

recommended for: children of all ages

This is probably my second favorite Louisa May Alcott book (after Little Women.) At least it was when I was a kid. I remember envying Rose all those boy cousins; it seemed as though it would be so much fun to have so many built in boy playmates. And it’s yet another orphan story – I do have an “orphans” shelf on goodreads as I love books about orphans. I don’t remember this as a depressing or somber tale at all though.

On another note: I pulled out my copy of the book, and I’m very excited as I must still have my mother’s copy: have one published the year (1927) she was twelve; I read this for the first time when I was a few years younger than that. ( )

COTC Book Club selection for December 2010.

Read previously (many times) - listened to the Recorded Books cassette edition in January 2008. I was torn on how many stars to give this - I remember this title as one I've loved since childhood, but there's so many problems with it. Since I think the intended audience is children, I'm going to rate based on my previous view of it, but I'm struck by how much more annoying Rose is to listen to than to read about and by the casual racism in the story about Rose visiting her Uncle's warehouse of Chinese goods. In general I'm amazed at the faults I haven't noticed on previous readings; I think part of this is hearing it aloud and part is reading from a different age point. Uncle Alec was so smug and pompous most of the time I wanted to smack him, but I thought he was wonderful when I read this as a child. Everything is so moral and preachy - and Aunt Jessie, portrayed as the best and most sympathetic of the Aunts, burns the "thrilling" books that her two middle sons are reading. Book burning! And this didn't bother me? Now moving on to the sequel Rose in Bloom; we'll see if it stands the test of time (or age viewpoint) any better!

Re-read again for the book club discussion and it definitely holds up better through reading than listening. I can just breeze through the parts I don't like and give the sometimes twee dialogue a better tone in my head. I still like Rose in Bloom better though. ( )

Too preachy, even for Louisa May Alcott standards! I also felt that there were too many characters and I didn't really "get to know" any of them. I'm usually a Louisa May Alcott fan, but this one was disappointing. ( )

I really enjoyed this book! I recommend this book to every one! Can't wait to start on the sequel " A Rose in Bloom". It is amazing how "Rose" got along so well with her seven boy cousins! And they all seemed to really enjoy her company!

I had fond memories of Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott from reading it as a child, but I didn’t remember just how sweetly sentimental it truly was. Of course my reading taste has matured, and soured slightly over the years, so I found this book a little too sweet for my taste. In showing her readers the value of family, simple pleasures and an industrious life, we are told the story of Rose Campbell, orphaned and given over to the care of various aunts while awaiting the arrival of her guardian, the sea-faring Uncle Alex. Rose has been overly coddled and protected and is on the verge of becoming a sickly, timid child. Her uncle extracts a promise from the aunts to give him a year of total control over Rose’s life to see if he can bring out the healthy, vibrant girl he believes she can be.

Rose, along with her seven male cousins enjoys a year of outdoor activity, healthy eating, with many life and morality lessons. She, of course, blooms under this treatment. This book was originally published in 1875, so the outdated ideas on the female role, and the way that other races were looked at, I was able to excuse.

Overall the book held it’s charm for me, and I would encourage young girls to read this book, but treat it as a history lesson. As each chapter has a moral, this book would make a great launching pad for discussion. Overall I enjoyed my trip down memory lane and I do plan on eventually reading the sequel, Rose In Bloom, as I remember that as a charming and cozy read as well. ( )