| Text Source: |  |
| Description: | Not available |
| Table of Contents: | Not available |
Customer Review: A Classic In Its Own Right!
Last summer, when I read this book for the first time, I thought it was only okay. I would get the different cousins mixed up (especially Steve a.k.a. "Dandy" and Charlie a.k.a. "The Prince") and I thought some of their adventures a tad immature. However, a friend of mine strongly recommended the sequel, "Rose in Bloom," so I decided to give it a try. It gripped me from page one, and it's now one of my favorite books! I decided to go back to "Eight Cousins" again, and surprisingly, I didn't find it all boring anymore!
Up until the death of her parents, Rose lived a quiet life as an only child. Consequently, after moving in with her estranged relatives, she is overwhelmed by her meddling aunts and noisy boy cousins. However, when her new guardian, Uncle Alac, arrives, things start looking up. At first she is shocked by his unorthodox views of health and beauty, but she soon learns to trust his good sense a great deal. Not only does she begin to overcome her weakness and sorrow, but she also makes an effort to be a friend and good example to her seven boisterous male cousins.
I adore "Little Women," but after reading this book and its wonderful sequel, I think I may prefer Rose and the boys! I'm now reading "Rose in Bloom" again, and I have to say that these books only get better with familiarity. (By the way, I would strongly suggest that you read this first before "Rose in Bloom," or you might be kind of confused.) As usual, Louisa May Alcott is fantastic in her characterizations. I only wish that she would have continued Rose's story in yet another book!
Customer Review: Could be a Disney movie
A Rosy girl is guided toward womanhood. The book delivers
old fashioned wholesomeness and family values in 19th century culture
with literary attributed footnotes. Her work here delineates how
women could grow up healthy in a male dominated Victorian era.
The resulting novel is a little artificially sweet by today's standards.
Style and motivation are good but it fails to be very important for modern young girls.
Customer Review: 7 boys and 1 girl...6 aunts and an uncle...
EIGHT COUSINS is definitely on my list of favorite books, though I cannot say I like it quite as much as LITTLE WOMEN or AN OLD FASHIONED GIRL. But it does come close, don't get me wrong. The scenes on the little island out at sea, or in the big houses on the green "Aunt-Hill" near the beach where the whole Campbell clan lives, or in Rose's exotic tropical bedroom, or on the skating pond in the freezing winter, create special feelings in my heart that are as fond memories as if I'd really been there. It's definitely a girly book (that is to say, I doubt boys would like it) because the main character is a 13-year-old orphan girl, Rose, and everything is seen from her feminine perspective. I enjoyed how Louisa May Alcott developed the characters: each of the seven boy cousins is different and likable in his own way, and each of the six aunts (2 great-aunts and 4 aunts) has her own peculiarities and lovable qualities. I especially love Uncle Alec, who is portrayed as Rose's young-at-heart guardian who always has the best ideas and the most healthy fun. It was at first difficult to keep all the characters straight in my mind, since Miss Alcott sometimes just calls the boys by their nicknames and since there are so many families, but I created a "Campbell-family-tree" sort of thing on a little card and referred to it when necessary, which was very helpful. Once I got the family straight, I got attached to each one and was in suspense at the climax when Rose gets to choose whether she wants to keep staying with her uncle or go to live with one of the aunts. This book is a good classic that shows how to keep peaceful family relationships and have healthy, clean fun.
Customer Review: Good for Young Readers
This book is one of my absolute favorites! It's great for 3rd or 4th graders. A wholesome, playful, entertaining book you will love your whole life. It follows the frolics of shy Rose Campbell as she comes to live with her six aunts and seven wild boy cousins. Share her joys and sorrows as she learns to love Uncle Alec and realizes that it's better to be hearty and happy than have the prettiest dresses and the fanciest dolls money can buy.
Customer Review: Priceless!
I have read this book and its sequal "Rose in Bloom" over six times, and it has yet to lose its magic. I plan on reading these book to my daughters someday. Louisa May Alcott has such a wonderful ability to tell simple stories with important morals. Eight Cousins, like most of her books, is pricelss!
Product Description
Life with seven boy cousins isn't quite what Rose expected. Left an orphan after her father's death, Rose Campbell is sent to live at the "Aunt Hill" with her six aunts and seven rowdy boy cousins. For someone who is used to a girl's boarding school, it all seems pretty overwhelming. Her guardian, Uncle Alec, makes her eat healthy things like oatmeal, and even tries to get her to give up her pretty dresses for drab, sensible clothes. Will Rose ever get used to her uncle's crazy notions and all her noisy relatives? Complete and unabridged.
Book Categories:
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Literature / Classics by Age / General
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Literature / General
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / People & Places / Family Life / General
Books / Subjects / Children's Books / Authors & Illustrators, A-Z / ( A ) / Alcott, Louisa May
Books / Subjects / Teens / Literature & Fiction / Classics
Books / Subjects / Literature & Fiction / Authors, A-Z / ( A ) / Alcott, Louisa May
Books / Specialty Stores / Custom Stores / 4-for-3 Books Store / Children's Books / Authors & Illustrators, A-Z / ( A ) / Alcott, Louisa May
Books / Specialty Stores / Custom Stores / 4-for-3 Books Store / Children's Books / Literature / General
Books / Specialty Stores / Custom Stores / 4-for-3 Books Store / Children's Books / People & Places / Family Life / General
Books / Specialty Stores / Custom Stores / 4-for-3 Books Store / Literature & Fiction / Authors, A-Z / ( A ) / Alcott, Louisa May
Books / Specialty Stores / Custom Stores / 4-for-3 Books Store / Teens / Literature & Fiction / Classics
Books / Specialty Stores / Custom Stores / 4-for-3 Books Store / All 4-for-3 Deals
Books / Refinements / Promotion (special_merchandising_browse-bin) / 4-for-3 Books
Books / Refinements / Binding (binding) / Paperback
Books / Refinements / Format (feature_browse-bin) / Printed Books
|
Pick of the Day
Lists of Interest
Modern Library 100 Best Novels:
In 1998, Modern Library picked the top 100 Novels of the century. This list contains all of the bo
...
Webmaster's Favourites:
These are my selections, humbly presented as books that I particularly enjoyed.
Other ways of browsing
|
