Eight Cousins (Evergreen Classics)
by Louisa May Alcott
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1061)
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Women ages 14 and up
If you've read any Louisa May Alcott, the general ideas and characters will be familiar. The characters are all very high-minded and very concerned with morality, building character, proper behavior, etc. Being written nearly 150 years ago, some of the ideas on health, class and race relations, and gender roles are very antiquated, and can even seem a bit bigoted. But you have to remember the time in which it was written. The way they describe a Chinese man is particularly interesting.
The ba...more
The ba...more
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Read in March, 2008
Okay.... this book was fair-to-middlin'. At least, that's my first impression. It was rare that I ever felt like I got much of anything of substance out of it, especially in the chapters where they described in intense detail the game of charades they played.
However, there were a few points that were interesting, and led me to continue to realize how nothing much has changed since the 1800's. For example, there is a scene where the aunts come in and berate the young boys for lounging around...more
However, there were a few points that were interesting, and led me to continue to realize how nothing much has changed since the 1800's. For example, there is a scene where the aunts come in and berate the young boys for lounging around...more
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Read in February, 2008
The latest book in my Louisa May Alcott kick...and I found it generally charming. I love the idea of "throwing out the window" the general practices at the time (wearing tight corsets and belts, taking strong coffees and cordials to improve health, teaching girls to act like 'ladies' instead of allowing them fresh air and exercise) and enjoyed watching young Rose become a picture of health and happiness. I also loved the idea that her uncle taught her to be a self-reliant woman (hence ...more
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This is one of those cheesy books that I really enjoyed. It is so silly...a very moral tale about how an orphan is molded into a proper Victorian girl by a loving Uncle and two perfect Aunts. She learns good values, housewifely skills, and everything else a 'good' woman ought to be. Her Uncle has 'modern' ideas about raising a child so she gets lots of plain food, healthy exercise and lectures about wholesome living. Along the way she befriends her servant girl and lifts her above her station, h...more
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I found this one difficult to begin. It took several attempts to get into the story initially but as the novel went on, it seemed to pick up. It is very much a family oriented story and it is fun to see Rose discover what true family is like while living up on "The Aunt Hill." It does not rate among my favorites but it is a nice story for what it is and I have recommended it to friends in the past.
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My copy of Eight Cousins is tattered and torn, jelly smears on some pages, cookie crumbs embedded in others. I can quote lines, chapter and verse, and have always thought Rose's Uncle Alex was one of the most handsome and articulate characters in American literature. His plan to take her from semi invalid to healthy and robust young woman was so gentle and kind and fun... just a wonderful read for any young person... girl or boy... wanting a taste of another time.
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Read in January, 1973
I first read this book as an 11 year old, and fell in love with the use of language (so different from the groovy '70s)and the situations the main character became involved in. I desperately wished for a pack of male cousins, so that I could experience similar scenarios.
Like Anne of Green Gables, our heroine turns out to be a young woman of fortitude and pluck. Perfect for any 'tween girl to read - and for those of us a bit older.
Like Anne of Green Gables, our heroine turns out to be a young woman of fortitude and pluck. Perfect for any 'tween girl to read - and for those of us a bit older.
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Read in May, 2008
"Eight Cousins" (in fact, the entire Rose series) is an adorable story. It doesn't suffer from the same moral anecdotes as "Jack and Jill" and deserves to be quite as well known as "Little Women" because IMHO it's just as charming. It clearly describes the love and friendship between Rose, her seven cousins and her many aunts and uncles. One of those wonderfully old-fashioned "feel good" novels.
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recommends it for:
Young girls and fans of LMA
This book and its sequel "Rose in Bloom" are my favorite books from childhood - even more so than Ms. Alcott's "Little Women." Rose it a wonderful role model, despite her flaws - and who wouldn't want an Uncle Alec? Her kindness and generosity are virtues that we could see more of in this world.
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Read in January, 2005
I LOVED this book! I can't believe I hadn't read it before. Part of it is probably that I'm a sucker for boys. The cousins are just too cute and funny and I love the relationships they develop with little Rose. Uncle Alec is just perfect and I adore him! This book certainly doesn't hit me as emotionally deeply as Little Women, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
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Read in June, 2008
This was an excellent story with great morals! I liked the quote on page 106, "it is necessary to do right, it is not necessary to be happy." I'm not sure most Americans would agree with this, or at least they don't seem to live that way, but I believe we would have a better world if we all lived by that standard, and that we would experience more true joy!
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The first introduction of Rose. At the time I wasn't holding my breath that Alcott could recreate the magic that Little Women held for me, having read the follow ups to Little women and being less than impressed. Yet in Rose I found another character to lose myself in, and the books following her story were a treat to read also.
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I loved this book! I liked it better than Little Women - the characters are more likeable and amusing - perhaps because they are rich and the March family was poor, they get to go on wilder adventures, but still - the characters in this book are a lot of fun. The old edition with black and white line drawings is priceless.
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Read in May, 2008
This was a book I'd read as a child and just re-read this week. A sweet (albeit slightly trite) story of a young girl who has been orphaned and comes to rest as the only girl amongst her many male cousins. It's in traditional Louisa May Alcott style inserting morals within her story telling.
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I remembered this book after reading one of the comments to my Little Women selection. Her comment reminded me of how much I loved this book as a 12 or 13 year old along with my very favorite sequel of all times, Rose in Bloom. Oh, to have been an orpan if I could have been Rose!
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Read in December, 2007
Reread to pass the time while avoiding a) work and b) Tash Aw. I have nothing much to say about this book; for me it is the literary equivalent of music you put on while you're working so it can occupy the empty spaces in your head and allow you to get on with things.
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Read in January, 1962
Loved this book when I was about twelve. It turned out to be amazingly prophetic - feminism, organic food, seven to one male/female ratio. Zowie! Too bad that no one can read it anymore without worrying about marriages between first cousins. Louisa's liveliest book.
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This was an all-time favorite from my girlhood, probably because I too was in love with my boy cousins. It caught my imagination and delighted me even more than Little Women. It would be interesting to re-read it now, but I think I'll pass. It's too good as a memory.
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Read in July, 2007
it was like a daily dose of sacchrine. overly sweet and a bit much to take. the poor heroine was put through oodles of drama, solely so the audience could see how well she could rebound. too moral, too unrealistic. and it felt a bit... i don't know... canadian.
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Read in August, 2006
I found myself smiling foolishly over it for several hours, on an otherwise sad day. A very sweet story.
Enjoyed it the same way I enjoyed A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. Actually.. several plot elements are a combination of these stories anyway...
Enjoyed it the same way I enjoyed A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. Actually.. several plot elements are a combination of these stories anyway...
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