Rose in Bloom (Eight Cousins, #2) in Louisa May Alcott

Jun 02, 2015 Tarissa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-top-favorite

Rose in Bloom is a beautiful gem of a book, penned by the same hand which authored the time-honored novel Little Women. This is the sequel to the charming volume entitled Eight Cousins. A more "grown-up" Rose Campbell returns to her family clan after travelling around the world with her friend Phebe as companion.

I love this book because Rose in independent, yet desires to serve others. Suffice it to say, she is a good role model for girls. I found her to be very much selfless. Even though Rose p Rose in Bloom is a beautiful gem of a book, penned by the same hand which authored the time-honored novel Little Women. This is the sequel to the charming volume entitled Eight Cousins. A more "grown-up" Rose Campbell returns to her family clan after travelling around the world with her friend Phebe as companion.

I love this book because Rose in independent, yet desires to serve others. Suffice it to say, she is a good role model for girls. I found her to be very much selfless. Even though Rose possesses personal wealth, she wishes not to shower herself with glories but to disperse it to those less fortunate. Creating a lifestyle considered progressive for a woman (especially in the 1800s), Rose in blooming into a mature woman of society with tender confidence.

Since I cannot describe Miss Rose Campbell as well as the author once did, here's a direct picture of our blossoming heroine:

"Not a remarkably gifted girl in any way, and far from perfect; full of all manner of youthful whims and fancies; a little spoiled by much love; rather apt to think all lives as safe and sweet as her own; and, when want or pain appealed to her, the tender heart overflowed with a remorseful charity which gave of its abundance recklessly. Yet, with all her human imperfections, the upright nature of the child kept her desires climbing toward the just and pure and true, as flowers struggle to the light; and the woman's soul was budding beautifully under the green leaves behind the little thorns." (Chapter 3, Rose in Bloom)

With her seven male cousins surrounding her, along with the odd assortment of various aunts and uncles, there are many who desire to see Rose grow. They cherish her presence among themselves and attempt to flatter her at every turn. Advances in love flourish as Rose once again settles among the people she knows best in the world.

Phebe Moore, Rose's befriended maid, too is experiencing her own way of making it into society -- only through a different course. Her life has always been destined to contrast Rose's, as her place on the social ladder started out on a much lower rung. Quickly she is learning how to climb higher though, and soon wins the heart of a familiar face, without intended design. However, the social implications simply couldn't converge for a winning marriage. So what can a girl do?

As usual, Louisa May Alcott has written another charming book. The story contains many good life lessons. As Rose tries life out on her own, sometimes becoming a bit too daring or risky with her choices, she soon makes her way back and settles into routine. In essence, the reader learns much of Victorian idealism and traditions of young adults during that time. I did so enjoy getting to catch glimpses of what all of those Eight Cousins became as they turn into adults.

In closing, enjoy some advice on life from dearest cousin, Mac Campbell ("the Worm" was always my favorite of Rose's cousins anyway):

"I have my dreams and aspirations, and some of them are pretty high ones. Aim at the best, you know, and keep climbing if you want to get on." (Chapter 2, Rose in Bloom) ...more

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Jun 24, 2013 Rachel rated it liked it

Rose in Bloom is the sequel story to Eight Cousins, told 2 years later. Rose, Phebe, and Uncle Alec come home from their European travels with the girls all grown up into womanhood, to find the boy cousins to also have grown into full manhood and each in their own occupations and ambitions of the world. Rose comes home to the temptation and struggles of love and romance, fashion, and all the pleasures of youth. After the many years of serious study, she decides to try a little experiment of “lea Rose in Bloom is the sequel story to Eight Cousins, told 2 years later. Rose, Phebe, and Uncle Alec come home from their European travels with the girls all grown up into womanhood, to find the boy cousins to also have grown into full manhood and each in their own occupations and ambitions of the world. Rose comes home to the temptation and struggles of love and romance, fashion, and all the pleasures of youth. After the many years of serious study, she decides to try a little experiment of “leading the life other girls lead, just for a little while”, only to run into a series of troubles and very long nights. “I gave up gaiety because I valued health more.”

With the new year upon her, Rose sets aside her fancy gowns and chooses to put both her time and her fortune to good use, helping those less fortunate; the widows, the poor, and the orphaned. Meanwhile Phebe leaves to pursue her music and to make a way for herself, Charlie has become quite the rogue, Mac studies a great deal, and Steve has fallen for the becoming Phebe. It's a story of love and romance, family, and the forming of character.

One of the wonderful things about Miss Alcott's books is you can always find a moral to the story and something to learn from them.

“It is the small temptations which undermine integrity, unless we watch and pray, and never think them too trivial to be resisted.”

“Read the best books first or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”

“Remember, my girl, that one may read at forty was is unsafe at twenty, and that we never can be too careful what food we give that precious yet perilous thing called the imagination.”

I found later on as I was reading that I had in fact read this book in my past, as well. So some scenes became more familiar to me as I read along. That was fun, because it's intriguing reading a book at different ages and finding if your opinions or style have changed at all. :D I think I'm a little more critical of my books now as a woman of 29 than I was of a girl at 16 though. ;) My opinions vary quite a bit from those of my sisters in Christ, so another look, I found Tarissa's lovely post to be a bit more well-rounded than my own.

Once again I found Miss Alcott's heroine to be a bit too pious, and again too powerful over the men in her life. It's a wonder to me that these books were published after Little Women, with it's strong female characters and vibrancy, yet the women in her later books are pious and are portrayed as “godesses” by the heroes of the stories. However, at least in this tale, Rose admits her fears on this respect:

“It is not good for you to depend on any one so much for your happiness, I think; and I know it is bad for me to feel that I have so much power over a fellow-creature.”

I can't help but picture Miss Alcott scribbling away at a desk, adding in her own opinions and moral beliefs....and perhaps it's a shame that we shrink so willingly now in fiction writings from sharing any opinions at all. That is one reason to highly value old classics such as these.

My one other sorrow was just a matter of taste, I suppose, for it was quite sad, moody, and highly romanticised in many spots – just as a piece of poetry, or a dramatic tragedy on the stage. And I did not care for a semi-love-triangle scenario between Rose and two of her cousins. I cannot share more on this without giving the story away, but suffice it to say, in my opinion, the way Miss Alcott chose to tie up the loose ends in the romance between Rose and Charlie was too “convient”, sad, and depressing.

Having read Eight Cousins last year, it was nice to see how everyone was paired up in the end and see the family all grown up. No one likes loose ends to their books! :) I was happy it all ended well, but there was too much drama throughout the book for my own tastes. ...more

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