Let hasten to add that this is not a preachy tract but rather a fun romp in the grass and fresh air with seven mischievous boys and our heroine Rose Campbell, the lone girl. Perhaps today, we could add TV, movies, video games, and music to that list of who we are. What we eat is what we are what we read is who we are. And, pay particular attention to the development of Mac, her bookworm cousin.Louisa May Alcott had quaint notions for her day: voting rights for women girls should be educated to the highest level children should be running around in the fresh air getting exercise and having fun children's, especially girls' clothing should be loose to allow freedom of movement food should be fresh and wholesome reading material should be likewise wholesome and moral. There are some delightful episodes, such as the 'freedom suit' her uncle orders for her (the opposite of a corset). By the end of the book she's well on her way to being a truly healthy young girl with high spirits and noble ambitions, who can also make her 7 cousins toe the line. She arrives a tired, droopy little thing who survives on strong coffee, is proud of her tightly cinched little waist, and is about as uneducated as most girls of her class.

In this book, orphaned Rose comes to live with her guardian uncle, and her neighbors are 7 boy cousins and a bunch of other corresponding aunts and uncles! Her ladylike presence automatically inspired people around her (namely, men) to be their best selves! So much gentility and respect! This impressed me mightily! I subconsciously stored this fascinating social education away, only to find that's not quite how it goes.īut while it's a bit out of place in the modern age, and occasionally some would say naive, I'm glad it was part of my youth and wouldn't trade it for anything! A lot of my world view was shaped by this innocent wholesomeness, exemplified by Rose, the main character.

those were the days.Īnyway, revisiting a book like Eight Cousins reminds me exactly how I was influenced by these characters.

I even made an informational web page about them on Angelfire.

When I was in my early teens, there was a trifecta of authors that I devoured: Jane Austen, L.M.

Eight cousins by louisa may alcott