this was s u c h a tedious read, even 10 years after I first read it. a nostalgic read, but god was it a bore. my impression of it only slight improved upon re-reading it. maybe i'll give it a try again in 10 years.

Fabulous

It's so nice to reread a book that you loved and grew up reading again and find that it really was as good as you remembered. Rose and her seven boy cousins are such an entertaining set of characters. I loved the adventures and hilarity. Uncle Alec is even more splendid than I remembered. And his experiment certainly worked. The bit where Rose offers to be Charlie's little sister? These are the stories I grew up on - is it any wonder that I have a plethora of adopted big and little brothers? Lol.

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.

A little preachy but sweet non the less.

I don't remember where or when I got my copy of Eight Cousins though I remember what it looked like. It was a regular paperback size though the paper was really thin for some reason and the binding only held up for the first 100 reads or so. And read it I did! While I had never really connected with Little Women (the whole Laurie/Amy/Jo thing never sat well with me but that's another review) I instantly was caught up in Rose's adventures. I loved the idea of the old houses full of nooks and crannies and brimming with treasures brought home by generations of sea captains. Rose with golden curls and leanings towards vanity and impatience was a girl who was easy to like and how could I not enjoy the mischief caused by the hoard of cousins.
When I was thinking of books for my Classics Club list Eight Cousins came up as one I really wanted to reread especially since I had reread and very much enjoyed The Secret Garden, another childhood favorite, a few months before.
I'm not sure Eight Cousins holds up quite as well as The Secret Garden. As is typical for the time the story is incredibly virtuous. In this case it's a bit on the side of tooth-achingly wholesome and the "Clan" is a little on the overly perfect side. There's not a huge amount of character development though I did love what there was. Seeing Rose come out of her shell and watching her friendship with Phebe was really lovely and I liked seeing her interact with the boys - especially with Mac. The imagery of the warehouses and the trunks full of treasures is wonderful and I would dearly love to see a fireworks show like the one described early in the book.
While I didn't enjoy this as much in adulthood as I did as a child I can see what drew me to the book.

Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/04/eight-cousins-review.html

*4.5 stars*

"Eight Cousins" isn't as good a book as "Little Women"; but it's a way better story.

"Eight Cousins" is about Rose, a little girl who loses her father, and so is sent to live with the rest of her family. Under the tutelage of her Uncle Alec she gets to know the rest of her kin, including her many aunts and uncles, and her seven cousins. Though she is a little overwhelmed by the whole situation, she quickly grows to love and cherish these children who become her companions and friends. Each cousin has his own distinct personality, Archie, the eldest and leader; Charlie, slightly spoiled but handsome and good natured; Mac, the bookworm; Steve, who idolizes Charlie; and the three youngest, Will, Geordie and Jamie.

Though Rose inicialy appears a little frosty and pampered, she outgrows this with the help of her new found folk, and becomes like a second mother to the group of younglings, who see her as a moral compass of sorts. The book itself becomes a series of stories, somewhat episodic in nature but still with an overreaching arch in which the girl spends her first year with them, as she must choose, at its end, whether she remains under the guard of Uncle Alec, as her father intended, or if she prefers one of the other aunts.

The book isn't without its faults; it showcases Louisa May Alcott's "progressive thinking" in regards to schooling and child raising, a subject that is brought to the forefront. Alcott's father, whom she idolized, believed and wrote heavily on the subject, and this translated into her opinions and thoughts as an adult. "Eight Cousins" is almost propaganda to this type of "modern" teaching, with some chapters exclusively dedicated to it. For the modern reader, these scenes merely come across as odd, and quite so, even if the story is still appealing in itself. An episode comes in mind, wherein Uncle Alec takes Rose to a Japanese ship to learn about that country's culture to teach geography, or a lesson on anatomy with a real corpse, or yet another very long installment regarding about the dangers of corseting and describing a different type of new underwear for women, which has its merits lengthily sung.

Another complaint was how, even though fair of its day, some ideas, specially in regards to feminism stick out disfavorably, like when Rose piercing her ears in seen as a vanity akin to Charlie and Steve smoking for the social pressure. (Needless to point out that piercing your ears hurts for a second; smoking, for a lifetime) Or wherein the little ones reading pulp fiction stories of pirates and such is seen as a waste of time and accused of numbing the brain, as if it were video games to day. None of this translated well to the modern reader, and considerably dates the book.

But where Alcott stands out is in writing distinct characters, and so, even if the premise is exaggerated by the sheer amount of people included. I especially liked, as a little girl would, the parts with Mac and Rose, which came about particularly sweetly.

Relating to sweetness, yes this book can be sickly so, but that is the general appeal of a work like this, so why not enjoy it?