Nearly forty years ago, I was in a hot car, on a long road to upstate New York for a vacation with my family. I had finished what I brought to read, was incredibly bored, and about to tease my sister into a state which would likely have led to my premature death at the hands of my parents, when I found a copy of Eight Cousins in the back seat. Out of sheer desperation, I began reading it, and found myself fascinated by this period piece by Louisa May Alcott. Later, I found and read the sequel Rose in Bloom, and found it equally satisfying and enjoyable. Recommended.