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elizanne24's review against another edition
3.0
Re-read in 2022.
Its dated and of it's time period, including some hilarious archaic slang, cringy scenes about 'oriental' products and people, and yes, theres moralizing over smoking, idleness, and ear-rings.
I don't think it holds up as well as other Alcott books. Re-reading it brought me a lot of nostalgia, since my copy is worn from reading it as a child myself. On the whole, a funny enough read and romp through hijinks, family and some ideas of what maturing through childhood and adolescence should look like.
Its dated and of it's time period, including some hilarious archaic slang, cringy scenes about 'oriental' products and people, and yes, theres moralizing over smoking, idleness, and ear-rings.
I don't think it holds up as well as other Alcott books. Re-reading it brought me a lot of nostalgia, since my copy is worn from reading it as a child myself. On the whole, a funny enough read and romp through hijinks, family and some ideas of what maturing through childhood and adolescence should look like.
oliviacooney99's review against another edition
3.0
A really sweet, cozy book. The last portion was my favorite, as it had a little passionate monologue that Alcott loves to write and intertwined important morals in a realistic manner. It wasn’t a super dramatic or exciting story, but a nice, comfortable one.
emiliahull's review against another edition
5.0
The first in a two-part series, this may be my favorite Alcott novel. The main character - Rose Campbell - immediately draws readers in as she finds her footing with a new family in a new environment, capturing their hearts as well as our own. A fantastic classic that remains a favorite today.
toggle_fow's review against another edition
4.0
On the one hand, I love this book.
On the other hand, have you ever read Little Women and thought, you know, this is good, but it's just not PREACHY and MORALISTIC enough for me? If you have, then Eight Cousins is the book for you! (Cigar smoking, vanity, corsets, even *gasp* novel reading!)
Rose is orphaned and immediately plunged into her extended family. Her parents are barely alluded to again. From now on, it is Uncle Alec hours 24/7.
It's great to see a fictional extended family that is almost all well-meaning, and the gaggle of boy cousins really is a lot of fun. The whole Phebe dynamic strikes an odd note, and only doesn't get really weird because Rose is just a kid and doesn't know about class struggle. Overall, this book is a quick, easy read and very entertaining in a profoundly old-fashioned way.
On the other hand, have you ever read Little Women and thought, you know, this is good, but it's just not PREACHY and MORALISTIC enough for me? If you have, then Eight Cousins is the book for you! (Cigar smoking, vanity, corsets, even *gasp* novel reading!)
Rose is orphaned and immediately plunged into her extended family. Her parents are barely alluded to again. From now on, it is Uncle Alec hours 24/7.
It's great to see a fictional extended family that is almost all well-meaning, and the gaggle of boy cousins really is a lot of fun. The whole Phebe dynamic strikes an odd note, and only doesn't get really weird because Rose is just a kid and doesn't know about class struggle. Overall, this book is a quick, easy read and very entertaining in a profoundly old-fashioned way.
catherine_dicristofaro's review against another edition
5.0
It's always strange to reread a book from childhood as an adult. It wasn't exactly how I remembered it, but I could still hear Grandma reading it to me.
groundedwanderlust's review against another edition
5.0
Louisa May Alcott is, by far, my favorite author! I fell in love with Little Women when I was 13 but no one ever told me she had written any other books. Now, eight years later, I have discovered Ms. Alcott's other works. 'Eight Cousins' is the first book I have read of hers beyond Little Women, and I have to say that I absolutely love it! The characters were delightful and the setting was very interesting. As I was reading, I kept imagining myself reading this book with my future children.
cassieannalee's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty adorable. I enjoyed it, but I kept thinking to myself that I probably would have LOVED it if I had read it when I was younger, and it bummed me out that I hadn't found it sooner in life. In the interest of full disclosure, while I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened in the sequel, I didn't care enough to read the second book, so I cheated and read a synopsis.
j_hornick's review against another edition
4.0
A gentle, lovely story of how orphaned Rose is welcomed into the comfort and fun of her Boston family. Classic Louisa May Alcott tale for children.