A review by arielzeit
Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

2.0

Sadly this did not hold up for me as a re-read, though I loved it as a girl. I think I'd prefer the sequel Rose in Bloom. At the time 8 Cousins was supposed to be a feminist novel because the author criticizes corsets and the restricted past-times of "society" girls. And this is all true and all good. Yet the heroine Rose is still just plain insipid and watery weak, and her uncle, supposed to be such a rescuer from the sexist mores of the day, is so dictatorial and Rose listens to him. Blech. Clearly what makes Little Women so great is Jo. And even Amy provides some spice of naughtiness. 8 Cousins is like Little Women with Meg or Beth as heroine.