Eight Cousins

louisa may alcott

Rose Campbell, tired and ill, has come to live at "The Aunt Hill" after the death of her beloved father. Six aunts fussing and fretting over her are bad enough, but what is a quiet 13-year-old girl to do with seven boisterous boy cousins? It is the arrival of Uncle Alec that changes everything. Much to the horror of her aunts, Rose's forward-thinking uncle insists that the child get out of the parlor and into the sunshine. And with a little courage and lots of adventures with her mischievous but loving cousins, Rose begins to bloom.

Written by the beloved author of Little Women, Eight Cousins is a masterpiece of children's literature. This endearing novel offers readers of all ages an inspiring story about growing up, making friends, and facing life with strength and kindness.

Genres classicsfictionyoung adulthistorical fictionchildrenshistoricalmiddle gradeliteraturechildrens classicsaudiobook

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1874

Series

Eight Cousins

Places

cosey corner maine, boston massachusetts,

This edition

Format: 224 pages, Paperback
Published: February 27, 2007 by Dover Publications
ISBN: 9780486455594
ASIN: 0486455599
Language: English

Characters More characters

Rose Campbell

a sweet, blonde orphan living with two great-aunts; shes 13 when the story beginsmore...
Dr. Alec Campbell

Rose Campbells forward-thinking uncle and guardianmore...
Aunt Peace Campbell

Rose Campbells gentle, sickly auntmore...
Aunt Plenty Campbell

Rose Campbells kind, practical auntmore...
Archie Campbell

Nicknamed "The Chief" for his leadership skills, hes Rose Campbells eldest cousin, the son of Jessie Campbell; hes 16 when the story beginsmore...
Charlie Campbell

Roses cousin, icknamed "The Prince" or "Prince Charlie" for his charming manner and good looks, hes tempted by fast company; 15 when the story begins, hes Aunt Clara Campbellss only child and Archie Campbells best friend&hell...

About the author

louisa may alcott

Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised in New England by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May Alcott and Amos Bronson Alcott, she grew up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, including Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Alcott's family suffered from financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used pen names such as A.M. Barnard, under which she wrote lurid short stories and sensation novels for adults that focused on passion and revenge.
Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, and Anna Bronson Alcott Pratt. The novel was well-received at the time and is still popular today among both children and adults. It has been adapted for stage plays, films, and television many times.
Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She also spent her life active in reform movements such as temperance and women's suffrage. She died from a stroke in Boston on March 6, 1888, just two days after her father's death.