Ickiness of marrying your first cousin aside, I still enjoy Rose. Mostly because of this: "...no woman should give her happiness into the keeping of a man without fixed principles."

I don't know if Louisa May Alcott intentionally *tried* to spoil her wonderful characters from "Eight Cousins", but they are definetly ruined.

I picked up "Eight Cousins" when I was quite young, because I had nothing to read, and I'd enjoyed "Little Women". Turns out, I ended up liking it much more than "Little Women"; mostly because it was significantly less preachy.

"Eight Cousins" isn't perfect. You can tell Alcott was an educator and, at a lack of a better word, wanted to blatantly brainwash her readers with her values and views. Some values stood the test of time, like family closeness and respecting your elders. Others stick out as either very sexist or like Alcott believes that having fun is a sin (like when Rose's ear piercing is considering as bad or worse than when her male cousin's smoke). Somethings simply don't translate into nowadays.

But "Eight Cousins" is a relatively harmless book. No kid nowadays will be brainwashed by it, because the bulk of the novel, which is about the family dynamic, is well written, and one can stand to ignore the annoying and preachy parts of the boom, since they are so few.

Fast forward to "Rose in Bloom" and yikes. I brought this as an e-book on an eight hours flight to and from India, and it was hell being left with it. I skimmed the last 50 pages, and that's something I never do.

Bible quotes are abundant, and the apparent purpose of the book is to teach kids that fun is immoral and that being good has to necessarily be boring or you aren't doing it right. The one 3-Dimensional character is killed off - the only character with flaws as well as qualities. Because for Alcott you're either virtuous or a sinner, and there's nothing left in the middle. Of course, said character died being a sinner, failing at redeeming himself for the woman he loves, and she never really loved him much anyways and moves on within months, because one way or the other, he drank licor and enjoyed being with his friends, and so didn't deserve good things.

Meanwhile, Rose and the rest of the characters prove that to be good you absolutely can't have any fun whatsoever. You can't, for instance, go to parties and still care about the poor. It's one or the other. If you like parties you're a sinner. And if you ever have the instinct to go out and buy yourself a nice dress don't because that's a sin too, and you should give your money to an Irish girl you can look down on, and then pat yourself on the back for how much better you are than her. Also, if you are being good, you are allowed to look down on people and be patronizing and people will love you. In sum: if you ever have the instinct of spending money on yourself you are a bad, bad person. You also aren't allowed to have friends outside your direct family.

Other things that are a sin include professions that don't directly help other people, so only be a doctor or a lawyer - or, if you have the money, a philanthropist. For some reason it is immoral to be an actor. Characters int he book agree that it is, to paraphrase, "Better and more honourable to be a lousy doctor than a successful actor". Yeah, because actors give nothing to society, like fun and distraction (which, again, are immoral) or even educational services, but being a bad doctor who might kill you is ok.

To sum things up: lots of annoying bible quotes, best character dies, nobody has any hobby or interest whatsoever because being good is all-consuming, the adults in the series basically stop existing, except to give worldly advise because age necessarily equals wisdom and Rose has a weird Oedipus Complex with Uncle Alec that is just disturbing. She ends up adopting, alone and unmarried, a small child at age circa 18, but don't worry. She does get a husband. Because that's what's important in life.

I don’t really have a summary because I wasn’t really interested/paying attention. It seems Rose (raised with a bunch of boy cousins – I know this from the previous book) was away and has returned. I think she might now be looking for a husband. If she isn’t, others are (Phoebe?), as there is lots of talk of “lovers”. Oh, I do remember Rose wanted to become a philanthropist.

I listened to the audio, but neither the narrator nor the story made this interesting enough to really listen to what was going on. I rarely paid attention. Oh, and cousins getting married kind of creeps me out.

"Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all".

The duology: sin más
Preach level: through the roof
Death of the only 3-dimensional character
The love displayed between cousins (so the money stays in the family, mind you), creepy when seen through today's eyes, but very normal back then.

Conclusion: Little Women le da mil vueltas

Another re-read of a book beloved in childhood. While I'm certainly not loving it as much now as I did back then, I have to say that the author set up a reasonable situation in which at least the men (boys, really) are all too human. I wish she'd done the same with her heroine who is a bit too perfect for my taste. (LMA started the trend of rich and beautiful young heroines that star in almost every crappy novel written since.) At least she longs for frivolities and pretty things, even as she resolutely turns away from them and heads towards a life of Doing Good. My character compass is simple: would I want to know this person? Would I enjoy dining with them? I'm not sure I would like Rose all that much, but I'd adore Mack and no doubt admire Charlie from a safe distance.

I first read this sequel to Eight Cousins when I was 12 years old. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was my first romance novel. Rose is 20 now, and has just returned from a 2-year trip abroad with Uncle Alec and her friend Phebe. All the boys, save Jamie, are grown men now, and Rose feels awkward when she realizes the aunts expect her to marry one of her cousins. (Ick, but I guess this was OK among the wealthy Victorians, to keep the fortune in the family.)

I adored and admired Rose when I was a child. She allowed herself to sample the frivolity of society, but decided it wasn't for her. She tried to read a trashy novel but was too ashamed of herself to continue. She thought about buying herself haute couture in Paris, but decided she would rather maintain Uncle Alec's high regard. She nearly buys herself some silk fabric for a new gown, but spends the money on a hungry women instead. Etc etc etc. There is no end to Rose's goodness. As a child, I thought she was great, and I still do, but now as an adult I'm thinking "Read the damn book, Rose, it's okay to have fun!" and "Come back tomorrow with more money--you have plenty of it--and buy yourself the silk!"

SPOILER ALERT:
I was completely in love with the charming Charlie when I was 12 years old. He was so dashing, and he so handsomely wooed Rose. I was devastated by the turn his story took. I wept over that poor young man. Now as an adult I am annoyed that Alcott had him die before Rose could decide if she would love him or not. My adult self can see that he is not right for Rose and that her life with him would have been unhappy, but I would prefer Rose make that realization with him alive.

I'm pretty sure I read this one in childhood, but hadn't read it for a long time. I found it really uninteresting and one that I skimmed most of the way through. It was very didactic and moralistic and not my favorite Alcott book by far.

WHY, LOUISA. WHY.

(This probably deserves a lower rating, since I'm so MAD about it.) (But...but I loved it.) (I just lost all motivation to finish it after a very specific point.)

Revised review posted 7/26/22

Lovely sequel to Eight Cousins, excellent audiobook version

This book is a sequel to Eight Cousins. It was originally published in 1876 as a contemporary novel. Like EC, it is set in Boston.

Rose Campbell was 13 in EC, and she is currently 20 years old. She just spent two years traveling all over Europe with her guardian, her paternal uncle, Alexander (“Alec”) Campbell, who is 47. Her best friend, Phoebe Moore, who is 22, came to Europe with them, but she spent those years studying with renowned voice instructors, polishing her operatic singing skills. Rose informally “adopted” Phoebe soon after they first met in EC when Phoebe was 15 and working as a maid at the mansion of Rose’s Great Aunt Plenty Campbell, where Rose and Alec were living. Like Rose, Phoebe is an orphan, but instead of being an heiress who is part of a large, loving family like Rose, Phoebe was a foundling. Rose’s career plan is to be a philanthropist, setting up charities through which to distribute a large amount of her inherited fortune. Phoebe plans to support herself through a career as a professional singer.

Rose is amazed at how grown up her seven Campbell cousins have become, but their personalities from childhood have determined the course they have taken in adulthood.

Archie is 23. He was always the most serious and responsible of the seven boys, and he is currently the only one with a job. He is working for rich merchant, Mac Campbell, who is Mac and Steve’s father. Archie’s father, Jem Campbell, is a sea captain, but there is no mention in either EC or this book of his being wealthy.

Charlie is 23. His father, Stephen Campbell, is also a sea captain, but unlike his brother, Jem, he is quite rich. As a result, Charlie feels no need to be anything but a gentleman of leisure, constantly attending high-society affairs. He was handsome and charismatic as a boy, and he is even more so now, as a young man. The society belles fawn over him, calling him, “Prince Charming.” Tragically, Charlie has a drinking problem and, now that his childhood best friend, sober, steady Archie, is a working man with no time for frivolity, Charlie has begun hanging out with wild, irresponsible young scions of elite Boston families, who encourage him to drink to excess.

Mac is 22. He plans to pursue a career as a doctor. There is no mention of either Archie or Charlie’s having attended college, but Mac, who has been obsessed with studying his whole life, and was nicknamed “Worm” (for “bookworm”) as a boy, has graduated from a university with honors. He plans to obtain his medical training from Uncle Alec, who has been a doctor for decades. This was a perfectly viable choice in 1876 because, though private medical schools existed, no medical degree or state licensing was required to practice medicine (see below).

Steve is 20. He is still the same dandy he was in EC and, like Charlie, he feels no need to work since his father is rich. Also like Charlie, Steve seems to do nothing but enjoy himself at society entertainments. The main difference between the two of them is that Steve is not an incipient alcoholic.

Will is 19, and Geordie is 18, and both of them are attending a military academy together. There is no mention of what they intend to do when they graduate other than, one might assume, enter the military as officers.

Jamie is 13, which is how old Rose was in EC, but unlike Rose at that age, Jamie acts as if he is only about 8 years old. Possibly because he's the baby of the family and has been spoiled.

Rose is dismayed and embarrassed to discover, when Jamie impulsively blurts it out, that her relatives hope she will marry one of her cousins and keep herself (and her large fortune) in the family. Uncle Mac and Archie's mother, Aunt Jesse, both hope that Rose will marry dependable Archie. Charlie's mother, Aunt Clara--and Charlie himself--think he's the man for Rose, but his drinking excesses disgust teetotaler Rose. (LMA was part of the temperance movement, and many of her characters either join the movement directly, or simply refuse to drink alcohol.) No one but Uncle Alec thinks that Mac is the cousin with the most potential to make Rose a good husband. Though Mac lacks the polished social manners of Charlie and Steve, he is brilliant, multi-talented, and as honest as the day is long, with no bad habits.

Where EC is clearly a children's book, this story is geared more for older girls in their teens and might, today, be called "young adult." In the nineteenth century, though, all ages read LMA’s books.

Most people purchasing this classic story will have read and treasured it in their childhood and desire to either re-read it themselves or hand it on to a child or grandchild. I read this book so many times in my childhood, I practically had it memorized. I have also read it many times over the years of my adult life, and enjoyed it just as much as I did as a child. I own this book in hardback, Kindle format, and as an audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by talented actress, Barbara Caruso. She does an excellent job bringing this book to life.

This is a list of LMA’s children’s novels:

Jo March Series:

Little Women (1868)
Good Wives (1869)
Little Men (1871)
Jo's boys (1886)

Rose Campbell Series:

Eight Cousins (1875)
Rose in Bloom (1876)

Two Standalone Novels:

Under the Lilacs (1878)
Jack and Jill (1880)

I rate this novel as follows:

Heroine: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Family drama plot: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Information on the Medical Profession in 1876

At the stage in history in which this book was written, the medical profession was unlicensed, and anyone could market their services as a doctor. There were very few female doctors back then. However, LMA was a feminist, and in one of her last books before she died, Jo’s Boys, one of the three girls who attended Jo’s school, Plumfield, became a doctor. Existing medical schools were privately owned and profit-based, and there were zero barriers to acceptance. In 1870, per census statistics, there were 62,000 men calling themselves doctors in the USA. Though the American Medical Association (AMA) was established in 1847, it took them over 90 years, until after 1935, to gain complete control over the medical profession, getting laws universally passed, and enforced, in each of the states establishing rigorous standards for doctors, including: a medical degree from a reputable school, hospital training, and passing a state licensing exam. The stipulated reason for their long-term goal was not to produce better doctors, rather to raise societal respect for the profession and drastically limit the number of people calling themselves doctors—by both means greatly increasing the amount of money doctors could demand in payment for their services.

I didn’t love this one as much as I loved the first one, but it was still enjoyable. I didn’t like that Alcott seemed to be suggesting that a girl should be romantically involved with a man in order to fix him, so I was pleased with the ending.

This certainly did not turn out the way I thought it would.

Somehow Alcott always manages to contrive the most unlikely and unexpected romances for her heroines, always saving them for the very last pages. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Alcott herself didn't necessarily want to marry off her heroines. She wanted to have them shine for themselves, to take the center place at the stage and keep them there.

Rose is no exception.

I quite enjoyed this little comedy of manners, romance and youth. There's tragedy here as well, but Alcott more than anything knew how to make light in the dark, so it always feels bearable. Conquerable, even.

Not my favorite of her works. I found my modern worldview grating against some of the way things were worded. Not that I disagreed with the general concepts so much as how they were expressed at times; it felt a bit over the top and moralistic, rather than real.

I did like the Scottishness of the characters! I had forgotten that aspect.