Eight Cousins

By Louisa May Alcott

First published 1865

This edition published 1955

Last week, I took a train ride into Chicago with my youngest daughter.  While deciding exactly what to do on our day in the city, I rattled off a few ideas.  One of those ideas was a walk to a used book store, and I’m sure I didn’t let on by the tone of my voice that I really wanted to go there.  Anyway, Michelle agreed to go to Open Books if I promised to carry my purchases all by myself the whole 1 ½ miles back to Union Station.  I agreed!

Open Books is a unique socially conscious non-profit used book store.  They rely on donations of books and a strong team of volunteers, with the proceeds going to support literacy programs within the city.  So of course, I had to buy something – not at all because I want more old books – but only because I needed to support such a worthwhile cause.  

My favorite purchase from our outing is this copy of Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott. 

Rose, a delicate and sickly recently orphaned thirteen year old, is sent to live with her aunts and bachelor uncle in a rambling house.  Nearby live her seven boisterous boy cousins.  Uncle Alec, her newly appointed guardian takes charge of Rose’s upbringing.  Uncle Alec encourages fresh air, exercise, and play with the noisy cousins.  Contrary to public opinion of the day, he also discourages restricting corsets and traditional girl’s dresses for loose, comfortable clothing.  Alcott uses this book to voice some of her revolutionary feminist ideas.  

This charming although somewhat preachy book follows Rose over the course of a year as she joins her cousins in their antics and grows closer to her aunts and uncle.  The freedom to be herself is just what she needed to grow and blossom. 

 

Here’s my favorite quote from Uncle Alec which is also a lesson of utmost importance today.

“If you dear little girls would only learn what real beauty is, and not pinch and starve and bleach yourselves out so, you’d save an immense deal of time and money and pain.  A happy soul in a healthy body makes the best sort of beauty for man or woman.”

Anyway, I did carry the bag of books back to the train all by myself as agreed upon even though the heaviest book in the bag was the one that Michelle picked out for herself.   Funny how that worked out.