Eight Cousins, 1875.
(Public Domain/via Wikimedia)
Two children’s classics raise a proposition worth considering: Women have a decided influence over men.
Little Women is so beloved (quite deservedly) that many readers forget Louisa May Alcott’s other delightful stories for young people.
Jo’s Boys continues the treasured story of the March sisters,
Jack and Jill is sweet and tinged with sadness. But among her most interesting works is the two-book series composed of
Rose in Bloom (1876). Beginning when our protagonist is 13, these books tell the tale of Rose Campbell, orphan and heiress.
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After her father dies, Rose is sent to live with her guardian, kind Uncle Alec, in a mansion located in close proximity to her many aunts. To her horror, she is also thrust into the midst of her seven boy cousins, with all their antics and lively ways. Alcott has an amusing way with her characters, and her pen paints them remarkably well. Each aunt, uncle, and cousin, no matter how small a role they take, is clearly drawn. Growing up, my friends and I would quote morbid Aunt Myra, telling each other we “had one foot in the grave.” Tall, dark-haired Phebe, a servant and later Rose’s companion, has a voice like a bird and the noblest of natures. And Mac, or the “Worm,” as his cousins dubbed him (on account of his always being stuck in a book), is a humorous mix of awkwardness, boyish fun, and patient lover.