8 h 20 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 20 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a grieving girl's new life begins with seven boy cousins and a doctor who questions every rule?
Thirteen-year-old Rose Campbell is rich, orphaned and unsure of her place among relatives she barely knows. At the Massachusetts home of her great aunts, Plenty and Peace, kindness comes with fussing and worry. Then her guardian, Uncle Alec, arrives with firm ideas about what she needs—and keeping her indoors is not part of his plan.
In Eight Cousins, Louisa May Alcott follows Rose through a year of family quarrels, friendship and growing confidence. Alec favours fresh air, useful work and plain food over tight clothes and medicine. Seven lively cousins bring their own troubles, while Phebe, an orphan working in the kitchen, becomes a close friend. Beneath the household bustle lies a question: how should a girl grow?
What you’ll discover
- A household full of contrasts Meet fussy aunts and cousins whose different tempers turn family life into lively company.
- Room to grow stronger Follow Rose outdoors as walks, rowing and riding challenge the sheltered life expected of her.
- A friendship beyond wealth Get to know Phebe, whose hard work and proud heart matter deeply to Rose.
- More than being ornamental Explore Alcott's question of whether girls should merely look pretty or learn useful things.
- Warmth with honest friction Enjoy a gentle story that makes room for mistakes, quarrels, humour and making up.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love warm family stories, lively households full of cousins and aunts, and gentle comedy. It also pleases anyone curious about growing up in nineteenth century New England.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A song interrupts Rose's sorrow
- The cousins make room for laughter
- Uncle Alec asks for her trust
- Everyday freedom becomes part of healing
- Lessons grow out of shared adventures
- Rose gives Phebe her holiday
- Friendship means staying when others leave
- Practical knowledge gives Rose more freedom
- Care helps Rose learn to give
Who’s who
- Rose CampbellA thirteen year old orphan and heiress, pale and shy, who learns to grow strong and to care for others.
- Uncle AlecA ship's doctor and Rose's new guardian, who tries a year of fresh air, work and cheerful surroundings instead of medicine.
- Phebe MooreA fifteen year old maid from the poorhouse who sings like a bird and longs for school.
- ArchieThe sensible sixteen year old chief of the Clan, who feels responsible for his younger cousins.
- CharlieCalled Prince, a charming, high spirited cousin who loves fun and cannot bear being laughed at.
- MacThe bookworm cousin whose eyes fail, and who comes to depend on Rose's help.
- Aunt PlentyA brisk, kind great-aunt who runs the house and loves old-fashioned remedies.
- Aunt JessieMother of four boys, who sees that Rose most needs a mother's love.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Eight Cousins in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Eight Cousins
by Louisa May Alcott · 1875
Rose, a pale orphan, hands her life to Uncle Alec, who throws her medicine into the flower beds.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“Miss Alcott inherited a name which her father's genius had made known on both sides of the sea, before her own made it famous in a hundred thousand households.”
In short
What does a sad, pale girl need most? In Eight Cousins, a young orphan named Rose sits alone in a gloomy parlor, waiting to cry.
Eight Cousins at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 55 min3 h 50 min fast, 5 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 69,700 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1875by Louisa May Alcott
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A lonely girl hears a bird in the kitchen
Rose has lost her mother and now her father. She has come to live with her great-aunts in a grand old house called Aunt Hill. Every kindness they offer fails.
Rose hides in the dark parlor to cry, but a bird song stops her. She follows it through a sliding panel into the kitchen. There she finds Phebe Moore, a fifteen year old maid, scrubbing the hearth. The song comes from Phebe's own throat, and she says the birds taught her.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1875
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Alcott, Louisa May. Eight Cousins. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/eight-cousins.
Alcott, L. M. (2026). Eight cousins. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/eight-cousins (Original work published 1875)
Alcott, Louisa May. Eight Cousins. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/eight-cousins.
@book{alcott2026eight,
author = {Alcott, Louisa May},
title = {Eight Cousins},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/eight-cousins},
note = {First published 1875}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Eight Cousins
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Eight Cousins about?
It follows a year in the life of Rose Campbell, a pale orphan who goes to live with her great-aunts near her seven boy cousins. Her guardian, Uncle Alec, tries to make her healthy and happy through fresh air, simple food, lessons and play.
Who are the eight cousins?
They are Rose and her seven boy cousins: Archie, Charlie, Mac, Steve, Geordie, Will and Jamie. Archie is the oldest and acts as chief, and Charlie is called Prince. Together the boys form the Clan.
Who is Phebe in Eight Cousins?
Phebe Moore is a young maid who was raised in a poorhouse. She sings like a bird, works hard and wants an education. Rose befriends her in the first chapter, and the two girls become close companions.
The author
Louisa May Alcott
1832–1888 · American novelist
Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) was an American novelist born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She lived mainly in Massachusetts, including Boston and Concord. She wrote Little Women, published in two parts in 1868 and 1869, An Old-Fashioned Girl in 1870, Little Men in 1871, and Work: A Story of Experience in 1873.
“A happy soul in a healthy body makes the best kind of beauty, for men and women alike.”
More by Louisa May Alcott
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
