Thirteen-year-old Rose is a delicate orphan stuck in the middle of six aunts and seven (oh horrors) boy cousins. When Uncle Alec, her guardian, arrives, Rose's world is turned upside down as she follows his treatment to make her a strong, merry young lady.
Morality
Very good. Among other things, selflessness without reward is shown and highly upheld.
Spiritual Content
They attend church and act out a story from the Bible. Alcott herself was a Transcendentalist and so did not believe in the deity of Christ, and in her books she puts a great deal of emphasis on 'living good lives.'
Violence
A boy almost loses his eyesight by overstraining them. A girl falls from her horse and twists her ankle. A girl pierces her ears, which is described as very painful.
Drug and Alcohol Content
A few characters smoke cigarettes but they are rebuked and stop. One character drinks a little, but he stops, also.
Sexual Content
Family kisses each other. One of the cousins tries to trick Rose into kissing her other cousin under the mistletoe.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
A couple of boys use some slang, but their mother doesn't approve so they stop. There is one mention of corsets.
Conclusion
Full of delightful characters, merry little adventures, and deep moral truths, this book is more of a treasure each time I read it. All of the many characters have strong personalities and are easy to relate to and like. I particularly appreciate how each character has faults and weaknesses, which they then grow beyond. One thing to look out for is that the book is not Christian, though upholding Christian morals, and so the characters become more virtuous without the help of God.
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