Eight Cousins! I loved that as a child. Not so much when I re-read it the other year - I think the translation I had was also abbreviated and had removed a lot of the "all girls are weak lilies" stuff. (I know I've confessed before to never being able to get through Little Women.)

And I don't really think Rose was foppish. Vapid is the adjective I'd use. It's kind of weird to use "fop" about a woman, at least in a historical context, but that aside, she's pretty much a wet blanket when the book starts, and becomes more of a real person (although still a wet blanket by today's standards.) She still had "feminine virtues" though, and was much more vain and aware of her looks, as far as I can remember (I hated that part, still do), which is really the core of foppishness.