Gone With the Wind

Jan 14, 2009 Annalisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, classics, historical-fiction, movies, favorites

It takes guts to make your main character spoiled, selfish, and stupid, someone without any redeeming qualities, and write an epic novel about her. But it works for two reasons. First of all you wait for justice to fall its merciless blow with one of the most recognized lines in cinema ("frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"), but you end with a broken and somewhat repentant character and you can't be pitiless. Secondly, if you were going to parallel the beautiful, affluent, lazy, spirited South...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Emily rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

I received my copy of Gone With the Wind in 1991 and never got past the first 50 or 100 pages in any of annual attempts at this books until 2004, at which point I decided to defeat the book one and for all. I FINALLY FINISHED READING THE DAMN BOOK.

I want my time back.

There was a reason I never before read past the first 50 or 100 pages - Scarlet is a raging evil snarky miserable bitch and I hate her. None of the other characters were particularly likable - ranging from sniveling, whiny sissies t...more

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Sep 29, 2007 Eve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I honestly do not know whether to give this book 5 stars for being one of the most completely engrossing, shocking, and emotionally absorbing pieces of literature ever written, or to give it 0 stars for being the most tragic, unendingly upsetting, disturbing book I've ever read. I read the last 50 pages or so literally with my mouth wide open, unable to believe that it was really going to be THAT tragically sad. When I finally finished, I walked downstairs in a daze, handed the book to my husban...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicals, romances, houses-as-characters, 2012-reads, classics, favorites, re-read

I don't like reviewing overly popular, classic books because let's face it, what more can be said regarding a book that 8,720 Goodreads reviewers haven't already covered, from 1 star through 5 star opinions?

So I'll just say that I read this novel for the first time when I was only about 14 years old. And re-read it, and re-read it, and re-read it again several times until around age 18. And then I never picked it up again until age 48 (that's 30 years of reading silence for those of you mathamat...more I don't like reviewing overly popular, classic books because let's face it, what more can be said regarding a book that 8,720 Goodreads reviewers haven't already covered, from 1 star through 5 star opinions?

So I'll just say that I read this novel for the first time when I was only about 14 years old. And re-read it, and re-read it, and re-read it again several times until around age 18. And then I never picked it up again until age 48 (that's 30 years of reading silence for those of you mathamatically inclined...) Between 18 and 48 is a huge gulf of life and living that might make a re-read a very disasterous endeavor, and I know for a fact that for a few of my GR friends, it was just that, and they regret replacing the youthful memories of this book with more mature ones.

I understand their feelings. I wondered if my own would replicate them. I'm glad to say that didn't happen in my case.

Not that GwtW is an easy book to digest in this politically correct era. It's hard to convey just how cringe-worthy at times a book written in the 1930's by an American Southern writer about the American South during the Civil War can effect modern sensibilities. You have to read it to believe it. The racism, the language, the attitude is all there in black and white (pardon the pun) and they can't be ignored. Those views, those attitudes existed, and still exist for many in this country and all over the world.

I don't condone it, but for me personally, I give most books written before 1960 a little handicap going into them. Not every reader can, and that's OK.

The continuing strength of Mitchell's epic novel is in her capturing of a feeling of loss to a period, a people and a place. Some would argue that it's good this era has crumbled into dust, and I'll not argue the point with them. But as a Southerner myself, I have a deep love and appreciation for my place of birth, and understand the pride and loyalty Southerners take in their homeland, because I feel it very much. Mitchell's saga isn't so much the love story of Scarlett and Rhett as it appeared to me as a teen. The real love story is Mitchell's to her homeland. Warts and all. The writing is so lovely, so authenic. The feelings and expressions ring true. The character of Scarlett O'Hara is, IMO, one of the best drawn character studies ever penned. I used to hate her as a teen, but as an adult I found myself cheering her on in places, and understanding her selfish motivations more then I could have ever imagined. What that says about me I don't know, but Scarlett is a fighter, and a survivor, and I've got to admire her tenacity if not her moral fiber.

This book is a masterpiece. A flawed, uncomfortable masterpiece. I'm glad I re-read it.

***
So after saying I didn't like writing reviews for books like this, I went and wrote one.

Just call me 8,721... (less)

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Aug 31, 2012 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read, kindle, buddy-reads-with-jemidar

The first time - and until now the only time - I read this book was in December 1975. I had just finished high school and my best friend persuaded me to read her favourite novel. Every afternoon for about three weeks I went to the local beach for a couple of hours to sunbake and read. From that first experience of reading Gone with the Wind , the novel became associated in my mind with the feeling of sunshine on my skin, the smell of the ocean, the sound of waves breaking on the sand and the sen...more

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Feb 25, 2008 Nicko rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Confederates

So much has been said in praise of this book it feels redundant to add more. In terms of the slave-holding society, the film actually toned-down the pro-South view of Reconstruction (Scarlett's second husband joined the KKK in the book) and Mammy remains probably one of the most fully-developed and likeable African-American characters from 1930 you'll read.

Rhett Butler is the consummate alpha male. This book is definitely the timeless classic reputation it has earned, and though at times it see...more So much has been said in praise of this book it feels redundant to add more. In terms of the slave-holding society, the film actually toned-down the pro-South view of Reconstruction (Scarlett's second husband joined the KKK in the book) and Mammy remains probably one of the most fully-developed and likeable African-American characters from 1930 you'll read.

Rhett Butler is the consummate alpha male. This book is definitely the timeless classic reputation it has earned, and though at times it seemed like the longest book ever, it is all worth it in the end. It touches on many misunderstood aspects of the civil war and its afterwords. What many people do not realize is how horrible it really was for Southerners after the war, mostly because they cannot get past the racism of the times (which it wasn't as if the North was full of equality and peace, either). If you can accept the times for what they were, you will see how well this book was written. I appreciate it for the well built characters, smooth flow, and albeit romanticized- depiction of the Antebellum South.

As far as being politically incorrect or the modern charges that the book is "racist," remember that this book was written in the 1930s. Not to mention, the time period is the Civil War era! To be completely unracist would not have depicted the era correctly. As if it represents anything more than the way people thought when it was made. Of course, it's racist. America is and has been a racist society since the beginning. This book mirrors the opinions held by the people alive and working at the time, no more and certainly no less. Have opinions changed since then? Of course, as society evolves so does the writing. All this aside, the character of "Mammy" is one of the most likeable and respected characters in the book. Rhett Butler treats her very well, and tries to win her approval. She’s the one person throughout the novel who sees through everyone’s follies and foibles, but remains forgiving of them anyway. There's a reason this book won so many awards and still endures! It is a timeless classic that everyone should enjoy and read in context.
(less)

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Jan 25, 2011 Mariel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who give a damn

Recommended to Mariel by: fiddle dee do da fiddle dee yay

[I'm starting to get a little freaked out by how many of my reviews mention The Princess Bride and Fred Savage... There could be a Mariel drinking game with that in it.]

Gone with the Wind has been in and out of my life for as long as I can remember. I recall protesting, "No way am I gonna like this!" Like Fred Savage in The Princess Bride film, only I was waaay cuter than him. I changed my mind about liking it a lot. I'm still changing my mind. 'Gone' seems dated to me, now. Increasingly dated,...more [I'm starting to get a little freaked out by how many of my reviews mention The Princess Bride and Fred Savage... There could be a Mariel drinking game with that in it.]

Gone with the Wind has been in and out of my life for as long as I can remember. I recall protesting, "No way am I gonna like this!" Like Fred Savage in The Princess Bride film, only I was waaay cuter than him. I changed my mind about liking it a lot. I'm still changing my mind. 'Gone' seems dated to me, now. Increasingly dated, I should say. There was always the riveting stuff to distract me before. I should say it is my overall impression that is dated, not the "good parts" as Fred Savage would request. Perhaps because of the whole "sweeping" epicness. I don't dig the grand effect. I have a problem with any historical picture that tries to say for everybody what it was like. The small details? Bring 'em on.

There's the kinda quaintly look at slavery. My mama embarrassed me to no end bragging about how she's the only person she knows of who had an "authentic mammy" (like Scarlett had). [I swear that I didn't make up that she said "authentic".] She'd also express her coughs theories why integration ruined the American public school systems. The thing is, I came to realize (after many early days of raging through tears that she was wrong, wrong, wrong) that there was like this split part of her brain: half of it thought the way she was raised to think (my grandpa was an honest to god racist! southern cliche, and my grandmother was bragging last presidential election about coughs preventing coughs voting in Mississippi during the '60s). Then there was the side capable of pure reason (school systems are ruined 'cause of politics and tax dollars and butt scratching and fraud). None of this ever changed any of the friendships she's had. I still don't get it. Why did Scarlett think owning slaves was hunky dory? She didn't especially hate anyone or want them to suffer.

I think it was because Scarlett viewed absolutely everyone as, "They are all pawns to serve me, the queen". She wouldn't think deeper about their situations, for the slaves or for her blood. For the most part, I agree with Melanie that you take Scarlett as she is, and it is your own fault if you are shallow enough to be suckered in by it. Unless you're a slave, or one of her poor kids. I also hated Scarlett for how she treated those kids. The men I could care less about. The ethics of boyfriend stealing doesn't interest me.

It was funny, years later, when a drama teacher forced the class to watch the film version. Kids: "No way am I gonna like this!" The teacher and I exchanged knowing expressions [probably not, she didn't really like me. For some reason I was made to sit at the pregnant girls table in some judgemental pronouncement I don't understand to this day (there were five of them! I loved it when they called my reading choices porn [Jude the Obscure!]. Me: "YOU girls are preggers.") Then she'd pause the movie for the day on the exciting parts. Fred Savage protests! There are a lot of those parts in 'Gone' the book and movie. Too bad I can't mesh with the whole big picture vibe. The expiration date on this baby isn't forever because no one reads news headlines of the past. They want something more personal than generic grand sweeping. Or maybe S. Morgenstern can write a just the "good parts" version. Hey, I like that idea.

[I'm going to make a Fred Savage tip jar. Every time I ever bring him up again I have to put a dollar in it.](less)

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Nov 14, 2012 Ellie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: physical-books, 1000-bymrbyd-list, bbc-big-read-list, 2012, favorites, reviewed, historical, classics

I've had a lot of trouble writing this review. I've been writing and re-writing this review over the last few months, and I just couldn't get it perfect. I've finally come to realise no review I can ever write will do this novel justice so I am just going to post it as it is.

Set in the state of Georgia, before, during and after the American Civil War, Gone With the Wind tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a vain, spoiled, over-privileged daughter of a plantation owner, from her days as a carefre...more I've had a lot of trouble writing this review. I've been writing and re-writing this review over the last few months, and I just couldn't get it perfect. I've finally come to realise no review I can ever write will do this novel justice so I am just going to post it as it is.

Set in the state of Georgia, before, during and after the American Civil War, Gone With the Wind tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, a vain, spoiled, over-privileged daughter of a plantation owner, from her days as a carefree southern belle, through the destruction of the war, and the terror of reconstruction that followed. The world Scarlett grew up in is destroyed and gone forever, but she is brave, strong and determined. Scarlett's a fighter and she is prepared to do whatever she has to do to survive the war and protect her family and their plantation at Tara. She faces difficult, challenging and, at times, life threatening situations. Along the way, Scarlett meets Rhett Butler. He is a rich, charming, handsome rogue – the perfect match for Scarlett if only she wasn't blinded by her infatuation for her married neighbour Ashley Wilkes. Refusing to be second best no longer, Rhett leaves Scarlett just as she realises that she simply only wanted Ashley because she couldn't have him and it is Rhett that she's truly loved all along. Scarlett vows to win him back. The reader is left to draw their own conclusion about the fate of Scarlett and Rhett.

The novel is beautifully well-written, enthralling, gripping historical drama and romance story with a well-researched and developed plot and well-crafted and original characters. I loved all the brilliant dialogue between Rhett and Scarlett. I swear you could literally see the sparks flying off the pages between these two. It is by far one of the greatest romantic pieces of literature ever written.

The novel is extremely historically accurate and incredibly vivid. The depth of the novel actually surprised me. It made me feel like I was actually there in Old South in the 1860's during the Civil War. Beware, there is a lot of racism in this novel and it can be quite shocking at times. But I think that just makes the story more realistic, after all that's how it was like back in the mid 19th Century. When you're writing a historical fiction novel, you can't change history no matter how much you may want to. If Margaret Mitchell had sugar-coated the racism, it would have ruined the story.

All of Margaret Mitchell's characters are extremely vivid and complex. They become alive to you and remain with you long after you've finished the book. The main characters of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler are flawed but the author succeeds in making you fall in love with them in spite of this. If you must know, I actually loved the fact that Scarlett wasn't one of those absolutely perfect main characters you see in a lot of novels. The fact that she had a lot of faults and weaknesses made her feel more real to me.

As the story progresses, you begin to understand how the experiences Scarlett goes through during the war have radically changed Scarlett's perception of the world. By the end of the novel, I sympathised with Scarlett and admired the strong courageous person she had become. Both Scarlett and Rhett have become my favourite literary characters.

Gone With the Wind is one of those novels you can barely put down. The novel is over one thousand pages long. I'm actually happy that it was so long because as I read page after page, I didn't want the story to end. The book is incredibly engrossing. Beware, it will take over your life. You won't want to put it down and you'll have no interest in doing anything apart from reading this book.

I think Margaret Mitchell was an incredibly talented author and it's a shame that she died so young in a car accident and never got a chance to write a sequel (or any other novels for that matter). Of all the books that I've read in my entire life this is my ultimate favourite! I don't think I can express how much I love this novel. It definitely deserved the Pulitzer Prize it won in 1937. I'd give Gone With the Wind far more than five stars if I could! It deserves at least 20! (less)

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Feb 22, 2011 Lisa Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, has-a-movie, genre-historical-fiction-101, pulitzer, genre-classic, genre-fiction, epic, reviewed-by-me, authors-m

My mother wouldn't let me read "Gone With the Wind" until I was 16. A few years ago I was at a cocktail party and they asked the trivia question "What was the first line of GWtW?" I knew the answer. My husband asked, "How did you know that?" (He'd lived with me how many decades?) I told him about my mom's restriction and how, when I finally opened the book, I was stunned by the first sentence. I had seen the movie and Scarlett was beautiful, if a bitch. I also remember it because everyone always...more

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May 04, 2012 Judy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Having a hard time slogging through the blatant racism in this book. Times sure have changed. And thank God for that.

Okay, nearly forty years since I first read it, the epic love story against the brutality of the Civil War still manages to sweep me up.

But the racism still wrankles, especially the glorification of the Ku Klux Klan--southern gentlemen had no other choice. They weren't bullies terrorizing people because of the color of their skin, they were protecting their women from the rapacio...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: americana, classics, historical-fiction, buddy-read, 5-stars, read-in-2012

I’ve somehow got to my forties having neither read or watched Gone With The Wind. No idea how that can have happened, but I’m SO glad I finally joined the party; better late than never!

The characters are beautifully crafted, warts n' all, and I so enjoyed the struggles and squabbles of Scarlett, Mammy, Melly and Aunt Pittypat. The horrors of the Civil War and its aftermath are told shockingly and movingly, and as a Brit, I’d now like to read more about it. The only two things I didn't have much...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Jemidar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads-with-kim, buddy-reads-with-anna, historical-fiction, seen-the-movie

Some things should not be revisited because the second time around just doesn't live up to the memories of the first, and you end up coming away feeling somewhat disappointed and disillusioned. For me, this reread of an old favourite was one of those things.

I first read this book back in the late seventies when I was in my late teens, and the heady mix of history, drama, romance and tragedy warmed my girlish heart. I just couldn't get enough of it and followed my reading of the novel with watchi...more
Some things should not be revisited because the second time around just doesn't live up to the memories of the first, and you end up coming away feeling somewhat disappointed and disillusioned. For me, this reread of an old favourite was one of those things.

I first read this book back in the late seventies when I was in my late teens, and the heady mix of history, drama, romance and tragedy warmed my girlish heart. I just couldn't get enough of it and followed my reading of the novel with watching the movie and then immersed my self in the cult of the movie by rewatching it numerous times and reading everything I could about the making of it. For me Gone With the Wind was iconic and very much associated with my coming of age, so when I added the novel to GR a couple of years ago I unquestioningly rated it 5 fond stars.

Fast forwarding thirty years or more and many life experiences later, after seeing the movie on TV one Sunday afternoon and thinking that it had held up reasonably well over time, I started wondering what I would think of the book now and was curious if it had held up as well. Hence the reread.

It started off well enough but after several chapters there was a nagging thought tugging at the back of my brain saying "This book won a Pulitzer? Really?" The writing style isn't bad but it's certainly nothing special either IMO. I just can't see enough literary merit to warrant a Pulitzer. Not that this is a problem as such, as I enjoy reading a lot of genre fiction, it was more something my brain puzzled over as I read.

The other thing I found as I read was that I just wasn't that interested in the American Civil War, certainly not enough to sustain me through 1000+ pages. This problem almost certainly lays with me and not the book though because as a teen I gobbled up any history I could find but as I've got older I have specialized more and more both in any coursework I've done as well as in my private reading. I hardly read outside of English and European history anymore but I hadn't realized how strong this preference had become until this reread.

My real problem with the book however was its inherent racism which I found myself unable to ignore. Yes, it was historically appropriate for characters of that time and place to have those attitudes and I will even acknowledge that it was probably historically appropriate for Mitchell as a southerner writing in the 1930s to hold the views she did. But I did find it harder to read about than I expected to and thought Mitchell came across as nothing more than an apologist for both slavery and the KKK at times. My older, left leaning self had a much harder time stomaching the politics than my politically naive teen self did which left my older self a little ashamed of my earlier ignorance.

However, the real problem with the inherent racism (which goes far beyond the use of the 'n' word) was that it stopped me engaging with the characters. Granted the Civil War itself and the following Reconstruction were terrible times, and the southerners did suffer dreadfully, but I just couldn't feel much sympathy for them as I couldn't disconnect from my mind that the way of life which had been destroyed and that many grieved for was based on human ownership and bondage. They all came across as whingers and whiners to me and I really wanted to smack them and tell them to get real as they had been lucky to have led the privileged life they had for so long. Many people comment on Scarlett's stupidity but I honestly found some of the more "sensible" characters much more frustrating than her as I felt (probably unreasonably) that they should've known better.

This review has been really difficult for me to write as I feel like I'm betraying an old friend. I've been particularly torn over how I would rate it. I honestly wanted to give it more stars than I did but when I looked at how I now felt about it, I found that I couldn't rate it any higher so have had to downgrade my original five star rating. It was an interesting experience to reread this but in some ways I also wish I hadn't.

The best part about this reread was the company I kept as it was an enjoyable albeit train wreck of a buddy read with Anna (our GWTW virgin who gallantly carried on when times got tough), Kim (who, bless her her cotton socks, put up with all my stops and starts) and Jeannette (who bailed half way through) :-).(less)

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Jan 23, 2010 Mister Jones added it · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sons of the South

Recommended to Mister Jones by: Generations of my family

Yes, Georgia, there is a Santa Claus. As a Xmas gift, I decided to read GWTW again since I now have a 1943 copy. Actually enjoying it and marveling at Mitchell's depth of characterization, so even if one makes a scathing review, there's still hope of reconsideration at least for me.

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Aug 01, 2012 Lina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-lit, did-not-agree-with-but-interesting, not-my-type-of-book

Before I give my opinion about this classic novel let me make a few things clear. This book certainly has a lot of literary value. It is well written, the characters, are for the most part, interesting and Mitchell certainly breathed life into her characters. They feel like people and the plot, while it goes on for ages, it constructed well and by the end you feel like you have been satisfied in terms of a character arc.

Okay, now that that's done: I hate this book. I hate the characters (except...more Before I give my opinion about this classic novel let me make a few things clear. This book certainly has a lot of literary value. It is well written, the characters, are for the most part, interesting and Mitchell certainly breathed life into her characters. They feel like people and the plot, while it goes on for ages, it constructed well and by the end you feel like you have been satisfied in terms of a character arc.

Okay, now that that's done: I hate this book. I hate the characters (except Melanie), I hate the story and I hate everything this book became and contributed to the glorification of the Antebellum south. I found this book painful to read and riddled with stereotypes that made me cringe. It is strange that for all the people who told me how amazing this book is, not a single person brought up how the Civil War was treated in the novel. Everyone just love Scarlett and her star-crossed blah-blah with Rhett.

As for Miss Scarlett O' Hara? Well I ended up writing a whole thing about her and I put some sections of that in this review because I felt cheated with her character. Everyone told me how amazing she was and everything like that, but what I found in the book was very different.

“Some day I’m going to do and say everything I want to do and say, and if people don’t like it I don’t care”. This is what young Scarlett O’Hara declares as she is forced to eat and listen as her Mammy tells her that men desire silly wives. Lines such as these create an image of Scarlett as one of literature’s earliest feminist and progressive female leads. Her ambition and desires, which are counter to her delicate Southern upbringing, create the image of a strong, independent woman. However this is an illusion. I felt like this entire novel was telling me that Scarlett o' Hara is a horrible person and should stop trying to be strong.

Scarlett is most certainly a protagonist of great emotional passion and ferocity. She is certainly capable of many things —er business savvy which managed to save Tara from destitution. However Scarlett is not idealized, but due to value dissonance and the problem of trying to place the title of “feminist” on any female protagonist, she has become an icon which goes against the message of the book, imo. Scarlett may have Tara and her few slaves, but she has nothing else. Her parents are dead, her sisters loathe her, she has no relationship with her living children and the only people who ever loved her truly (Melanie and Rhett), are dead or have abandoned her. Before her great revelation she had poured her emotional reservoir into Ashley, but now even that is lost to her. Scarlett is a failure by the end of the novel. In addition to that, the biggest issue with calling Scarlett a feminist heroine is her dislike of women in general. She viewed all women (save for Ellen and eventually Melanie) as her rivals and enemies. She looks down at other women and criticizes their looks in a cruel way like “a clump of fat crows”. Scarlett sees her sex as something to be used as manipulation and that is all. Throughout the book her sense of superiority lingers on to everyone she views beneath her, especially women. If there is any character who shows any sense of female comradely it is Melanie. Despite people constantly bombarding her with gossip about Scarlett, especially where Ashley is concerned, Melanie treats Scarlett as a loyal sister. After Frank dies, Rhett and Belle (a prostitute) help save Ashley from an altercation with the police Melanie treats Belle with respect despite her occupation. Belle assures Melanie that, “if you ever see me on the street, you—you don’t have to speak to me. I’ll understand” but Melanie responds, “I shall be proud to speak to you. Proud to be under obligation to you. I hope—I hope we meet again.”

Melanie is the unsung heroine of Gone with the Wind, who, despite conforming to many of the ideals of the Southern Belle ideal, manages to be a kind, strong and compelling character. Due to the narration being framed around Scarlett, readers might be tempted to simply hate Melanie due to her naïveté. Yet, that is what makes Melanie different from Scarlett. One woman manipulated and hated another for the love of a man, where another one loved and cared out of the kindness of her heart. (less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Janosch rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not finished / Ragequit

Ragequit on page 411. I could not take anymore. Here is my review: ( yes I dare to review it )

It has indeed a very nice writing style. Scenery and characters are excellent presented and very good described. At the beginning I highly enjoyed the lively characters. And that is it with my positive notes.
Reasons for not finishing it :
-The same things happen over and over and over and over again. *talk about war* *scarlett is upset* *talk about war* *scarlett does this* *ta...more

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Oct 04, 2008 Ebookwormy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: carp-500, history, fiction

It's obvious to me why this book is a classic. It was a fabulous read, though (for reasons listed below) I'm not sure I'd want to read it again soon.

The story is told through the eyes of Scarlett O'Hara, a selfish, aristocratic, young Southern woman, with a scant number of scenes (mostly at the end) where she is not present. Realizing Scarlett and her class have the most to lose from the fall of the South, their perspective on the times is negative. The racism is appalling. The opinion of Scarl...more It's obvious to me why this book is a classic. It was a fabulous read, though (for reasons listed below) I'm not sure I'd want to read it again soon.

The story is told through the eyes of Scarlett O'Hara, a selfish, aristocratic, young Southern woman, with a scant number of scenes (mostly at the end) where she is not present. Realizing Scarlett and her class have the most to lose from the fall of the South, their perspective on the times is negative. The racism is appalling. The opinion of Scarlett and her class (inherent in the narration of the text) is that blacks were better off in slavery where they were 'well taken care of', abuses of slavery were very few, house black slaves who stayed with their masters were the cream of the African crop, and free blacks who left their owners were lazy, unintelligent and often criminal. These views are repugnant, and certainly not accurate, but the matter has become so politicized it is hard to know whether or not such thoughts are typical of aristocrats of the time. As one would imagine, immersed in the Confederate perspective, the Union and it's actions, particularly as relates to Reconstruction in Georgia are also not presented favorably. Carpetbaggers and Scallawags, familiar, formless, terms from somewhere way back are now clear to me, at least the Old South perception of them! Reading this book has led me to put some non-fiction books about the social ideas and ideals of the Confederacy on my 'to-read' list.

The most intriguing theme of this work to me was the cross-cultural conflict inherent in the fall of the South. The author successfully illustrates the incredible difficulty faced by those captured in tumultuous times. Old, familiar ideas about life and living (class stratification, roles of men and women, economy, standards of living, etc.) are dying and completely new ones are rising. The same thing occurs throughout history, but there are certain times in which this change is so swift that a single generation has to absorb the shock. Such is the experience of these characters. As in real life, some adjust quickly (almost seeing it before it comes - though those who do are usually initially rejected because it is too frightening for the masses to consider), some adjust eventually, and some cannot make the change. While Southern racism has always perplexed me, I felt I could understand the aristocratic longing for the old familiar days, and I could comprehend how the preparation young people received in the old days was completely inadequate for the war and post-war realities. It also vividly captured why Southerners were so willing to die for their great Cause (the Cause being the way of life of which slavery was the foundation), as death, while still being able to hold the old ways dear was so much less taxing than trying to adapt to the changing realities. I can imagine that many people, trapped in aggressive revolutionary times, would feel the same way.

Two things hit me personally. 1) "Your sins are as scarlet will be washed white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18) Scarlett took the sin level to significant heights, and yet God would also forgive her through Jesus. For some reason this really struck me. 2) Scarlett was torn between her admiration for her mother, whom she is nothing like, and her personality which is more like her father. This struck me as theme in my life. When I became a mother, I thought I would be a lot like my mother, but I don't possess her strengths. Scarlett's struggle illuminated mine and helped me take another step to embracing who God made me to be.

As for Scarlett and Rhett themselves, along with Melanie and Ashley, there was a considerable amount of character development. However, I cannot help but note that while most chose to see Scarlett and Rhett as heroes worthy of imitation, both their characters unravel to the destruction of themselves and those around them (especially Scarlett's poor children). The consequences of their selfish actions are horrifying. While Melanie and Ashley behave more admirably, they are less successful in the world, and Ashley fails to achieve the happiness and peace that Melanie seems to possess in herself and bestow on those around her. In the end, Melanie, great lady she was, appears to me the heroine, even if she was flawed (her commitment to the glory of the Confederacy for example), and the story naturally closes with her death as her counterbalance to Scarlett is removed. One can only imagine what happens to Scarlet absent her influence. The character of Scarlett, while softened by the late revelations of the book is still incredibly distasteful. Ending with Scarlett's dawn of understanding implied to me the wisdom she gained (as with so many previous...) was rather momentary and Scarlett would return to her destructive quest for materialistic survival. Generally, I don't like to be left hanging with relationships unresolved, but after reading over 1000 pages, I found I agreed with Rhett in that "I don't give a damn" what Scarlett does now! (less)

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Aug 09, 2012 Jeannette rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, the-south, us, 2012-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I won’t be rating this book, because I couldn’t finish it. Halfway through, and I so totally disliked just about everyone in the story, that I couldn’t bring myself to open it again. I didn’t find anything to like about Scarlett O’Hara; she was spoiled, selfish, a rotten mother. She did have enough of a backbone to keep herself and “her” people alive after her return to Tara, but nothing she did stirred any feelings of love or admiration in me. As soon as her idol, the cowardly Ashley, returns o...more I won’t be rating this book, because I couldn’t finish it. Halfway through, and I so totally disliked just about everyone in the story, that I couldn’t bring myself to open it again. I didn’t find anything to like about Scarlett O’Hara; she was spoiled, selfish, a rotten mother. She did have enough of a backbone to keep herself and “her” people alive after her return to Tara, but nothing she did stirred any feelings of love or admiration in me. As soon as her idol, the cowardly Ashley, returns on the scene, she’s ready to leave her people to starve, if she can run away with him.

And, what of our hero, Mr. Butler? Funny, wise, pain-in-the-butt that he was, he leaves the scene just when he’s most needed. And does he stay in true character, protecting his own hide? No, he’s off to fight, just as the battle is lost. *go figure* I may read the last part of the book, just to find out why everyone falls in love with him. I’m sure there has to be more to him than I’ve seen so far.

The only character that I do admire in the book, is the one nobody else seems to like: Melanie Wilkes. Sure, she’s a pure Southern doormat lady, but underneath her meek exterior there’s fire in her soul. She’s tough as nails, and willing to work through the pain. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and sees the good in everybody, even Rhett Butler. (the damn Yankees excluded).

As for Mitchell’s intentions in telling the story of the War Between the States from the Southern point of view, I don’t have a clear idea of what she was trying to say. Many of the things she said were laced with irony. She describes the perfect Southern wife, pretty, charming, without a thought in her head, just there to make her man comfortable. And the perfect Southern gentleman wanting nothing more but to return to such a scene of domestic tranquility after a hard day of riding and hunting, or a hard night of drinking and gambling away the family fortune. Could she really be pining for this way of life? It reads more like a jibe than praise to me, but that may be my personal bias.

In another bit of irony, she has the Tara field hands, marching through Atlanta on their way to dig holes for their white folks to hide in. All those happy, childlike darkies (it was only the bad ones that ran away) off to do the dirty work for their “gempmums”. And, yet, Mitchell has them singing “Go Down Moses” (tell old Pharoah, ‘Let my people go’).

Well, I suppose if I’d read the entire book I'd get answers to some of these questions. (*thanks, Jemidar!*) I will admit that parts of it were entertaining, the historical elements were interesting and informative: even with Mitchell’s bias towards the Confederacy, she was able to show both sides being good and bad. Maybe I’ll get to reading the second half one of these days.

Buddy-read with Anna, Jemidar, and Kim. Thanks for encouraging me -- I loved the slide show. :)(less)

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Feb 08, 2008 Lilly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read this book when I was fifteen during a hot, sticky Texas summer. That was more than 10 years ago, and I have read the book at least 3 more times since then, but I can still remember the book's initial impact on me. I remember my journal entries about it and my inability to get the book off my mind long after I'd finished it. I was infatuated. In my U.S. History class a year later, my teacher assigned a paper on some historical topic or other. I hardly remember what the actual assignment wa...more I read this book when I was fifteen during a hot, sticky Texas summer. That was more than 10 years ago, and I have read the book at least 3 more times since then, but I can still remember the book's initial impact on me. I remember my journal entries about it and my inability to get the book off my mind long after I'd finished it. I was infatuated. In my U.S. History class a year later, my teacher assigned a paper on some historical topic or other. I hardly remember what the actual assignment was, because I asked him if I could write a paper on Gone With the Wind instead. I told him it should be considered a historical novel, and yes, I got what I wanted. Man, I was such a nerd then. I only wish I had kept that paper....

So, I was thinking just now of the scene in You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan is arguing with Tom Hanks about Pride and Prejudice, and she proclaims that Elizabeth Bennett is one of the most complex heroines ever written (I can't remember if she calls her THE most complex). I think Scarlett is much more complex than Lizzie. Her evolution throughout the novel is so amazing. She is so one-dimensional in the beginning, before the war and before everything that changes her way of life. Granted, Scarlett is always looking out for number one, and it's part of why I love her character. It is so rich with selfishness, her benevolent deeds always fueled by her own objectives, her baddoings justified by her will to survive. Even her relationship with Rhett is one of the most complex love stories ever written. Since I've read the novel several times, I even went back and noticed each and every time where Rhett was bursting with hesitation, just killing himself as he held back his true feelings for her. She doesn't marry Rhett for love, but her realization at the end that she "must have loved you all along" is so tragic and swollen with regret. I could never understand what she saw in Ashley, who was so weak and stupid and useless.

I think this novel was my first introduction to nostalgia, and it ruined me forever. Nostalgia now rules my life, and if I were a book, it would be my central theme.(less)

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Aug 01, 2008 Diana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

One book I can honestly say that I enjoyed less than the movie. In Margaret Mitchell's book Scarlett has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I spent the better part of the book wanting to slap her silly.

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May 21, 2013 Athira rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: smthng-moves-inside-my-head

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I gave 5 stars to this book. But I can never say I loved reading it. Gone with the Wind is one of the best books ever written! This book was complete, perfect but at the same time reading this book was a miserable effort for me. I can't say I enjoyed every minute of reading it.
Because
When I read a book I always stand with the heroine but Scarlett O'Hara was not the one I can never support or stand with. The novel goes in her perspective which made my efforts to go with the book so hard and so...more I gave 5 stars to this book. But I can never say I loved reading it. Gone with the Wind is one of the best books ever written! This book was complete, perfect but at the same time reading this book was a miserable effort for me. I can't say I enjoyed every minute of reading it.
Because
When I read a book I always stand with the heroine but Scarlett O'Hara was not the one I can never support or stand with. The novel goes in her perspective which made my efforts to go with the book so hard and so miserable. She was so selfish and there was no other way but her glaring green eyes was the only door to the book. It was like reading and hating the book! I read and think, " oh Scarlett please don't do that" but she always did the wrong. Her character was complex like the book. If I say honestly, God! I so wanted to slap her all the time. But I never hate her. I loved her determination to bring Tara back and her courage to stand against anything. Her life in Tara when the civil war started was the only time I fully liked her. Melanie was an angel, a pure soul. Melanie and Scarlett was like good and evil. I loved Rhett, all the time. There is only one person in the book I hated the most, only one person, and that was Ashley Wilkes. He was no gentleman, yes. If he was one he would never had been blind to Melanie's love. I'm not saying he hated her. He loved her, but that was not enough! He was no gentle soul. Scarlett was so much better than him, she was a fool. She was stubborn and spoiled. She was selfish and unkind. But I believe she can change anything even her bad qualities and she will if she wanted to. And in the last chapter I know one thing that she really want to change herself. It won't be easy like her previous deeds, but she will succeed and there will be a good life for Rhett. yes. For Rhett. he deserves a peaceful life after Bonnie's death. He deserves Scarlett only because his unconditional love for her. not because of her mind which was so foolish and selfish once. And that will be her purification in life.
I am not going to write anything about American Civil war because I know a less about it. But Gone with the Wind gives a perfect picture of the American Civil War and racism which I don't even want to think about. (less)

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Feb 19, 2011 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, female-authors, fiction, historical-fiction, does-my-book-look-big-in-this, i-cant-believe-i-havent-read-it-yet, 2011-best-reads

Wherein I attempt to write a review using all the new words I learned whilst reading the book. My made-up-on-the-spot rule is one per sentence, to make it a challenge. (Glossary at end of review.)

---------------

I hope you won’t look upon my review as mere folderol, but the most interesting things to be said about Gone With the Wind have been said over and over: it’s breathtaking, sweeping, American, but also racist and exacerbating. Everyone needs to read the story of one of literature’s best tr...more

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Dec 30, 2009 DahliaNagaDanBukanDahliaPinky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, classic

BUKU 1

Yang terlintas pertama kali di kepala g pas baca buku ke-1 ini adalah yang paling tidak akan bahagia hidup di tahun 1800-an adalah perempuan-perempuan dari persekutuan narsis dan klub pengunyah.

-Perketuan Narsis : Perempuan harus selalu tampil seolah-olah lemah, rapuh, sopan dan bodoh (Coba bicara cerdas sedikit, jangan heran kalau tiba-tiba orang sekeliling mengganggap aneh, sok tahu dan bahkan mungkin dikucilkan dari pergaulan). Perempuan juga harus tahan dan pura-pura tertarik dengan oc...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Zen Cho rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: war, historical, love-stories

Copied over from my blog:

I'd known this was racist in a vague sort of way, not remembering much about the book or movie except bosoms and swooning, but wow, I didn't know it was that mindblowingly racist. The people who wanted to cut the n-word from Huckleberry Finn should all get together and have let's-set-Gone-With-The-Wind-on-fire parties. Man, if they applied their efforts to Gone With The Wind they could probably cut the book short by about a hundred pages.

I should say I like Scarlett as a...more Copied over from my blog:

I'd known this was racist in a vague sort of way, not remembering much about the book or movie except bosoms and swooning, but wow, I didn't know it was that mindblowingly racist. The people who wanted to cut the n-word from Huckleberry Finn should all get together and have let's-set-Gone-With-The-Wind-on-fire parties. Man, if they applied their efforts to Gone With The Wind they could probably cut the book short by about a hundred pages.

I should say I like Scarlett as a character and found all the romance and striving bits interesting in themselves, but the book is sick through and through. It was very much worth reading. It's a bracing reminder of the wariness one should have of any nostalgia for false Arcadias.

Highlights include:
- Former slaveholders reproving Scarlett for hiring leased convicts to work on her mills. When Scarlett points out they were happy to use slave labour, they respond that their slaves weren't miserable! Narrative agrees! It's like satire, but it's not meant to be!
- In hunger and trepidation near the end of the war, Scarlett vows to herself that one day there'll be food on the table, her clothes will all be of silk, and black hands instead of white hands will pick the cotton on her plantation.
- Scarlett's lowest point is when she collapses in a slave garden and -- urgh, this part is too gross for me to even write it out. Urgh, I feel gross just remembering the line.
- Noble gentlemen whose lives have been uprooted and world turned upside down are forced in the nobility of their hearts and the staunchness of their pride to start a little club called the Ku Klux Klan. But they were forced to it! They had the best intentions!
- Ludicrous scene where Yankees are shown to be super racist against the black people they purported to want to free from slavery, whereas Southerners are good because they love their slaves and treat them like children as they should be treated.

Reading this was like being transported to an alternate universe where up was down, red was green, sweet was bitter and racist shit was not racist shit but a ~beautiful ideal~. I actually started worrying towards the end that I was going to come out of the book a more racist person.

After finishing it I felt a violent urge to read nonfiction, so I'm now reading bell hooks' Where We Stand: Class Matters and the Andayas' History of Malaysia. The stuff on alluvial deposits is particularly comforting.

One star for Scarlett and for the un-put-downable quality of the writing (it's throw-at-the-wallable, but I was never bored -- just furious). I'd give an extra star for her dynamic with Melanie which I kind of love (but what does it say when Scarlett comes off as LESS racist than Melanie because she buys into the poisonous ideals of the Confederacy less?), but I gotta do something to pull down this four star average.(less)

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Mar 10, 2012 Loederkoningin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, classics, all-nighters, rad-badass-heroines-or-heroes, pampers-the-emo-within, lingers-in-the-mind, wow-re-read-material, a-tragedy-unfolding, haunted-heroines, the-great-k-and-k-shelf, blazing-intensity, cult-of-domesticity, about-obsession, bittersweet-self-destruction, life-s-longings, historical-romance, historical-fiction, war-and-military

I tossed and turned but couldn't sleep, having just finished Gone with the Wind somewhere after midnight. I tried Scarlett's famous line "I'll think of it tomorrow", but eventually got out of bed, pushed open a window to let the cool, crisp air in and stared out over the city in the distance. I had no idea that this book - which I reluctantly took with me in public because people would either brightly state that I was "reading a big book" or innocently ask if it was anything like Danielle Steel...more I tossed and turned but couldn't sleep, having just finished Gone with the Wind somewhere after midnight. I tried Scarlett's famous line "I'll think of it tomorrow", but eventually got out of bed, pushed open a window to let the cool, crisp air in and stared out over the city in the distance. I had no idea that this book - which I reluctantly took with me in public because people would either brightly state that I was "reading a big book" or innocently ask if it was anything like Danielle Steel (darn that cover!) - would appeal so to my romantic heart. And would leave me sleepless and depressed, for I unconsciously feared but never fully expected it to spiral down into destruction and despair.

To think that the Margaret Mitchell Foundation would approve of a - according to reviewers rather trashy - sequel like Scarlett, immensely popular because it ultimately brings (I suppose this still is a spoiler to some) (view spoiler)

Spunky Scarlett made me smirk and laugh so many times. She's fiercely independent and interestingly flawed. I can't believe people actually write this book off because she isn't one of those sympathetic heroines. Yes, she's utterly selfish, lacks empathy and is incapable of retrospection or analysis. But intentionally mean she is not. And I would not dare call her stupid either, as some reviewers did. When you manage to bounce back and run a business after your entire world has gone up in flames, you're simply not stupid.
Can you tell I am quite fond of her? This made her path of destruction all the more tragic. Despite her turbulent life, she never quite developed her personality or became a "better person". For a while, I wondered if this should frustrate me, but then realized how morally blasé it would be to have her "pay" for her wickedness in the end. And how toe-curling to have Rhett's love turn her into an understanding wife and mother. Yegh.

While Mitchell herself seems to have had a love and hate affair with her beloved South - she never quite fit in either - in Gone with the Wind she paints the image of an idealized mythical South nonetheless. As much as I enjoyed the romantic gloss, I never bought into her Utopia. Girls like Scarlett may have slumbered sweetly for a while, loving their ruffling dresses, beau's and barbecues. But I can only feel sorry for the Belle's - smothered in a corset of chastity - who had to downplay their intelligence to not outshine their oh so chivalrous protective men. The cracks the Civil War caused in the sheltered society of rich planters, must ironically enough have freed women like Scarlett and provided them with new perspectives.

Not to mention those "carelessly laughing slaves plucking cotton"! (ough!) I decided to stay away from the everlasting racism debate, Gone with the Wind keeps fuelling. Everything has been said before. I do wish there was a version available in which the slaves' accents are less "prominent". Maybe it's because I'm Dutch, but I didn't figure out what "gempmum" meant until page 700-something.

Oh, having finished compelling books of biblical proportions is always so unfortunate: terrible withdrawals! Luckily there's still the - equally epic - movie, insightful books and tons of interesting articles on the Internet. (less)

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Dec 06, 2007 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

At one time in my teens I called this my favorite book. I hadn't read it in a long time, and rereading it was more satisfying than I thought it would be. Scarlett is such an amazing character; how she can be so infuriating and so sympathetic at the same time, as a reader I hate her and love her both. Margaret Mitchell's lengthy passages about the war and the South become tiresome, but it is very striking to me that although she takes up the South's cause, she doesn't drone on about property righ...more

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May 28, 2009 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read

In 6th grade Gone with the Wind was playing 2 nights on TBS. My mom was recording it and on the 1st night I thought 'what a waste' and refused to watch it. The 2nd night I got caught up in the story and walked the library the next day and checked the book out.

I couldn't even wait to get home to start reading! I sat down at the table and read the first sentence, over and over. "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful." Ok, it's not even the entire first sentence, but I couldn't get past that statement....more

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Jun 08, 2007 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE!!!

this is the greatest book ever written. or to be written. i read it for the first time when i was 11 years old. there are over 1000 pages and it took me 7 days. it changed my life! i am a complete romantic and a total history buff. both of my loves were tapped in this novel to end all novels. the characters are rich and lively, the descriptions are colorful and flourishing without taking away from the actual storyline. the complexities of the characters are amusing, frustrating and heartbreaking...more

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Jan 07, 2010 Lobstergirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Strobe Talbott

Shelves: own, read-more-than-once, fiction

This is just a rollicking good yarn, no two ways about it. It will make you chortle like a drunken buffoon, and sob like a forlorn sissy. And sob you will, even though you read it long ago (before you developed emotions, apparently) and have seen the movie multiple times. It is that grievous. (See how I'm using the second person to distance myself a little from forlorn sissies?) You were just looking for a little escapism, and here you find yourself reading something on a par with King Lear, or...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Brad by: Chris Simkulet

Shelves: classic, lost-reviews

This review was written in the late nineties (for my eyes only), and it was buried in amongst my things until recently when I uncovered the journal in which it was written. I have transcribed it verbatim from all those years ago (although square brackets may indicate some additional information for the sake of readability or some sort of commentary from now). This is one of my lost reviews.

Only one other time can I remember being so moved by the death of a character as I was by the death of Mell...more

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May 08, 2008 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: southern gals, or anyone that has gumption

Shelves: books-i-will-continue-to-re-read

This book is probably on every southern gal's reading list, so I naturally had to check it out. I bought a copy of Gone with the Wind in February, and I didn't get to really read it until mid-April, and a few days ago I finished it! *Has been talking like Scarlett O'Hara all week* So that was about 950+ pages, in 3 weeks, I guess. *Which isn't THAT outstanding, I guess, but still* Since I'm a southerner, of course I'm going to like this book, and I think it's a worthwhile read. It IS long, but o...more This book is probably on every southern gal's reading list, so I naturally had to check it out. I bought a copy of Gone with the Wind in February, and I didn't get to really read it until mid-April, and a few days ago I finished it! *Has been talking like Scarlett O'Hara all week* So that was about 950+ pages, in 3 weeks, I guess. *Which isn't THAT outstanding, I guess, but still* Since I'm a southerner, of course I'm going to like this book, and I think it's a worthwhile read. It IS long, but once you're done reading it, that doesn't even matter anymore. There were some parts that I didn't like as much, or were a bit boring, but most of the time it was fast paced. (And plus, you forget all the boring parts of books once you're done with them, pretty much.) I'm actually surprised at how will the movie captured the essence of the novel. (Vivien Leigh was REALLY outstanding as Scarlett!) But I'd have to say that I enjoyed the book just as much as the movie!

I like what Margaret Mitchell said about Gone With the Wind -
"If the novel has a theme, it is about survival. What makes some people come through catastrophes, and others apparently just as able, strong and brave go under? It happens in every upheaval. Some people survive; others don't. What qualities are in those that fight their way through triumphantly that are lacking in those that go under? I only know that survivors used to call that quality 'gumption'. So I wrote about people who had gumption, and people that didn't." - Margaret Mitchell

I was pretty amazed at how Margaret Mitchell sculpted her characters, and how they changed so much by the end of the book.

(It almost makes you wonder if there really WAS a Scarlett O'Hara...) I mean, it is so believable - that's what makes this such a powerful novel.

Gone with the Wind is different than any other Civil War, ahem, or "War Between the States" book, because it shows you around the southern lifestyle, and the aftermath of the "Cause" and how it crumbled, as well as affected all the southern states.

Overall, I really liked it, and when I came to the last few pages, I was actually pretty SAD. Not only because of the way it ended, but because I was finishing reading it, and there was something about that whole period of time while reading this novel that was so pleasant.

The characters all have their flaws and weaknesses, you can't help but have something in common with a few of them.

...I still think that there are lots of things about the South that is just so misunderstood. People don't take the time to figure out for themselves.

Normally I'm real critical about how many "stars" I give to things...But, overall, I'll give it: 5 stars, the 5th for my southern pride.(less)

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