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17th out of 65 books
—
3 voters
Lost Laysen
The world saw only one book by Margaret Mitchell published in her lifetime, the incomparable Gone With the Wind, the most popular novel in American history. Upon her death in 1949, her personal papers, almost all other writing, and even the original typescript of Gone With the Wind were destroyed. Now, sixty years later, the impossible has happened: The world has another s...more
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
May 6th 1997
by Scribner
(first published June 1996)
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This ain't gone with the wind. However, there are some very interesting parallels, and overall reading this early work was kinda cool.
As a fan of GWTW, I was very excited to find another work by Margaret Mitchell, albeit one written in her adolescence. This story is very entertaining and especially well written for a 16 year old. A novella, Lost Laysen is a tale of ship explorations in east Asia. The main characters were based on her friends--the heroine's name actually being the same as Mitchell's best friend, Courtenay Ross. Mitchell writes from the perspective of a rough and tough seaman, and pulls off an uber macho voice v...more
Mar 26, 2008
Eyebright
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Older teens, and adults with discretion
Shelves:
2008-books
Lost Laysen is the only other known book by Margaret Mitchell. This copy actually is mostly about Margaret's relationship with Henry Love Angel, one of her many suitors, and one she did NOT marry. The biography part of the book was very annoying. Margaret was, personally, not a person I would want to be friends with, and then, she didn't even marry Henry Angel in the end, she married two other guys (Not at the same time, mind!) and then she died. The really sad thing was that Henry stayed faithf...more
Is it sad that what I enjoyed most about this was the intro and footnotes? That I wanted to know more about Margaret Mitchell than I wanted to read the short story she wrote when she was sixteen? I found her history fascinating and am very tempted to go hunt down a biography about her to learn more about the missing bits and relationships only hinted at in this.
As for the story itself? Well, it was good but much like I would expect from most talented 16 year old authors. Not as exceptional as i...more
As for the story itself? Well, it was good but much like I would expect from most talented 16 year old authors. Not as exceptional as i...more
Basically, I am giving 5 stars to the memory of Margaret Mitchell, not so much this novella. This is the literary equivalent of marshmallow whip, but it was so fun to compare this with Gone With the Wind. The biographical info and photos that take up almost half of this book's pages make it all the more worth it.
Mar 03, 2013
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
autobiography-biography,
fiction
Not too long ago the world had thought that Margaret Mitchell had only 1 story to tell. With the discovery of Henry Love Angel's cache of her letters, pictures and two notebooks we have been given insight into a period of Margaret's life that would shape her future. This book is a collection of those very items.
The letters and pictures have provided us an insight into "Peg's" style, attitude, candor, and writing. The notebooks ended up being a delightful little story called "Lost Laysen" which a...more
The letters and pictures have provided us an insight into "Peg's" style, attitude, candor, and writing. The notebooks ended up being a delightful little story called "Lost Laysen" which a...more
Since GWTW is my very favorite fiction of ALL TIME, and I only recently heard about this book (MM's first book which she wrote at age 16....) I must just give it a go. The reviews are less than stellar but hell, she was 16. She probably had something going on:)
This is a collection of letters and dozens of photos of MM and her friend, Courtenay along with what appears to be her first beau, Henry Love Angel. These three were fabulous friends, educated, somewhat renegades and outsiders to Atlanta s...more
This is a collection of letters and dozens of photos of MM and her friend, Courtenay along with what appears to be her first beau, Henry Love Angel. These three were fabulous friends, educated, somewhat renegades and outsiders to Atlanta s...more
This long lost novella, which Mitchell had given to a sweetheart, came to light only in the 1990's. Mitchell was a teenager when she wrote it, and already she was beginning to display the skill with narrative and dialogue that would mesmerize millions of readers later in Gone With the Wind. It is in the plot of Lost Laysen, however, that we can clearly see Mitchell's immaturity as a writer. It is shallow and unsatisfying. But hey, everyone has to learn sometime, and it's fascinating to see her c...more
Published in 1996, this is a rare surviving manuscript of Margaret Mitchell's, which she gave to her friend Henry Love Angel. It was a quick read and quite entertaining.
such an amazing story how this book was even found. And for Margaret Mitchell fans, it's so fantastic to find another work by MM.
I was one of the first people I know to have to this book. Treasure it for the historical value.
Anything from Margaret Mitchell is of interest, so it was a pleasure to read this all those years ago.
I don't know what words to use to describe this story (or the intimate biographical portion at the beginning of the book) other than absolutely riveting, heart-wrenching, and amazing.
I took "Lost Laysen" out of the library this morning, tore through it in only a few hours, and plan to buy it so I can read it again and again. "Gone with the Wind" is my favorite book of all time, and I have felt such confusion and such a void as a reader at finding that there aren't any other books by Margaret Mit...more
I took "Lost Laysen" out of the library this morning, tore through it in only a few hours, and plan to buy it so I can read it again and again. "Gone with the Wind" is my favorite book of all time, and I have felt such confusion and such a void as a reader at finding that there aren't any other books by Margaret Mit...more
What I liked: the first half of this book, which is chockful of photographs and letters and biographical information about Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With the Wind. It focuses on her teenage years and shows her as a Scarlet -- flirtatious and flamboyant, and thoroughly enjoying the attention of numerous suitors. The story itself, written by Mitchell when she was only 15, is an overly dramatic romance that takes place in the South Pacific. Not great, but not bad considering her age whe...more
Jan 28, 2009
Nicole
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Margaret Mitchell/Gone with the Wind fans
This is an extremely fast read and it's incredibly interesting. The first half of the book is about Margaret Mitchell during her teenage years/early 20s and her relationship with one of her beaux, Henry Love Angel. When Mitchell died, her husband began the process of destroying all of her personal papers, including the original pages of "Gone with the Wind." It's interesting to note that her will DID NOT state to do this, but he said that it was what she had told him she wanted done. The photos,...more
Jan 01, 2012
Alicia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Gone with the Wind
Recommended to Alicia by:
GWTW Museum
I picked this up in Atlanta at the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum. This short story was just a 3-star story, but half of this book contained photos and love letters of Margaret Mitchell and her high school sweetheart, Henry. Henry's son found the letters and photos and brought them to a GWTW museum. I enjoyed learning a little more about the author of one of my favorite books (Gone with the Wind) and reading her only other published work.
Margaret Mitchell's photos, writings and letters were destroyed when she passed away in 1949. However, in the mid 90's, a previously undiscovered manuscript, letters and photos were turned in to The Tara Museum. "Lost Laysen" is a compilation of these previously undiscovered gems, including a story written by Margaret when she was 16 years old. It's supposed to parallel "Gone with the Wind" in some areas, but don't get too excited if you don't see many of those parallels.
I was somewhat disappointed to see the story was only half of this small book. The first half was a biography of Margaret Mitchell based on photos and letters found by an ex-beau's son. Although it was interesting to read, I wanted more "lost story". I did enjoy reading the actual story itself knowing it was something she had written, and that it had been lost to the outside world for years and years.
This book was supposedly a long lost novel given to her lover Henry Angel. After reading the letters she wrote to him, it was pretty obvious to me that they were just good longtime friends, not some secret passion. No wonder he never mentioned it to anyone. The novella was okay. It was obviously written by a 16 year old, and I'm sure she just gave it to Henry as a friend. I can see where the idea might have evolved into Gone With the Wind. ? Don't bother reading it unless you have some burning p...more
I have loved "Gone With the Wind" for years. It has always been thought that Margaret Mitchell only wrote one book before she was killed. Recently a manuscript to this book and some pictures of her and some friends were found. She wrote this book when she was 16 years old and given to a boyfriend who kept them even after she married someone else. It is a very short, quick read.
Il racconto è carino ma non eccelso, cosa comprensibile visto che deve averlo scritto da giovanissima.
Le tre stelline se le guadagna tutte l'introduzione dove si trovano una raccolta di lettere tra Peggy (Margareth Mitchell) ed un suo spasimante, alcune foto dei suoi mitici anni ruggenti e molti dettagli riguardanti la sua affascinante vita negli anni venti!
Merita davvero solo per questo.
Le tre stelline se le guadagna tutte l'introduzione dove si trovano una raccolta di lettere tra Peggy (Margareth Mitchell) ed un suo spasimante, alcune foto dei suoi mitici anni ruggenti e molti dettagli riguardanti la sua affascinante vita negli anni venti!
Merita davvero solo per questo.
For a fifteen year old, this is a well written story. I just feel bad knowing that she never intended for this to be a public book and that knowledge may have affected my enjoyment. It is an ok story with not much to it, but then again it may have been full of personal info intended only for her beau to understand.
This book makes me think that either Margaret Mitchell expended all of her writing talent on the magnificence of Gone With the Wind, or that perhaps she only had one really good book in her. This one is more of a straight period romance, with an ending that rivals Hamlet for dead characters.
Jul 06, 2009
Stacy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
other curious fans of Gone With The Wind
Lost Laysen is a short, but sweet story written by one of America's most beloved writers. Although I did enjoy reading Lost Laysen, I had to keep reminding myself not to compare it too much with her other writting. This is a very basic story told in a very basic style, written by Mitchell when she was a teenager.
Nice to read something else by Margaret Mitchell and read some of her letters and see pictures of her in her younger days. Sparks an interest to know more about this mysterious woman's "real" past. So sad her other writings were destroyed at her death--what a waste.
It's a bit disconcerting to read this book. It's about the south/asian
Pacific and if you think Gone with the Wind seems racist in today's context, this is even more so. It's a shorter book, an interesting read, but nothing like Gone with the Wind.
Pacific and if you think Gone with the Wind seems racist in today's context, this is even more so. It's a shorter book, an interesting read, but nothing like Gone with the Wind.
Amazing. If only Mitchell had published more of her writing! A lovely short story within her own story--this book is full of mystery and romance, a perfect little taste of her life and work to those of us who can't get enough of Gone with the Wind.
Excellent read, but one must keep in mind the politically-incorrect, southern language of the time and place in which Margaret Mitchell was growing up. Also, the biographical history as introduction was most interesting, as were the pictures.
I learned some history on Margaret Mitchell and really enjoyed it! I was waiting on GWTW at the library and saw this on the shelf and decided to give it a try. It was a quick read! I really liked the story!
Lost Laysen itself is the work of a fifteen-year-old, but a few instances in the novella and more from the biographical info included in the edition shed light on the development if GWTW's story.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, popularly known as Margaret Mitchell, was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel, Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 28 million copies. A...more
More about Margaret Mitchell...
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, popularly known as Margaret Mitchell, was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel, Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 28 million copies. A...more
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Mar 26, 2011 03:12pm