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Gone with the Wind
by
Scarlett O'Hara, the beautiful, spoiled daughter of a well-to-do Georgia plantation owner, must use every means at her disposal to claw her way out of the poverty she finds herself in after Sherman's March to the Sea.
...more
Mass Market Paperback, 1037 pages
Published
April 1st 1999
by Warner Books
(first published June 30th 1936)
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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
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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
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Mar 28, 2018
Matthew
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Historical fiction and classics fans
Another epic story complete! This was a very good one!
I have read a few huge books in my life. Some are a struggle to get through and others are so captivating they read easier than a 300 page novel. Gone With The Wind falls in the "captivating" category. At no point was I bored with the story or wondering if it was ever going to end. I was fully invested every step of the way - invested to the point that my wife was amused that I spent a lot of time talking back to the book or exclaiming when s ...more
I have read a few huge books in my life. Some are a struggle to get through and others are so captivating they read easier than a 300 page novel. Gone With The Wind falls in the "captivating" category. At no point was I bored with the story or wondering if it was ever going to end. I was fully invested every step of the way - invested to the point that my wife was amused that I spent a lot of time talking back to the book or exclaiming when s ...more

Margaret Mitchell was a racist and in 1936, 70 years after the Civil War, she whined for a thousand pages about how much she missed slavery. If you'd like to hear why slavery was terrific and black people are inferior to whites and they liked being slaves, here is your epic. If that sounds unpleasant, you're not going to like Gone With the Wind.
A non-racist book can have racist characters, and all the characters in this book are racist. Is the book itself necessarily racist? Yes. It has an omnis ...more
A non-racist book can have racist characters, and all the characters in this book are racist. Is the book itself necessarily racist? Yes. It has an omnis ...more

I’ve said it some time ago: GWTW the novel is like watching the ten hour director’s cut of GWTW the movie! Hell yeah! All the memorable scenes are there, & the spotlit romance is considerably widened in scope, as is the sturdy social studies lesson on the almighty American Civil War. I mean, everyone has the basic idea correct: the South took a tremendous thrashing. But having the loser’s POV take the forefront, even to the extent of exalting the KKK-- this, more than Scarlett O’Hara’s infamous
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One of my reading themes for 2016 is reading at least ten classic books. It seems only fitting that on the Fourth of July I completed Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, an epic masterpiece that many view as the definitive great American novel.
I feel that the two halves of the book mirror the southern United States before and after the Civil War. The first half of the book occurs primarily at Tara Plantation. We meet our main protagonist Scarlett O'Hara, the belle of the south, who epitomiz ...more
I feel that the two halves of the book mirror the southern United States before and after the Civil War. The first half of the book occurs primarily at Tara Plantation. We meet our main protagonist Scarlett O'Hara, the belle of the south, who epitomiz ...more

Aug 04, 2008
Emily
rated it
did not like it
Recommends it for:
No one.
Recommended to Emily by:
"It's a classic!"
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 my 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 sissie ...more
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 sissie ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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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

Gone with the Wind is a masterpiece of creative writing on every level. In its 1400 pages (or 49 hours on audio) there is not a single wasted line or insignificant moment. From a purely technical perspective, it is awe-inducing how flawlessly Mitchell utilizes characterization, setting, research, conflict, point of view, narrative voice, symbolism, foreshadowing, allusion, and every other literary device in the handbook. Even more amazing, she can juggle all this and deliver a plot that is relen
...more

(619 From 1001 Books) - Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Gone with the Wind is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. Written from the perspective of the slaveholder, Gone with the Wind is Southern plantation fiction.
Its portrayal of slavery and African Americans has been considered controversial, especially by succeeding generations, as well ...more
Gone with the Wind is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. Written from the perspective of the slaveholder, Gone with the Wind is Southern plantation fiction.
Its portrayal of slavery and African Americans has been considered controversial, especially by succeeding generations, as well ...more

There's an episode of The Simpsons where Apu, the Indian owner of the Kwik-E-Mart, takes the American citizenship test. Apu, who throughout the episode has demonstrated a much stronger grasp of American history than any of the American-born characters, is at the oral exam stage of the test. His examiner, a bored white guy, is asking the questions, and the following exchange occurs:
"BORED WHITE GUY: Okay, last question - what was the cause of the Civil War?
APU: Actually, there were numerous caus ...more
"BORED WHITE GUY: Okay, last question - what was the cause of the Civil War?
APU: Actually, there were numerous caus ...more

Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Gone with the Wind is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War.
The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. Written from the perspective of the slaveholder, Gone with the Wind is Southern plantation fiction. Its portrayal of slavery and African Americans has been ...more
Gone with the Wind is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War.
The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. Written from the perspective of the slaveholder, Gone with the Wind is Southern plantation fiction. Its portrayal of slavery and African Americans has been ...more

6/29/16 UPDATE: I have since watched the movie and although I really liked the movie, it doesn't hold a candle to the book. But you can imagine that a book this size can't be put into one movie sitting. And where the book made me cry a lot, the movie didn't.
I spent over 12 hours today finishing this book. 1037 pages! 1. Because I wanted to know what was going to happen! 2. I have no sort of life so I can do this from time to time.

I can not believe it took me so long to read this book! I didn't t ...more
I spent over 12 hours today finishing this book. 1037 pages! 1. Because I wanted to know what was going to happen! 2. I have no sort of life so I can do this from time to time.

I can not believe it took me so long to read this book! I didn't t ...more

“Lying in the pitiless sun, shoulder to shoulder, head to feet, were hundreds of wounded men, lining the tracks, the sidewalks, stretched out in endless rows under the hot sun, moaning. Everywhere, swarms of flies hovered over the men, crawling and buzzing in their faces, everywhere was blood, dirty bandages, groans, screamed curses of pain as stretcher bearers lifted men. The smell of sweat, of blood, of unwashed bodies, of excrement rose up in waves of blistering heat until the fetid stench al
...more

After 30 years, I have finally read this American Classic. Our family has stories about this book. My mom's mother read this story when it came out. My family inherited an outdoor glider from my great-grandmother who lived in Newport News Virginia and my grandmother sat on that glider couch one summer and read this book. I've heard this story most of my life. I have a dear cousin who claimed this story her favorite book from her teens till after college and I'm not sure about now. She must have
...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 mathamat ...more
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

“God’s nightgown!”* How can I ever review the behemoth that is Gone With The Wind? Rather than write a traditional review, I’ve decided to organize my thoughts into separate sections.
*One of the many quaint and highly amusing Southernisms used in the book
WHY READ THIS 1,037-PAGE BOOK IN THE FIRST PLACE?
I’d seen the film several times, and had always wanted to read the novel, if only to compare the two. Also: it won the Pulitzer Prize – so it had to have literary merit, right? And many people wh ...more
*One of the many quaint and highly amusing Southernisms used in the book
WHY READ THIS 1,037-PAGE BOOK IN THE FIRST PLACE?
I’d seen the film several times, and had always wanted to read the novel, if only to compare the two. Also: it won the Pulitzer Prize – so it had to have literary merit, right? And many people wh ...more

Review to come. So far this has been an engrossing read. I remember watching the movie an having mixed feelings about it, but the book has less of those moments when you are kind of exhorting the plot to stop plodding. It really puts into perspective how we are the products of our culture. This is definitely five-star material.
Finished the book finally. What a chunkster! What a story! The words kept coming, and I kept being riveted all the way. A slight complaint is that the main character Scarl ...more
Finished the book finally. What a chunkster! What a story! The words kept coming, and I kept being riveted all the way. A slight complaint is that the main character Scarl ...more

Just finished my most recent rereading of GWTW and fell in love with this book once again. Margaret Mitchell never fails to weave her magic no matter how many times I've read it.
GWTW is not just a romantic story involving Scarlett, Ashley and Rhett but also a well researched account of the civil war.
Since the victors always write the history concerning any war it's fascinating to learn about the other side of the story. ...more
GWTW is not just a romantic story involving Scarlett, Ashley and Rhett but also a well researched account of the civil war.
Since the victors always write the history concerning any war it's fascinating to learn about the other side of the story. ...more

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 set 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 rap ...more
Okay, nearly forty years since I first read it, the epic love story set 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 rap ...more

"But I could have been nicer to him"
"You could have been - if you'd been somebody else"
Well, that about sums it up.
I am sorry to say this, I do not mean to sound cruel, I understand their considerable stress, but most of the main characters in this book were just plain stupid. Some might not be overtly so but they were in terrible need of serious self-awareness, at any rate.
I can't phantom how this was called a love story.. (view spoiler) ...more

“Perhaps - I want the old days back again and they'll never come back, and I am haunted by the memory of them and of the world falling about my ears. ”
The civil war. A beautiful woman at the height of selfishness. The love and death of home and land. Society wound up so tight an improper wink could undo you. Destruction, tragedy, political corruption, truth, lies, life, death, love, loss, big changes, new beginnings, intermingled with never ending cycles. All of this helps make Gone with the wi ...more
The civil war. A beautiful woman at the height of selfishness. The love and death of home and land. Society wound up so tight an improper wink could undo you. Destruction, tragedy, political corruption, truth, lies, life, death, love, loss, big changes, new beginnings, intermingled with never ending cycles. All of this helps make Gone with the wi ...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 ...more
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

This book. This book. Honestly, I would go as far to say that it is a masterpiece, in its scope, its characterisation, its history, and its story. Never have I been so enthralled in such a long book, to the point where I was never bored and constantly wishing I was reading it when I wasn't able to (damn you work *shakes fist*). And never have I read a near-1000 page novel in such a short space of time!
For those of you who haven't seen the film, Gone With the Wind is a sweeping Civil War-era dra ...more
For those of you who haven't seen the film, Gone With the Wind is a sweeping Civil War-era dra ...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 carefre ...more
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

As readers, we have the wonderful advantage of perspective. We can empathise with characters because we know how they think and feel and we're touched by it. My dad is a cinephile and despite never having read the book, has seen Gone with the Wind multiple times. Based on this, he views Scarlett as selfish and spoilt, when she's actually so much more than that. I enjoyed the film very much, but I wish adaptations wouldn't have to downplay characters so. Despite all of this, I love movie-Scarlett
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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If the sequel to the book would have been written, do you think Rhett and Scarlett would have gotten together eventually? | 283 | 2889 | Dec 31, 2020 11:23PM | |
Did Rhett love Scarlett as his equal? | 8 | 362 | Dec 11, 2020 07:25AM | |
Rhett Butler secret son?? | 79 | 1303 | Nov 23, 2020 12:31AM |
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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. An American film adaptation, released i ...more
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. An American film adaptation, released i ...more
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