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Gone with the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

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Aug 11, 2011 Richard rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, something-borrowed, romance-m-f, by-women, america, southern-literature

This is basically a romance novel, which is not my most favourite genre. That being said, it's probably one of the best romance novels around. It's also good historical fiction and worth reading for its vividly recreated panoramic view of the American South before, during and after the Civil War.

The main characters are not always likeable, especially Scarlett O'Hara who is at times very hateable indeed. Because she was spoiled as a child, she has grown up thinking of all men as potential prey an This is basically a romance novel, which is not my most favourite genre. That being said, it's probably one of the best romance novels around. It's also good historical fiction and worth reading for its vividly recreated panoramic view of the American South before, during and after the Civil War.

The main characters are not always likeable, especially Scarlett O'Hara who is at times very hateable indeed. Because she was spoiled as a child, she has grown up thinking of all men as potential prey and all women as potential competition. However, she is strong-willed, which helps her to survive. Her only truly redeeming qualities, in my opinion, are that she loves her parents and she is genuinely kind to the slaves. And she is a good match for Rhett Butler, at least some of the time. Somehow, because of her sheer spunk, I started to feel an interest in what happened to her in spite of her faults.

Rhett, a self-proclaimed scoundrel, is a rather likeable rogue. His curse or tragedy is that he can charm all women except the one he truly loves--Scarlett. But one has to admire him, because he's one of the few who see Scarlett for what she really is, scheming and manipulative.

The minor characters are well done also. I especially liked Mammy and Belle Watling, the "hooker with a golden heart." Perhaps it was because these two are also able to see the truth about the leading couple. Ashley Wilkes, the man with whom Scarlett is hopelessly besotted, is in the end a disappointment, but in a way it's hard to blame him for this. Depending on how far the reader adopts Scarlett's point of view, one can feel a certain contempt for his wife Melanie, but even she has some surprises up her sleeve.

The novel has had quite an effect on popular culture. It was adapted as a film which is a classic in its own right. And of course there is the famous quote, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" (often misquoted as "Frankly, Scarlett..."). There is a hilarious spoof, "Went with the Wind!" produced by the comedy team of Carol Burnett. And there are a number of sequels, one of which, Scarlett, spawned its own miniseries. There is even a Gone with the Wind Museum. ...more

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