Gone with the Wind in The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

May 12, 2009 Arlene Allen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I read this when I was 15 and so caught up in this sweeping saga, I forgot I was supposed to hate Scarlet1 This set off a lifetime fascination with the Civil War.

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Jun 22, 2008 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books, wish-list

Set in the period 1861-1871, this magnificent classic portrays as never before, or since, the soul of a people mortally divided, living through the events of a cataclysmic era, that of the American Civil War. Although the war and its aftermath provide the sombre and epic backdrop to this novel, the story concerns the lives and loves of several unforgettable characters that are so real, we feel as if we know them- Melanie, Ashley, Mammy and, above all, Scarlett and Rhett, whose tempestuous love a Set in the period 1861-1871, this magnificent classic portrays as never before, or since, the soul of a people mortally divided, living through the events of a cataclysmic era, that of the American Civil War. Although the war and its aftermath provide the sombre and epic backdrop to this novel, the story concerns the lives and loves of several unforgettable characters that are so real, we feel as if we know them- Melanie, Ashley, Mammy and, above all, Scarlett and Rhett, whose tempestuous love affair is the greatest and most poignant in the history of fiction.

It begins with a strange friendship discovered in their common contempt for the senseless proprieties society expects them to observe. It is only after two loveless marriages, one entered into to spite the man she loved, and was rejected by, and the other to attain wealth, that Scarlett and Rhett get married. However, Scarlett continues to yearn for her first love, Ashley, who has married Melanie (a kind-hearted, soft, sweet and unsuspecting woman) and yet, once Melanie dies and Ashley is made available to her, she realises that her heart lies with Rhett, her husband, the man who had silently yearned for her love and, on realising how futile it was to love such a selfish woman, showered all of his love and attention on their little daughter. However, their daughter dies, and with her so does his love, causing the tables to turn and it is Scarlett who tries to win him back, promising to do so with her parting words at the end of the novel “Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.”

This is a classic novel which, when released in 1936, sold more than 28 million copies in more than 27 languages making it the biggest-selling book in the world after the Bible. It is a legend in its own right and any comment I make, may not do justice to such a moving and beautifully portrayed novel. The reading of this novel requires patience as it consists of 825 pages and it would be beneficial to keep a dictionary on hand as, during my reading of the novel, I came across many unusual words and yet, I would rate this a well-deserved 10/10.
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