Gone with the Wind
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Anyone read this book? I want your opinion.
message 51:
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Jayne
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rated it 5 stars
Dec 06, 2012 08:51AM
I have read and re-read this book 7-8 times from age 11 to age 63. As I've read it throughout the years I discover more about the intricacies of the characters and their motives each time. I am a Southerner so the book first spoke to me about the civil war in Northern Georgia. Nannette, above, labeled Ashley as sad and weak. However, I see him as a dreamer in the world to which he was born, raised to be a scholarly gentleman who enjoyed higher thinking and philosophy, among other things. Scarlett, who thought like her father, an upstart Irishman, never knew Ashley well enough to call what she felt for him love. Enough said. Read the book. Also read "Rhett Butler's People" to understand the Butler persona.
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This is my favourite book of all time! I've introduced it to a couple of my friends and they've all loved it, regardless of their preferred literary genres. This is a book that has something for everyone. Highly recommend it!
Yes, I have read it. There is much more in the book then in the movie. I really enjoyed the book much more.
It came out in the 1930's, I read it sometime in the 1940's. It is certainly not accurate in it's depiction of the South and its people, but it is an interesting novel. As long as you understand that, it is very well worth reading. I saw the movie in the early 1940's and it was black and white, except for the scenes depicting the burning of Atlanta.
This was my 1st "grown-up" book, as well. I read it in 5th grade and it's always stuch w/ me. Got me stuck on historical fiction.
So much of Margaret Mitchell's relationships with particular women in her family are depicted in GWTW. Also of interest is the depiction of Irish ethnicity and the influence of Catholicism on Scarlett's upbringing and behavior. Many read this book for the love story, but there is much more going on in this text. If you are interested in Irish history, ethnic studies, or religious studies, I would recommend this read.
Tracey wrote: "Yes, I've read it about 8 times. I loved it that much. I could not get it out of my head. So much so that I wrote a fan fiction sequel, never to be published of course because of copyright infri..."Copyright can be overcome with permissions. Publish!
I read this book over 30 times so far; the first time when I was 13. I'm glad I read the book first - the movie was disappointing with everything that was missing or changed. We also had to read it in my tenth grade English class. Every time I read it, I come across something I missed in the previous readings.
This book is a must read. It held me captive though out the whole story.
This is definitely a wonderful book, insightful, moving turbulent, showing the ravages and upheaval of social change and civil war, mirrored in the life of the heroine. My parents bought me this book when I was young (can't remember how old I was. . .)and I couldn't put it down. It's not a book you can ever forget.
I read this book the first time when I was 16 and it took me only 1 and 1/2 days to read it. Loved it then and love it now.
I read this book in 8th grade. It has been my favorite book since! I've read it a couple times since and I still love it. Rhett is sooo dreamy! In the book AND the movie if you ask me! I love the struggles that Scarlett goes through, I love the fact that the war changes everything around her. Its just greaet all over. The movie was pretty awesome too. :)
Best book I ever read. I loved the book and the movie. Scarlett is so entertaining as she schemes and manipulates people. The history is awesome too.
"Heaven help the yankees if they should capture you!"Apparently this line has been changed and edited minorly over the years...
But it is still one of the best lines in the book.
LOVED IT!!!!
If you read the book, you'll understand why Scarlett acts the way she does. You may not LIKE how she acts, but you'll understand why. In the movie she merely comes off as the 1800's version of a Valley Girl as depicted in Clueless: spoiled and self-centered, without any explanation as to why.The sequel was pretty bad, though.
Maryamk514 wrote: "I'm aware that there's a movie called "Gone with the wind". But I've been told that the book is way more amazing than the movie. If you read this book, please give me your opinion."It's a five-star classic! Nearly everyone of a certain age has read it and loved it.
I think Gone With the Wind is one of the few instances where the movie is superior to the book. I read the book and then saw the movie and I preferred the movie version, although it is still worth a read.
I love this book for it is so realistic.It reminds me of the fact that sometimes there are things that we wish for them or that special someone whom we think that we cannot live without them,but finally we cannot stay with them because of a stupid accident or something extraordinarily happens that turns everything upside down; just like wars and diseases or simply a misunderstanding occurs between the two..I think this novel created a perfect image of the things "Gone with the wind".
I read GWTW at least 3 times, and I have seen the movie. The book is just one of those classics that become a fixture in one's library. Hope you enjoy it!
This is a get away from me, i can't put it down, i don't want anything to do with anyone 'til i finish kind of book!!
it's one of my favorite books of all time.
I saw the film first, then a few years later I read the book. One of those books I just couldn't put down and it was well over a week before I could begin a new book. I was taken over by the characters and the story.
Tracey wrote: "Yes, I've read it about 8 times. I loved it that much. I could not get it out of my head. So much so that I wrote a fan fiction sequel, never to be published of course because of copyright infri..."People publish fan fiction novels all the time. There's a published novel called Scarlett, another one called The Wind Done Gone: A Novel and another one called Rhett Butler's People. If those writers can do it, you can too.
I couldn't put it down either. Yes, the racism is nauseating, but you have to put up with that in a lot of great American books. From Here to Eternity has at least half a page of Prewitt (a white Southerner) being morally outraged at the suggestion that he'd marry a Japanese-American woman and have biracial children, to name one example - but it's still a great book. Yes, Scarlett is an intelligent woman who purposely dumbed herself down to attract boys, but you've got to admire her determination from "As God is my witness, I will never be hungry again" onward.
This is my all-time favorite books! Every once in awhile I re-read this! Saw the movie first when I was about 11 or so, and then read the book. Well-written, characters well drawn. Don't think it matters if you read the book first or see the movie. It is also my all-time favorite movies....faithful to the book. Scarlet is a strong woman who of course, makes mistakes (don't we all?)...admirable in spite of it all. Rhett makes my knees weak...Ashley is a wimp!
I'd read this book, and it took me almost a month (I'm not a slow reader but I was busy with school and stuff) I really enjoyed reading the book, but when I came to end I was really disappointed, not that the book isn't amazing. It's AWESOME! But you see, they don't end up together in the end and that SUCKED! I really wished there had been a sequel but of course that can't be seeing it's writer died long time back
Maryamk514 wrote: "I'm aware that there's a movie called "Gone with the wind". But I've been told that the book is way more amazing than the movie. If you read this book, please give me your opinion."I imagine you must be quite young there Mary! I read this when I was about your age (which is about 40 yrs ago!!!) and enjoyed it very much. I wonder what I would think of it now!! Give it a go I am sure you will love it just as I did!
Must read. Especially if you come from the South. Took me many attempts to get past the first few pages, but once I got a few pages in I was OK. Would suggest seeing the movie first, if you haven't already, but that's just me. I usually want to read first and watch later. But I saw the movie long before I ever read it. So I kind of knew the story somewhat anyway, but the book is so much more detailed. And it is a significant work of American fiction and a historical artifact on its own, and the film is major American cinema.
One of the best books ever.
Gone with the Wind totally captivated me when I read it at 13 years of age. I was a very active, antsy teenager who rarely could sit still to read. However, this book changed all of that. I was totally engrossed. The plot line , the tension in Scarlett and Rhett's relationship, the romantic way of life in the Old South when you were a plantation owner's family, not a slave....... Read it and you will truly be captivated by the characters and the action.
Maryamk514 wrote: "I'm aware that there's a movie called "Gone with the wind". But I've been told that the book is way more amazing than the movie. If you read this book, please give me your opinion."This book is marketed as a romance story thanks to the movie but it is about survival and understanding who you are. It is well-written and a great story. I've read it about 10 times.
I can't resist posting, if for no other reason than I'm swimming against the tide. I HATED this book. When I finished it, I threw it across the room, where it sat for two weeks until I could stand to pick it up and put it back on the shelf (it belonged to my mother, an avid reader). I thought Scarlett was idiotic and self-absorbed, I thought Rhett was a moron for hanging around, and everyone else just seemed like cardboard characters by comparison. The only thing I liked - and this is more looking back on it than at the time - was the insight into the time period. For those of us who grew up 100+ years later, it can be an eye-opener. I confess that I hated the book so much I've never seen the movie, even though I like Vivien Leigh as an actress.
I loved the book and I loved the movie. Scarlett is an amazing character and Rhett is her equal. Margaret Mitchell wrote an amazing story. :)
I always loved the Georgia Trend cover from the late 1980's with Scarlett O'Hara (Vivian Leigh) as Georgia's Toughest Business Woman. The owner of the magazine at the time told me that was one of his favorites too!
I read it as a junior high student and adored it. I read it later as a teacher of history and literature...not so much. I know it is a love story, and it will always be immortal. I don't admire those who survive the way Rhett and Scarlet did, and that's probably why the romance no longer worked for me as a grown-up. But now I have a daughter who is sixteen; she adores the book AND the movie and has both in her room. We can't talk about the political perspective or the race issue. She loves it. Period.
I`ve read this book 4 times.Normally, I am a non-fiction reader but my mother wanted me to try it when I was a teen.It was and still is the best "written " book i have ever read. The character is what makes this book and If there are racial issues it is because it was very detailed concerning that era. I will have to say it is sad Margaret Mitchell was unable to write a sequal as she was in my oppinion one of the best writers I have had the pleasure to read which had me captivated all through the book. The movie cannot hit upon all the drama etc.. or it would have been longest movies ever watched.
The Audible version, with narration by Linda Stephens is fantastic. It's long....50+ hours, but SO worth it...especially if you have a long commute.
I try to read it every year, and then watch the move for the umpteenth time. It has always been my favorite book and favorite movie, with my favorite actor, Clark Gable. Although considered racist by some, it was deeply researched and the characters are historically accurate. I love every one of them! Forever! Great book! Read it, you'll never be sorry. It doesn't drag if you are immersed in the characters and the descriptive prose. I never thought it did. The movie leaves out some characters and adapted the storyline to cover it. But, it's still a great movie.
You've received a lot of comments about one of the finest books yet written. I loved this book from the first page until the last. I didn't want it to end. So many emotions were stirred within me. Don't we all want this to happen while reading a book?Mitchell provided history that I never learned in school, and for that I'm grateful. This made me further realize that history as taught is so slanted, biased and questionable.
Scarlett and Brett are, and will continue to be, two all time favorites in fiction, and I read a lot. They were both such scoundrels! Love them and could easily visualize them from MM's beautiful character development.
Hope you've read this by now and genuinely enjoyed the read. ;o))
What are you going to read next? hah The question that I asked the women in our local book store was "what do I read after Gone With the Wind?" They came up with a good one. If you're interested, let me know.
maryAnn wrote: "You've received a lot of comments about one of the finest books yet written. I loved this book from the first page until the last. I didn't want it to end. So many emotions were stirred within me...."I am interested even though I am not the person who asked for the opinion. Always excited to get a name of a good book. Thanks!
I absolutely love this book. I will say that it did take me a solid 100 pages to really get into it, though. One of the best books I've ever read.
The first "adult" book I ever read...."Tomorrow's another day," the last line (or something like that), has inspired me my whole life. Thank you, Scarlett.
I read it a couple of years ago because I had always heard it was so good. I honestly didn't like it when I was done. Maybe it was the mood I was in when I read it. It left me aggravated at the ending.
Has anyone read, Rhett Butler's People?I found it in a bargain book bin.... what intrigued me was that is is being promoted on the cover as " the authorized novel based on MM's GWTW."
I read Scarlett but ended up abandoning it.It should have never been advertised as the "sequel." Of course, any author trying to write a sequel would have been difficult.
Yes I read it several times. I loved the book and the movie also. Read the sequels Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley and Rhett Butler's people by Donald McCaig. I did not like Alexandra Ripley's version completely. Took their lives in directions that Margaret Mitchell would not have taken their lives. I did enjoy Rhett Butler's people version. You know more about Mr Butler's mysterious life before Scarlett.
I loved the book so much more than the movie, but then I usually do. That particular period in history is very intriquing to me because my paternal grandmother was actually raised on her family's plantation in Georgia. Come to think of it, my Grandmother was a little like Scarlett O'Hara. We could never call her Grandmother, but had to call her 'Miss Jewel' instead. Being the incurable romantic that I am, I believe that if Margaret Mitchell had written a, Scarlett and Rhett would be together forever! Loved, Loved, Loved the book! Wish I could write like that!
"Gone With the Wind" was one of my favorite novels . I loved the main character ( Scarlett )so much that she was different .Scarlett O'Hara was a complicated character on many levels .She was one of the strongest female characters ever created,she brought forth in a time when women had few strong role models to look up to in fiction or otherwise. She broke every rule as a pampered southern belle, she lost in the romance of the antebellum south, where she realized that she has just lost the only man she ever truly loved. Yet she fought on,( promising herself that tomorrow is another day), she was a true heroine.
Yes, I've read the book so many times, it's worn out. It's one of the best books ever written (in my opinion) I also have Scarlett by Margaret Mitchell. It's good but not quite as good as GONE WITH THE WIND.I've seen the movie several times. Just can't say enough good things about the movie and the book. If you haven't read it, do so.
One of the best books I have ever read. Lengthy, but SO worth it!
it's a really good book.i have read it several times.go for it.
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