It stunk

[Susan]

Alexandra Ripley cheated. She pared away a lot of the important secondary characters and moved the action to her home turf of Charleston, SC. I could do a better job.

[Kate Alexis]

An amazing sequel that does justice to the original. I can't wait to read it again!

[Deborah]

i felt like I was reading a soap opera

[Cindy]

If Scarlett were its own novel I probably would have gotten a kick out of it as a romance novel with a bizarre but interesting story line.
Unfortunately, Ripley tried to capitalize on one of the better novels written, ever. It certainly doesn't even begin to compare to Gone with the Wind.
None the less...I enjoyed it.

[Kathryn]

The original is my favorite book ever. This book was well written but read like she took the names for her book but failed to continue the actual characters' stories. Margaret Mitchell ended the story where is was supposed to end.

[Thom]

I enjoyed it very much and think Alexandra Ripley did a great job. It is no small task to extend a master work as Gone with the Wind. I think the book showed Scarlett finally maturing into the woman she could be. Her migration to Ireland at this time in her life and history added a new dimension to an unforgettable (two-part) saga.

[Lori]

Thom wrote: "I enjoyed it very much and think Alexandra Ripley did a great job. It is no small task to extend a master work as Gone with the Wind. I think the book showed Scarlett finally maturing into the woma..."

I agree Thom. I read this book many years ago when it was first published. While I'm a huge fan of Gone with the Wind, I'm also a big fan of Alexandra Ripley. She has passed away but she wrote 2 books on Charleston that remain favorites of mine:

and

.

I recommend both especially On Leaving Charleston. Very interesting period, 1920s. That was the first that I read by Ripley.

[Shelley]

I read GWTW for the first time in 5th grade. I was mesmerized. I could not imagine anything ever coming close to it. So years later I was skeptical when I heard that Scarlett was out. But I enjoyed Scarlett and tried to take it for what it was. At first I was not happy with it. I told myself this--Imagine sitting down and reading a huge piece of work like GWTW. Now YOU write the next chapter. Yes the characters were a little different in places and sometimes a bit underdeveloped. Yes the story was a little flat in places and did not always ring 100 percent true. Maybe it was not Margaret Mitchell's vision or voice or whatever you want to call it. But here is the thing--- It was not Margaret Mitchell that wrote Scarlett. Everyone has a different style. The story was still there. The basic essence of it was still there. That was how I dealt with it.

Once I looked past the fact that it was NOT GWTW I got okay with it. I started it over and really enjoyed the story. I think that Ripley did a super job and told a good story. I have re-read it twice in the past few years. I find it a good go-to book when I need something semi-light and familiar.

[C.D.]

I'm a sucker for romance so I actually liked it. I was also so desperate for Rhett and Scarlett to get back together I probably would have liked anything that delivered that ending, lol.

Of course, it's probably not even close to what Margaret Mitchell would have written as a sequel.

[Thom]

Margaret Mitchell wouldn't have written a sequel. She poured all her love and talent in the one book leaving nothing left for a sequel.

[Maggie]

No way. I loved it. Especially the stuff w/ the Sein Fein! Hell yeah! Irish side!

[Kathy]

I own the book as well as the subsequent movie. What most people don't know is that the story line in the book vs the movie is quite different. In the book Scarlett is basically chased out of Ireland because of her association with the English and the fact that her daughter is looked at as a witch for being born on All Hallow's Eve. The book was a very good read, and the movie happens to be one of my favorites. It's very much worth the time to read the book and watch the movie.

[Nancy]

I loved Scarlett. No it isn't GWTW but you shouldn't expect it to be. Scarlett took the two central characters into a different period of their lives. I thought the story was well told and I loved the ending. Well worth the time to read it.

[Mystic]

Actually, I really enjoyed this book. I'd read Gone With The Wind several times, and I loved it that Scarlet and Rhett finally got back together and that they had a child together. I also loved the Irish history and rebellion.

[Mystic]

I didn't even know there was a movie. I will find it.Thanks!!

[Kirby]

C.D. wrote: "I'm a sucker for romance so I actually liked it. I was also so desperate for Rhett and Scarlett to get back together I probably would have liked anything that delivered that ending, lol.

Of cou..."

ha ha- I had that same desperation! :)

[Mia]

My grandma owns the mini-series and the book. The mini-series was kind of goofy, but fun. Whenever I think of it I think of how HAIRY Timothy Dalton was. The first time I saw it I wondered why he was wearing pants in the bathtub, and my grandma's just like, "that's not pants, that's his leg hair."

I didn't like in Scarlett how Ripley just throws in basically a couple of paragraphs about Wade and Ella, and then just dumps them. Seriously? Scarlett was so close to Cat, such a good mother to her, but then develops amensia about her other kids? I would've liked to see Scarlett's relationship with her kids from her past marriages.

Scarlett also felt more like a sequel to the movie than the novel. Bummer.

[C]

It was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. You see, even though I absolutely adored the first book, I was heartbroken at how Rhett left Scarlett. Honestly, she was a fool to lose him the way she did, but, I wanted some closure to their story. And, I got that in this book. Though it may not be even reminiscent of "Gone With the Wind"'s quality, I enjoyed reading it.

[Sara]

I actually enjoyed reading the book and I loved the movie..my only complaint was they kept Rhett out of the movie far too long at times. Timothy Dalton is the reason I own the dvd..lol

[Lisa]

I read it before reading GWTW. I liked it and thought it was entertaining, however I might not have felt the same if my reading sequence was different.

[Iris]

I disliked this book. She altered the characters too much. She didn't know how to have them naturally evolve and so they just kind of changed instantaneously into what she thought those characters were.

They lost whatever it was that made them memorable. Scarlett changes into this empathetic character who cares and is thoughtful. Um, no. I don't see that happening. Not to mention she just kicks up her heels and leaves Tara. Why would she do that? She gave up everything for Tara. She wouldn't just leave it. I didn't like where she took the story.

[Jennifer]

Kathy wrote: "I own the book as well as the subsequent movie. What most people don't know is that the story line in the book vs the movie is quite different. In the book Scarlett is basically chased out of Ire..."

Interesting, that you mention the movie is so different then the book. I'm curious now, may have to see if I can obtain a copy to watch.

[Jennifer]

вełłαтяıχ wrote: "It was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. You see, even though I absolutely adored the first book, I was heartbroken at how Rhett left Scarlett. Honestly, she was a fool to lose him the way she did..."

I agree. For me it was the 'closure' I needed also. It was a very long book & it could have been a lot shorter & simpler getting there.

[Lariela]

I kinda liked it when I first read it (after GwtW in sixth grade). After my recent re-read, not so much. Scarlett annoyed me more.

Liked the miniseries for Timothy Dalton.

[Tammy]

a big disappointment!

[Elisa Santos]

I didn´t finish Scarlett and didn´t reached halfway through - it was boring, flat and muc the same as GWTW. Scarlett just seemed to start the novel with the same atitude and arrogance as when she was at rhe party at Twelve Oaks, when she had her suiters wooing her under the tree and she was oh so in love with Ashley. The first pages were interesting enough but from then on, it just decayed until the book sat on my night-stand for a whole year, untouched.

To me, Ripley just could not deliver it. It had good intentions, but that´s all it was.

[Jeffery]

Deborah wrote: "i felt like I was reading a soap opera"
Actually the original "Gone With The Wind" was a soap opera also. This story just continues the trend!