Gone With the Wind

[malavika413]

I've never been able to finish this book, perhaps I'll have to give it another go!

[Timea]

I started reading the book a few years back but I never finished it... it just didn't really grab me, still I will have to finish it someday

[lauralee43]

Good questions-on Gone with The Wind-I have only read that novel once, over twenty years ago but the characters Scarlett and Rhett just have a way of sticking with a person. I am currently reading Scarlet-the sequel to Gone with the Wind. It is a great book and even though it is a different author Scarlett still has the great personality she had in Gone With the Wind.

[sflaherty42]

This is my all time favorite book. I believe that Scarlett changed for the better in terms that she is now able to cope with the harshness of reality. Growing up wealthy and living on a plantation had made Scarlett spoiled and ignorant of what life was like. Living through a war would change anyone and Scarlett realized that life is rarely ever fair but she is able to cope with that by thinking that life goes on and "Tomorrow is another day".

[BBKelly2106]

I love Gone with the Wind. I am a huge historical fiction fan and this one is one of the great reads of all time. While I don't agree with Scarlett's tactics, I can empathize with her desire to not conform to the expectations of her time. She makes many mistakes most notably with Rhett who clearly adores her in spite of herself; however, she also pushes boundaries and fights for what she want which can be positive characteristics. She simply does not know how to channel these attributes in the right direction. I did read the "sequel" written by Alexandra Ripley. I enjoyed the sequel mostly to see how Scarlett changes over time and eventually learns at least some of the lessons she needs to redirect her life. In the end, though, the sequel does not have the same draw as the original. Nothing can compare to such a sweeping epic saga like Gone with the Wind.

[alex_]

Gone With The Wind is one of those books where you find yourself highlighting quotes, hoping to memorize them, and using them later when the situation is right. It was one of the best books I have ever read, I mean here is this character Scarlet that is trying to be portrayed as "evil" just because she does as she please. She is no saint, and manipulated a lot of people to get what she wanted, but her strength and power was very visible to both the readers and Scarlet. She changed according to the circumstance but her personality was the same, willful and determined. She was determined to reach for a better life, and not settle. She spoke about her true feelings, unlike other women who held it in, but not her. I would say that her life motto would be "I'll do what I want." I liked her more than the other woman because when times were tough she didn't just sit around and wait for someone to help her, she tried, but in the end it was herself that did things. And that is why Gone With The Wind is one of my favorite characters.

[salberson 10]

I have read it many times and it is one of my favorites. I think she never completely changed she was still selfish and self serving at the end of Gone With the Wind. I just truly wish Margaret Mitchel had been able to write the sequel.

[MamaBookAddict]

This is one of my favorites and I own a hardcover given to me when I was about 15. I did read the sequel that was written by another author and while it was ok, it seemed like Scarlett was a lot different that in the original. I dont know, more people pleasing, less spunky, less sure of her self. I did like the fact that she went to Ireland but, again, it just wasnt the Katie Scarlett we all knew. But thats just me

[rjhaug]

I have read this book many times and think Scarlett changed but it was to late to save her relationship. I have read the second book. It was a softer side to Scarlett and that may be clouding my ending to the first book. But I still love both stories. There was also a movies made of both books.

[ajmiller99]

I read Gone with the Wind about 2 years ago and I also read the sequel by another author, Scarlett. I absolutely LOVED both of them! The sequel gets a lot of poor reviews, however the ending of Gone With the Wind was somewhat depressing and the sequel gave me the ending I wanted. I get very involved with the characters and it drives me crazy when a book ends abruptly, I want to know what happened to them. What I loved most about these books is how real events and history is incorporated into them, it makes them more believable and I feel as if I learned something while reading an enjoyable novel, even if just having a better understanding of the personal effects of the era and war have on real people.
P.S. I had not seen the movie until after I read the book and was actually disappointed in the movie because it left so much out.

[Redlegs]

Gone With the Wind is also one of my very favourite books - definitely in my top ten of all time. Mitchell captured the times and the characters so beautifully, with abundant charm and wit. From the frivolous lives of the wealthy southern homesteaders, to the horrors of the Civil War and the fascinating juxtaposition of the characters of Scarlett and Rhett.

All in all, this book remains one of the very best of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels ever written.

It also translated really well into the cinema as well, which is rare for a classic book.

[Batesblogger]

I believe it is one of the greatest books ever written. The character's depth and growth are just astounding. Everyone, from the house slaves all the way up the cast through Rhett and Scarlet grow and change in noticeable ways. I don't think Scarlet's personality changes throughout, I believe her realizations of what she really wants and what was a school girl fantasy comes to light. She matures and realizes that what she already had is what she wants, and that Melanie was the best friend she could never have deserved.

I was devastated after reading it to learn that MM did not write a sequel but I did read it. The characters were not as fleshy and there were some moments that probably made MM roll over in her grave, but for me I was just happy that I could read more about those lives. If you want a sequel, don't read Scarlet. Watch the movie. Much better than the book if you can get through the new Rhetts acting skills.

If you have never read the book, only seen the movie, be prepared for a few shocks between the two. The book has a lot more going on in Scarlet's life than the movie does, and there were quite a few things I was surprised at.

I never saw Scarlet as particularly vicious or cruel. I saw her as a desperate teenage girl who is pining for the man she thinks she loves, (haven't we all been there!) who lives through a terrifying, horrible ordeal (the war) that changes her, makes her realize the price of failure and what it means to be destitute, starving, and at the mercy of others. Her determination to save Tara and to never be poor or at the mercy of others may seem selfish, but her sisters, the slaves, Ashley and Melanie, they all benefit from it. She doesn't save herself. She saves her entire world and brings it back, not just for herself, but for everyone. She is brave in a way that women back then just weren't, at least not on the outside. I always loved the way her and Belle were just so close in personality, yet they despised each other for it. Belle was a madame, and Scarlet married for gain. Not much difference. But even Scarlet's marriages show the difference and change she goes through. She marries Charles for spite. She marries Kennedy for money. Rhett? Because he got to her. Made her feel. Made her want. She just never realized how much she wanted him until the end.


I think I needs to reread this.

[Blackbeez]

Oh man.. one of my all time faves! First reason: It's a huge book that moves along just right. It actually took me about a week to read instead of 7 hours. There are so many emotions that are brought out by this book. Of course, I'm Irish, and a southerner so I felt right at home with Scarlet, the war, the sorts of things that people still talk about down here. I love a historical novel and this is it! Margaret Mitchell takes you there at the beginning, to the parties, the beauty and the drama of the south. The industrialism of the north. She drags you through the harried politics at the time and society's male role in them. As chaos reigns you see all individuals scurrying to survive, not just Scarlet; it's just that Scarlet is so good at survival that you cannot help but watch her go. Rhett is the epitome of Scarlet's soul mate. If you look at the two of them, they both seem to be character studies that embody the vibe of the south itself, at the time. We see that Rhett and Scarlet, though beautiful and seemingly refined on the surface, are just as dirty underneath that glamour as the south itself. Definitely a classic worth the time.

[astoldbysiri]

I just finished reading Gone with the Wind and I am totally in love with it! At first during the first few chapters, I was not really convinced that this was going to be a good story because the character development was slow. However, as the story unfolded following the political and social changes that happened in the South, the characters took on more vivid qualities and they matured with each new tragedy. I really enjoyed reading Gone with the Wind and I cried a little towards the end, when I encountered some terrible plot twists. It has been a while since I read a book that made me both smile and cry out in despair. I have not watched the movie yet, as I've only just found out reading this thread but I definitely will

[Stella White 47]

I read Gone With the Wind twice during high school, and I thought Scarlett was funny and silly. One thing I identified with was when she reflected on her feelings for her mother Ellen. She saw her mother's goodness, and longed to be like her. But she wasn't. It just was not her nature. I would like to be a better person than I am, and hope I do a better job at it than Scarlett managed to. She was terrible!

I read the sequel when it was published in some woman's magazine. I did not like it. It did not have the same "voice", which is logical, since it had a different author. And I'm not saying it was not well done. There was just something intrinsically different that I sensed. And Scarlett was not turning out to be a better person, and it turned me off.

One thing Gone with the Wind did for me was to interest me in history, and how it affects individual people. I began to take an interest in American history first, then gradually in the history of other countries. I used fiction as a sort of trick me to hook my interest, and then I 'd be moved to check out non-fiction if not my school textbooks.