The Wind Done Gone

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Summary: The Wind Done Gone
Review: Used the original "Gone with the Wind" to ride on notriety. Elementary writing, not enterintaing. Just reading it through to get money's worth. Very disappointing if author thought she could caputre the time and feeling of that era. While reading, thought I was watching instead of being and feeling. Oh,yes, I was listening to the author as a guest speaker on a TV presentation - she quoted because of her "mix race" she could identified with the main charater. I'm of "mix race" -- I did not identify with the players. I expected more and got less.

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Summary: There's Always the "Other" Side of the Story
Review: This is just absolutley WONDERFUL! They say it's a parody but I think it is an eye-opening, mind-bending, thought provoking probable truths of the other side of the story(ies) that are only beginning to be told.

Alice Randall takes us to some dark places in this country's--perhaps world's past. Yet, none of it is surprising, just THE beautiful harsh cold reality.

Well done! Thanks and PEACE to Ms. Randall.

Rating:
Summary: The Wind Done Gone
Review: Don't waste your money or your time trying to read this book. Now I know why the estate of Margaret Mitchell fought so hard to keep this book from being published. It is an extremely poor imitation of Gone with the Wind supposedly written by the daughter of Gerald O'Hara and Mammy. I'd hoped to get some idea of life in the south from the daughter of a slave during this time but I found it very difficult to follow with no redeeeming qualities at all. I waded my way through 50 or so pages and then gave up.

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Summary: A different look
Review: Ms. Randall's characters were quite interesting. I quickly read the book and I thought that all the hype it's getting isn't justified. It was entertaining however.

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Summary: Enjoy This Book on Many Levels
Review: The Wind Done Gone is a book to be appreciated and enjoyed on many levels. It is, first of all, a subtle literary parody which, in my opinion, will make any thoughtful reader reconsider assumptions about the history and myth of the antebellum South. At the same time, The Wind Done Gone can be read as a short novel that intrigues one as it flows from an arresting beginning to an effective and satisfying denouement. The narrative moves effortlessly, and certain lyrical passages can be savored for the language alone. Regardless of which aspect appeals, you will not be the same after you have read this book.

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Summary: Some Therapy Might Help More
Review: I have read all of the Gone with The Wind books, seen all the movies and love the whole story. I have also read everything else I can get my hands on, including Uncle Toms Cabin, Roots, Mandingo etc. I found this book preposterous in its story line and difficult to follow. I think that perhaps the author may want to seek some therapy rather than proposing ridiculous plots like this one. There is just something inherently wrong with these writings.

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Summary: Can I dislike it because it was bad?
Review: The author and accompanying media seem to imply that if you dislike this book, you are clinging to a pro-slavery fictional South portrayed in "Gone with the Wind," that you are being stodgy and unwilling to face facts.

Can I dislike this book just because it was really bad?

Sadly, this volume was not worth the highly-publicized legal battle that was waged over it. Though described as an unauthorized parody from the African-American POV of the time, this book is an utter failure. (Did I mention the title is also pretty bad?)

The book centers on the mulatto half-sister of GWTW lead Scarlett O'Hara, Cynara. Cynara is the daughter of Captain O'Hara ("Planter") and Mammy, Scarlett's strong-minded, down-to-earth nursemaid. "The Wind Done Gone" chronicles Cynara's life in Tara and in the post-Civil War Reconstruction, where she is raised alongside her glamorous half-sister but denied the same love, attention and privileges. Then "Planter" sells her, and she ends up in a brothel. Ironically, one frequenter of the brothel is Rhett Butler, the dashing handsome husband of Scarlett (who is constantly--and irritatingly--referred to as "Other"). She becomes his long-term lover, and naturally we are supposed to sympathize with Cynara and not with "Other..."

Where to begin?

Despite the red sticker on the cover, this is not a parody: a parody indicates humor or satire, of which this book has neither. It's too relentlessly self-conscious of Its Mission to be truly amusing, and too heavy-handed to be a successful satire. (Here's hoping that someone with the witty style of Dave Barry tries a satire of GWTW) The writing style is, like many pieces of literary fiction, rambling and present-tense, sometimes lapsing into stream of consciousness.

As a main character, Cynara fails. While "Other" is decidedly unlikeable in the original work, she has the rare quality of fascination that draws the reader in and makes them read about a character whether they like him/her or not. Sadly, Ms. Randall does not have the capability to do this with her characters; I felt that Cynara's only function in the story was to compare her to "Other." When Cynara got involved with dashing, handsome, virile Rhett Butler ("R") I began to wonder if Cynara was Randall's alter ego. She's annoying contemporary, as well as being delightfully PC; also, I saw little maturing and learning in her thoughts, as well as little of the touted intelligence that she is supposed to have.

Cynara, in fact, spends so much time comparing herself to "Other" that I found the description of "independent-minded woman" irrelevent. She frets constantly about Other's prettiness, her glamor, her relationship with "R"--and it rapidly becomes childish and tiresome.

And though this was touted as a viewpoint from the slaves, I was appalled to see how they were portrayed. This book gave Randall an opportunity to portray the slaves as being oppressed and maltreated, yet retaining inner dignity and will. Rather, she had them violent and aggressive toward others, including the infant sons of "Planter" (chop it down to simple terms "they were killing innocent babies" and it doesn't sound so fair, does it?). I was shocked. REALLY SHOCKED. Like "St. Louis" I was rather disgusted that the worst part of slavery was gleefully twisted around, thus negating its very horror.

I can only imagine why Ms. Randall was so determined that TWDG be a parody of GWTW -- either a deep-seated psychological fixation, or a determination to boost her first book sales. But I do know that had she not been so relentless in her pursuit of making this so-called parody, she could have produced an excellent novel. If you could strip away the preoccupation with GWTW, Scarlett O'Hara, and the PC-ness of it all she could have written a decent novel. (Minus the infanticide mentioned in the previous paragraph, of course)

Quite honestly, I'd have welcomed a witty parody of GWTW that could pointedly show the plight of the slaves and lampoon the "gallant South" (it is admittedly fun to read about). Sadly we'll have to wait for someone else to do so.

Rating:
Summary: Blowing Wind
Review: Okay, let's get this out of the way first. This book is NOT great literature. It is a poorly-written book designed to perpetuate a set of simplistic, meaningless stereotypes about the whites and blacks of the late nineteenth century. Oh wait, that was Gone with the Wind!

In short, GWTW is no more "great literature" than this little collection of tripe and sniping. The main difference is the former was made into an important movie and The Wind Done Gone was made into an important legal case.

Technically, this book is not a parody, because Randall really doesn't skewer any of the characters or themes of the original. She shies away from any meaningful impeachment of the wanton bigotry (or mealy melodrama) laced through Gone with the Wind. Frankly, GWTW is ripe for a true, viscous parody of the conniving, soulless Scarlet, the simpering, latently gay Ashley, the saintly, simple Melanie, and the empty-shirt, fair-weather-friend Rhett.

Unfortunately, Randall attempts to focus on the treatment of slaves, and fails miserably even in that. Slavery was a soul-eating evil that corrupted everyone it ouched. Like Cannibalism, the practice of slavery destroyed the perpetrator almost as thoroughly as the victim. This book misses that simple truth entirely, focusing instead on creating a Cinnamon (did you catch the fact that Cinnamon is just a really dark shade of Scarlet?) that is nothing more than a darker shadow of GWTW's pointless and soulless central character.

Do not buy this book for the story. Do no buy this book for the writing. However, I strongly encourage you to buy this book simply to strike a blow for artistic (tripe-tistic?) freedom. If the imperious nut-cases who own GWTW had simply ignored this mess of a book, it would have vanished without a ripple. Instead, they got on their high horse and attempted to silence anyone who thinks GWTW is a bigoted treatise that proves WHY the "War of Northern Aggression" was so thoroughly necessary. One star for the writing, two more just to T off the owners of of GWTW.

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Summary: Inane garbage!
Review: I went to see this woman speak at The Margaret Mitchell House, where she was graciously invited and treated very well. She was incredibly rude, UN-gracious and really beyond description. For instance, when asked if she knew of Margaret Mitchell's aid to African American students during her life, she refused to acknowledge the speaker. She cannot validate her views, therefore ignores anything to the contrary. Now is that not censorship on her part? I also find her book is without value at all. She has dregged up all kinds of lame, inaccurate views of GWTW and seeks to make money off of some one else's talents. (Mitchell's). I not in agreement with the censorship of her book, or censorship in general. But after meeting this woman in person I can understand how the keepers of Ms. Mitchell's estate had valid reasons for their suit. She is an embarassment to the people she claims to vindicate. Even if all this weren't true, the book isn't even any good!

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Summary: A very quick read
Review: It took me 4 to 5 hours to finish this book. The writing style is simple, the plot is thin and the characters are shallow and uncomplicated. Familiarity with GWTW is required since this book could not possibly stand on it's own. It is a vindictive answer to GWTW evidenced in Scarlet's demise and Rhett's emasculation, not a parody. I always considered GWTW silly and melodramatic so I eagerly anticipated this book knocking it down a few pegs. I was interested in another person's interpretation of GWTW, unfortunately the book itself is uninteresting.