Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but flawed...
Review: I think many people have jumped the gun on this book, thinking it is a sequel or something of that nature to Gone with the Wind. And it definatly isn't that. I have to say that this book is something that should've been written. I will give the author credit for that insite. It also has some good entertainment value. It is humourous at times and give good perspective on lives on the other side of the original story. I gave it only three stars because, first, some of the details in this book do not go along with GWTW. Secondly, as a warning, if you haven't read GWTW, it will not make much sense. All in all, it really is a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Should Refund My Money!
Review: I bought this book primarily because of the legal action surrounding its publication, which was a mistake. This book simply isn't very good. It isn't "brilliant" in the least. It isn't even really a parody (an appellation someone's attorney must have put on the cover).The author had a wonderful idea but failed to deliver. This book could have been interesting and thought-provoking. Instead, it was poorly written (why do so many people think that "great literature" needs to involve disjointed narrative and stream of consciousness?), far too unrealistic (more so than the original GWTW was), and just plain weird in parts. In attempting to explore the dark undercurrents of the characters from GWTW, the author goes too far, turning this parody into something we might see on "Jerry Springer." Infanticide, tragically closeted homosexuality, multiple murders, suicide, fetishes--you name it, this book has it! Real people are not the fairly two-dimensional characters from the original GWTW, but neither are they the complete whackos depicted in this book. A balance would have been nice--next time, the author should pick just a couple dysfunctional behaviors instead of giving readers the full gamut. I also found disturbing the author's basic premise that slaveowners' lives and destinies were largely manipulated by their slaves--this is unrealistic and discounts the most horrific and reprehensible part of slavery: the enforced powerlessness of the enslaved. In short, unless your book club railroads you into reading this one, don't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: A Hurricane
Review: Controversy and curiosity are two of the words surrounding Alice Randall's novel "The Wind Done Gone." Cynara a house slave born of her slave mother and white master is a beautiful honey colored woman of the South who could probably pass for white but chooses not to. Cynara, also known as Cinnamon or Cindy, is a mulatto who works in the big house and competes for the love of her Mammy mother, with the white children that her mother cares for. The competition between the master's other children and Cynara becomes so intense that Cynara is sent away. She is sold to another family as a house servant, but that does not last long. Cynara soon finds herself in Atlanta working for Beauty, who is a madam. Cynara is now living and working in a flophouse. It is in this flophouse that she meets the handsome and mysterious R. He is a former Confederate soldier who has settled in Atlanta. R. showers Cynara with the finest things that money can buy, even a beautiful home. However, the one thing that R. does not give Cynara is the priceless gift of respect. R. is a married man, his wife is Cynara's half-sister, and he has never once called Cynara by her given name. Instead, he refers to her by her slave names of Cinnamon or Cindy, and if they have personal disagreements he treats her harshly. "The Wind Done Gone" sheds light on the lives of former slaves during the Reconstruction Era. There is a black man who is elected to Congress, there are black physicians, and black property owners. This book is based on Cynara's diary, and allows readers to see this critical time in history through her eyes. "The Wind Done Gone" was well worth the wait, the court battle, and the controversy, on the RAW scale it is a 4. Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written
Review: This book is poorly written and contains no plot at all. This is just a politically correct attempt to defame one of the greatest novels of all time. This book shouldn't be on the same shelf as Gone With the Wind. Don't waste your money on this so called parody.
Rating:
Summary: Very poorly done
Review: This book really wasn't worth all the fuss that it got in the press - good or bad. I'm not sure what Ms. Randall was trying to accomplish by writing this book. It was very poorly written; the main character's thoughts jumped all over the place that the reader can't really follow them and understand the point - if there is one - that's being made. Cynara is supposed to be an intelligent person with intelligent thoughts, and I don't see that in this writing. Maybe Ms. Randall could have done a much better job of explaining plantation life from a slave's point of view if she hadn't tried to focus so much on Gone With the Wind. Her fascination with GWTW is distracting, particularly to one who has read it. As a result, I noticed alarming parallels with her phrases and settings to Ms. Mitchell's work, and see an individual taking credit and making money off of someone else's original work. It's a shame, particularly when the work in question isn't anything to be proud of.
Rating:
Summary: Afrocentric Revisionist Fantasy
Review: As a historian and Gone with the Wind fan, I found this book very disappointing. The book seems to imply that the slaves were really running everyone's lives. I can't believe I was tricked into reading this book. No wonder the estate of Margaret Mitchell sued. What a waste.
Rating:
Summary: Worst "novel" I've ever read
Review: I have read many books but this by far has to be the worst or one of the worst. I thought it might show another side to the Civil War story in Gone With the Wind but it is just this author's trashy knock off of a good novel. GWTW fans do not support this and others don't waste your time with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time or money.
Review: There is so much hype surronding this book so I thought I would try it. I am sorry I did. I love Gone With the Wind and this is a slap in the face to Ms. Mitchell's work. I am sorry the judge didn't prevent the publication. If you have a few hours to waste then this book is for you but I don't recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: AN AMAZING AND PIVOTAL BOOK
Review: this masterpiece conveys the story of gone with the wind in a way that makes so much more sense and with much more eloquence. Randall has managed to write a book that not only heals the wounds inflicted by gwtw, but brings to light ideas that no one has ever thought of before. It is a must read for anyone who thinks that things are worth looking at twice. A real gem
Rating: 
Summary: What's all the fuss?
Review: If the estate of Margaret Mitchell had not made so much noise about this book, no one would know it existed. Pick it up and read a few pages. It is not a parody, it is a joke. Save your money and get this one from the library if you have to read it. It's episodic and lacks a narrative with any continuity. Don't look to fall in love with any of the characters.
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