Rating: Summary: Don't Waste Your Time or Money Review: I picked this up based on the "Unauthorized Parody" sign on the cover - ridiculous, as the author of GWTW has been dead for decades. This pathetic book takes everything fine about GWTW and sullies it. In her author description in the dust jacket, Randall says she wondered about the mulatto children of Tara. Perhaps there weren't any! Poorly written and contributing nothing at all to the body of American literature, this book is a sad waste of time.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing Review: I was hoping for MORE. I know it would be hard to follow a novel as great as Gone With The Wind, but even the dialect that was soooo good in Gone With The Wind is missing in this book. I hated that Randall tarnished the reputation of Mamie. I loved that character in Gone With The Wind, and now I am so disappointed. I love books and I am glad that I own this one, but I was not impressed.
Rating: Summary: Go on Wind, BE Gone Review: The Wind done Gone is a good way to describe this story. I am no fan of Gone with the Wind and I know this was supposed to be the untold story, but I couldn't follow this story at all. Lady, Planter,Cynara, Corinne, whoever else, I could not get straight. Cinnamon and R, What? Honestly I think that you have to be a real Gone with the Wind fan to understand the story of The Wind Done Gone. Maybe a publishing of the original diaries may help, or maybe if Alice Randall would have changed the dialect and made it more of a story form, than a diary setting, I may have understood it better. If you are a history buff or very curious as to why they fought to publish this story, you may be intrigued by its contents, unfortunately it left too many questions for me, oh and mind you I am not a fan of Gone with the Wind.
Rating: Summary: Wind done WRONG Review: While this book is clearly intended to be a paradoy of GONE WITH THE WIND it tips its hand a little too far. It appears that this woman who we are supposed to believe was a Black Slave has a strange pull toward the Slave Masters... on about page five she suggests that Union Troops would not "save a slave".. WRONG. Many slaves were saved by Union Troops. Indeed liberated slaves lined the streets to cheer the Union Troops as the heroes and deliverers they were. This woman doesn't portray a SLAVE who ever knew the WHIP or the CHAIN but the kind of slave portrayed in the Real GONE WITH THE WIND: simpering wimpering and clinging to "de ol mastah". I thought we were past that LIE. A mess and any true ex slaves would be ashamed.
Rating: Summary: The Last Thing You Want To Read Review: The Wind Done Gone was supposed to be a parody to Gone With the Wind. Not only did it disappoint me, but it disgusted me. Randall completely alters Scarlett's whole existence, saying that she was born half African American, and the this new character, just "added in," was Rhett's lover. It is a joke of a book with no connection to Gone With The Wind besides the sticker on the front that claims its connection. I would not recommend buying this, or even borrowing it from your local library. It was a waste of my time to read. With the confusing timeline (or lack thereof) and the messy family trees (most of which did not even line up with each other), I cannot even fathom why anyone would publish this book.
Rating: Summary: Mixed Reaction Review: The fact Alice Randall parodied an existing work greatly weakened what are otherwise extremely valid and powerful points. She is clearly an exquisite, thoughtful writer, and that is evident in the gems of thought one can glean from the book, like, "Forgetting is to forgiving as glass is to a diamond," (Chapter 16, page 31) As with the book, THE COLOR PURPLE, I think TWDG would have been far better received and more widely acclaimed as a standalone and wholly original work. Plus, I'm sure reviewers would have still referred to it as being "the flip side of Gone With the Wind," or the like. Alice Randall has enough in her own family background(granddaughter of white Confederate soldier) and Ivy League academic credentials to have written this from the vantage point of her own history rather than grafting Margaret Mitchell's work -- a racist icon, deserving of toppling, though it may be. However, this does not mean I don't think people shouldn't read this book. On the contrary, Randall's delicately crafted metaphors and prose are epiphanal feasts for soul and mind. I just have this overall distaste for any writer's work that blatantly piggybacks off another's, regardless of the point they're trying to make. I felt much the same away about the other GWTW takeoff, SCARLETT, and the writer of that frankly wasn't as good as Randall, just more prolific. My only hope is Randall will follow this book, quickly, with something that is unequivocally her own voice.
Rating: Summary: Not what I expected Review: As a big fan of Gone with the wind, I couldn't wait to real The Wind done gone, but i was in for a shock. First of all, i loved the romance of scarlett and rhet in Gone with the Wind, but after readin this book you would think they weren't in love at all, and that their love was in vain. I don't two people could love each other more. The book also made it seem like Scarlett slept around, which she didn't, plus the book made mammy out to be a monster. But, maybe i have it all wrong since names never where called but i think was pretty obvious who the main characther was refering to. I think i would have liked this novel better had it not suppose to be a spin off of Gone with the wind. I'm not saying that their was not biracal slaves at tera, but i think the story could have been told a little differently, and from reading about the father in gone with the wind, i don't think he was the type to sleep with his slaves. I think if you haven't read or watched Gone with the wind you will enjoy this novel better.
Rating: Summary: Terribly disappointing Review: Being a huge GWTW fan, I felt compelled to read TWDG. I was looking forward to it, but was sorely disappointed. I was looking forward to the story told from the point of view of the slaves, which seemed like an interesting way to write this novel. The character of Cynara is nothing more than a mulatto version of Scarlett O'Hara, strong and independent, but also spoiled, indulged and self-absorbed. There was nothing new or revealing in this book, just a jumbled, disappointing mess.
Rating: Summary: Interesting... Review: After reading the other reviews on this board, I didn't know what to expect. People's own belief's seem to have colored their abilities to read this book from an objective point of view. As a black female, I have to say I enjoyed Gone With the Wind, because it is a good story. Regardless of my feelings about slavery and racism. When you cast aside any anger over slavery, anger because "the South lost", strange obsession with Gone With the Wind, etc., this book is merely an average little novel with some ironic plot twists. The true story behind E. 's family history was hilarious to me! What a fantastic idea, and not so very far from the truth in some cases, I'd guess. There were many, many "blacks" in that era (and today) who looked "white", but were classified otherwise. So, it's entirely possible that some of the most important "white" figures in the U.S. today only became "white" when a great ancestor decided to "pass". If the children of the passing individual were never told the truth, then the current generation would never know. This particular twist made the entire book worth reading to me. My one big thumbs down goes to the conclusion. I am still not sure who the parents of the Congressman's baby are? Cynara's actions were not well explained in this section. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. It's a fun read! People, let go of your anger and just enjoy some good old FICTION now and then.
Rating: Summary: Very slow read... Review: I am accustomed to slow moving novels, but this one takes the cake. I am familiar with "Gone With the Wind" and I had to go out and rent it again just to keep the characters in the book straight. I think it was a good attempt to chronicle the "other side" of the hallmark in American film/ literature, but, it leaves alot to be desired. I had to force myself to read when I was in the bathtub and that is usually my favorite book reading place!!! Historically, I think it was a perspective that few people have had the opportunity to see. Even with that said, I would not recommend this book to anyone who has a average to short attention span.
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