Gone with the Wind

Rating:
Summary: roll, jordan, roll
Review: As others have said in their reviews, GWTW is a great book. To repeat all the reasons why would be quite redundant of me. Simply, I recommend GWTW if one wants to discover the white southern female point of view concerning the Civil War era American south. I also recommend Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" to anyone BRAVE enough to discover the black southern female slave point of view concerning the Civil War era American south. Seeing as GWTW is very long, and Ms. Jacobs' work is around 200 pages, I'd read "Incidents" first. It's another truly amazing literary work...an account of southern slavery from the pen of a former slave herself! There is much much interesting information concerning the relationship between mistress and female slave/house attendant that will provoke thought as one reads GWTW afterwards.

Rating:
Summary: Majorly misunderstood
Review: Okay, everyone has been saying that this book is insulting, that it's racist, etc.
Yes, it is extremely racist. Slavery is one of the most horrible inventions of the world. When slavery became race-oriented, it got even worse.
But everyone really needs to take GWTW in perspective. First of all, the African-American slavery was hugely propagandized by the North U.S. There were a lot less beatings and brandings than is commonly perceived. The real horror of slavery was the psychological effect. Imagine that you've been told all your life that you are worthless, and fit only to be a slave. Wouldn't you conduct yourself in that way? That was the true horror of slavery. The reason that there were few beatings and brandings was even more horrible. It was because slaves were considered to be valuable property, and the plantation owners would as soon whip their valuable horses to death as whip their valuable slaves. The Northerners really didn't need to exaggerate bloodhounds and whippings; these stories are enough to get the North into a patriotic fervor. So GWTW, although ridiculously romanticized when it comes to slavery, is not completely incorrect. But it does fail to take into account the psychological effects that I just mentioned. It also fails the characterize the black characters in the narrative.
Despite all these faults, GWTW is not meant to cater to modern views or even what we would call "just" views. It is meant to depict the Southern attitude at the time of the Civil War and the Reconstruction. Obviously, since everyone is incredibly incensed about its attitude, it succeeds remarkably well.
Second of all, the movie romaticizes the already romantic book. Mitchell did not portray the rich plantationers in GWTW, she portrayed the middle-class, uneducated pioneers, with the exception of the Wilkes family. They were not contemptuous towards Crackers and poor whites because they were only a step and some luck above them. Essentially they had started out in their position. Gerald O'Hara is harldy anyone's estimation of the typical rich, supercilious, high-class planter. There weren't any stereotypical planters in Georgia, anyway, not before or after the Civil War. It was more a homesteading state than a Kentucky.
So, overall, GWTW did exactly what it set out to do. And yes, it really neglects the black psychological view and focuses mainly on Scarlett's and Rhett's, with a couple of other characters. But this is also in character of the time. If anyone really wants to read a clarifying book about GWTW, read Southern Daughter. It ought to help with the rather confused opinions being circulated about GWTW.

Rating:
Summary: yeah, I admit...it's awesome
Review: I started out reading Gone with the Wind last year, and I thought it was the most awful chore of a read ever. However, as soon as I hit page 400, it got really interesting. And when I was done, I had to admit that I loved it. It was the first (and only book besides Scarlett and The Exorcist) that made me cry. All I have to say is that, anyone who hates this book must either be dead or just moronic.

Rating:
Summary: An American Masterpiece
Review: Gone With The Wind (GWTW abbreviated for those who are hardcore fans) was a tremendously successful novel, earning its well-deserved title as an American literary masterpiece. Spun from the imagination and supposedly blurry, slightly realistic accounts of Margaret Mitchell and her friends (Mitchell said the characters were based on some of her acquiantances, as she grew up listening to Civil War accounts in the South), the novel took America by storm in the 30's. It was the Great Depression, a time that severely hurt the nation's economy. We were then a nation on the brink of war (sounds like our present time, does'nt it ?), World War II being just around the corner. Mitchell had written short novels that are unfortunately unknown to most readers and sold rarely in bookstores, but GWTW was her only great novel, her magnum opus, her legacy. She took it upon herself to write the great American novel, and she managed quite well. The novel deals with the life-altering Civil War, its effects principally on the main characters, a coquettish, strong-willed, male-manipulating survivor Southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara, an equally strong and slick man of ill-gotten means, Rhett Butler, Ashley Wilkes, of whom Scarlett is enamored and who is a reserved, elegant aristocrat and his wife Melanie Hamilton. The barrage of characters, from the Tarleton twins, to the comedic, gossipy Aunt Pittypat, to the slaves, including Mammy. The novel is very long, and of course, in order to truly enjoy the epic scope of the narrative, one must take time to read. A first read this novel in junior high, devouring every page, immersed in the tragedy and the triumphs that Scarlett faced during what must have been the hardest time for Americans in the nineteenth century. Similarily, the movie, in my opinion, related to the Americans of the 30's, having gone through the Depression, looking forward for resurrection and triumph despite all odds. As Scarlett's motto and unforgettable creed went, "Tomorrow is another day." Themes of hope, nostalgia and unrequited love abound in this masterful story. I hope you read the novel if you have not and then view the film, rather than other way around. I saw the film first, then read the novel. You will find how DIFFERENT the book is from the movie, and how much more grandeur there is in the novel and how much more developed the characters are (i.e. Scarlett is supposed to have had children with her two husbands before her marriage to Butler). It was not difficul to imagine the characters in the novel looking and speaking as the actors did in the film - Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, etc. But if you read closely, the characters are definately Southern, bourgeois, prudish, scandalous and quite Victorian in manners. Five stars for the great American novel, five stars for Margaret Mitchell. Gone With The Wind has stood the test of time.

Rating:
Summary: A American Classic!
Review: I just finished this book and LOVED IT! The development of the book is great. The character development is great. IT'S JUST GREAT! Yet when she argues with Ashley it get's oh so gooey! If you want to read it but freaked by the fact that it's 1036 pages, trust me, Mrs. Mitchells writing style is easy and american and you'll be under its spell in no time!

Rating:
Summary: More than Meets the Eye
Review: Okay. Raise your hands. How many have seen the movie but not read the book? Come on raise em! I thought so. I'm not taking anything away from the film. I love it, one of my favorites, watched it a gazillion times, but I just read the book for the 2nd time, the first time was, well long time ago. Even though I thought I knew the whole story, I realized there was so much more to the characters and the story.
This tale of the South begins on the eve of the Civil War, and centers around a Southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara. Scarlett is a young Belle, with many beau. The young men are buzzing around her. She is the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, she is spoiled,concieted, and shallow. Her sole purpose in life is to look good and catch a worthy husband.She has hope only for one though,Ashley Wilkes, who is bethrothed to Melanie Hamilton. Her whole life changes, as war breaks out, the Yankees are winning, many of her beau are dieing in the war. She is forced to do things,never in her life would she have thought she must. She must nurse the wounded, work her father's plantation, (as most of the slaves have been set free by the Yankees, or have just run off),she must care for her family, and save the faimly home from the Yankees. Even as the war ends, she still must continue to keep "Tara" (the family plantation) out of the hands of Carpetbaggers, and Scalliwags.
Scarlett at her young and tender age will do whatever it takes to keep from going hungry and tattered like the rest of the southerners. This includes taking up with the likes of one Rhett Butler. Although the rest of Atlanta see's him as a low life friend to the Yankees, Scarlett see him as a means to end.He is rich, and like Scarlett doesnt really care what anyone else thinks. Rhett comes in and out of her life over the next several years always seeming to come to her resue, and they eventually marry, but not, according to Scarlett for love.
Throughout the story we see Scarlett getting stronger with every tradgedy that besets her, and there are many. The loss of her parents, 2 husbands, a child, and of course the war. But what we also see is the loss of her youth and and the way of life she was born to have. In their place we see courage and tenacity,a woman who could run her own business (unheard of in those days), a woman who could shoulder anything that might come her way.
It takes the death of Melanie for Scarlett to realize, what she already has in her life that is good. But is it too late?
As I mentioned in the beginning, there is so much more in the book then you will see in the movie. There is a depth in some of the characters, like Melanie and Gerald O'hara(Scarlett's father), and more light is shed upon the relationship between the planatation owners and the slaves, we understand Scarlett,and her love for the land a little more, and see more to Rhett. There are other characters too, important to the lives of the main characters, Scarlett has two children besides Bonnie, there is a convict that has entered the lives of all, and the realtionship with Mammy is touched on more so than in the movie. Mrs. Mitchell never forgets to give us descriptions of the land,the war, and the people that will stick with you. We also get more of the history of the war and it's ravages on the South, the aftermath, the formation of "The Klan", and much more.
Although we might disagree with the politics of the story, like how women were thought of, or the treatment of African American as slaves, Mrs. Mitchell paints us a clear vision of how things were. It was an era in American History that is, well, "Gone With The Wind"
If you have never read this book or seen the movie, I tried only to give a taste of the story. I hope it has wet your appetite, read the book first, you won't be able to put it down.You will get lost in another time and place.
If you have only seen the movie, this will fill in the blanks for you, and you can picture the faces and voices of the characters you know.
Happy reading........Laurie P.S. There is also a wonderful sequel to the story called "Scarlett", by Alexandra Ripley

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Novel of All Time!
Review: This is, beyond all doubt, the greatest novel of all time. It has everything: characters that leap off the pages, a thrillling plot, a powerful philosophy, and a universality that extends beyond the events it catalogues. This is an epic of mammoth proportions that tells not only one story but explores a whole way of living. I wept, cried, and laughed reading this book. This is more than a novel, it is a manual for living. This is not because the characters are perfect or even wholly admirable but because through their experiences we have the opportunity of seeing the world through a completely new lens. Add to this the fact that Scarlett and Rhett have one of the most exciting romances of all time and through this novel we literally have the opportunity to relive the passionate struggles of the Civil War. More than being a story about North and South, it is a story about rising out of the ashes of your own destruction and fighting on when all hope is gone. This is truly a novel that everyone should read. It made me a stronger person and taught me that no matter how bad things get, "Tomorrow is another day."

Rating:
Summary: Vividly Depicted Characters
Review: This book has created intriguing characters. But the main characters like Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett are admired and glorified to a fault. Scarlett O'Hara is tough, practical and no-nonsense. But in essence, she's a villain with these qualities. She steals her own sister's boyfriend, emotionally abuses her children, marries men for money and spite, and cheats on everyone and anyone. Seems there's nothing she would not do for money and for herself. Surely she has certain qualities that are needed in a war to survive, but it's not the war that made her selfish to the core. It simply brings out her selfishness on a larger scale.

Rating:
Summary: "It's always a heavy load..."
Review: Just what the world needs. One more review of "Gone With the Wind." I approached reading this book with a sense of trepidation. I looked at its 1,000+-page length, and doubted it was worth my time. I was afraid that it would be nothing more than an overblown historical romance novel. "I'll think about it tomorrow" summarizes the artistic merit of the book, I thought. Without the famous movie to sustain its reputation, who in their right mind would bother reading the book? Well, I was wrong. Looking beyond the soap opera of Scarlett, Rhett, and Ashley, I found things that really make this novel worthwhile. It's a richly detailed and historically accurate story of the Civil War and Reconstruction period, seen by those who bore the deprivations of daily life, not to mention the loss of loved ones. Although formatted as fiction, here we have living history. Margaret Mitchell draws deeply on her Georgia roots and gives the reader a uniquely Southern perspective of State Rights, slavery, Yankees, Carpetbaggers, Lincoln Republicans, and even the infamous Ku Klux Klan. Through the tribulations of Scarlett O'Hara, Mitchell argues that the Southern Cause appeared noble, but was ultimately foolish and futile. Above all, both Scarlett and Rhett Butler are practical people who doubt the sagacity of stifling social mores, and blind political affiliation. One can view Scarlett as the image of the South as she matures from a frivolous girl full of romantic notions into a strong, independent woman. Her pragmatism and steely resolve, forged on an anvil of personal suffering and survival, is another theme of the novel. It's easy to find the romantic melodrama of the surface plot distracting because it is fine entertainment. To enhance your reading pleasure, however, notice the rich historical detail and heed Scarlett's determination. As God is my witness, this is good reading. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: I still love it! so thought provoking!
Review: I still love it! and it is still remains my favorite novel. I read this as a teenager, and now again 30 years later. To me, it is one of those books that makes me sad for people who don't read, who miss out on the profound life altering and enjoyable experience that books can bring.
After reading it again, later in life, I see that it was a book that could have been a huge influence to my early thinking. When I was in High School, early 70's, I was the only one of my friends and family who spoke out against racism... and in a time of racial riots, high emotion and tensions. Racism has always been a passionate issue for me...also woman's issues. The unfairness and stupidities, some blatantly obvious to me, and some not so obvious. Some discrimination I was unaware of for years, even though I looked for them, and was super sensitized to them. But we were all so brain washed, right from the cradle. It is still an evolving process of enlightenment, and will be for a long time to come. These issues have been such passionate issues for me... I now believe, after reading it again, that Gone With the Wind, has been one of those books, that did help inspire my thinking in those formative years. Margaret Mitchell was a great and courageous thinker....before her time. Her insights and knowledge on the Civil War in particular, were impressive for a woman of her times. Her thoughts of the motivations and impetuous behind wars, and the tearing down and building up of civilizations, is inspiring and thought provoking.
In the character of Scarlet O'Hara, the rebellious, courageous, strong, engaging, not so sweet Southern bell, she wonderfully sheds light on the foolish traditions and conventions of society, particularly for the women in that unique disintegrating society of Southern Gentility. I think, the brilliance in the creation of that character and the story line allows her to get away with a very feminist and enlightened attitude, that I am sure was still very unpopular, but struggling to get free, in the 1920s and 30's.
Also the ambiguities of racism, that existed in the North and the South, she subtly weaves in and about her story. All of it led me to wonder what the attitudes were in Margaret Mitchell's day, and what reading materials had shaped her thinking, during her life.
To think that it was her first novel is mind boggling to me. Her thoughts and ideas are still timely today and indeed are timeless. I feel we missed out on some great works when she lost confidence in herself and refused to write again, then was killed so young. Maybe she just lost her heart and spirit, fighting to be herself in a hostile world toward women, and became a burnt out blazing star. I think she was someone I could've related to (not saying that I am a burnt out star LOL, maybe a burnt out light bulb LOL) I would have liked to have known her. She was an independent, rebellious spirit, intolerant of stupid ideas, conventions and traditions imposed by society, which only serves to keep certain segments of the population in control, of men and the wealthy.
For a Southern Bell to have had such spirit, passion and intelligence, must have been very hard and lonely for Margaret Mitchell, during her lifetime. She was obviously a very thoughtful and well read person. She must have put up a good fight, I am sure, for her day and circumstances, she must have come up against a lot, and must've certainly been a very special person as well as gifted and talented.
Through her skillfull and inspired writing, it was like she was actually there, a witness of the times.... maybe when she conceived the idea for the novel, or maybe, as a young child, civil war veterans could still have been alive and telling stories to her personally ... just think ... wow ... A great book, thought provoking, exciting, informative, and just plain good story telling. I could really imagine the feel and taste of the gritty dusty roads, smell the mud from the rain and the horse dung on the streets, I could imagine hunger, what hominy tastes like, what tight stays feel like, what an unwashed man smells like, I could imagine what the countryside, farms and cityscapes were like, the sounds, sights and smells. The whole experience inflamed my imagination and absorbed my mind.
My only criticism of the book is that it could have been edited a little better, some areas were repetitive, but really it only adds to the charm of the book. If it was too perfect it would have been too sterile and may have missed some of the innocence of emotion that carried through. I am glad I read it again....Kathy Struewing