Rating: 
Summary: this is a good book
Review: I think that Gone with the wind is the best book ever written the movie is a winner to . I love how it informs you of everything that is going on. You go through the whole book like will Scarlett and Redett get together or will they stay together will Scarlett finally get Ashely. Will they survive the war. Who will live and who will die. You read through the tragides and the good times . I give Gone with the Wind and will argue with anyone who differs.
Rating: 
Summary: Rhett is the ultimate man
Review: Easily the best piece of American fiction I have ever read. It is not only one of the most touching love stories of all time " Did it ever occur to you that I loved you as much as a man can love a woman ?" is one of most beautiful things I have ever heard a man say to a woman - it is an amazing depiction of Civil War history, told from the southern perspective. And Rhett just spoils you - because you keep comparing every man you meet with him and they just don't come even close. Despite the fact that I'm a woman, when I read the book, I identified far more with Rhett as a heroic character then I did with Scarlett, because he is so unabashedly honest about why he does things, and he has courage to say and do things because he believes in them, even if the community he is a part of is too shortsighted or too willfully blind to see the truth of what he says. Scarlett is just a hardheaded egocentric little brat, and the only admirable part of her personality is her neverending grit and determination to survive against all odds during Reconstruction despite incurring the wrath of her society. But personally despite the fact that Rhett thinks they're right for each other, because they're both rebels, I personally think she's too stupid for him, she just never thinks about anything except what she wants and how she's going to get it. But I suppose going by the time in which the book was written women were expected to be stupider than men. Of course, in some parts of the world, including where I come from, it's still considered a good thing. Rhett is the best thing that happened to Scarlett, that's definete, though whether she's the best thing to happen to him is questionable. Maybe if he'd been able to stretch her mind and her heart a little while they were married I would think she was good enough for him. Aside from the personal story which has resoundingly real characters and the epic tale of the Old South, this book ( and the movie ) serves as stunning anti-war statement. It makes you realize how terribly futile and a waste of effort, resources, and most of all people, war can be. Anyone who misses this book has missed out on something wonderful. And as far as the end is concerned, it was really no more then she deserved after ignoring him for years and years, but of course you do want to know they eventually end up together, because you know that they will make each other happy.
Rating:
Summary: Much sexier than the film!
Review: It isn't all about the romance. Let me just blurt this out: Rhett is the HOTTEST MAN and after reading this you will be disappointed in every man you meet! He makes my blood boil like mad! He drives me mad! God, he's so damn sexy. He truly knows a woman and what she wants, and definitely what I want. I suggest that every man read in detail of Rhett's kissing technique because we need more men with skills like those. But enough of my gushing. Gosh, I wish I could have met this gifted writer who has combined multiple themes, tones, characters, and ideas and weaved it into this novel. I am not kidding nor exaggerating when I say this is the best novel, was always the best novel, and will always be the best novel. I've never laughed so hard or sobbed so much for a book. Everything fits right into place. THis is a perfect symphony on which the description of setting flow so well into the characters. I love the clever remarks of Rhett. Yes, he's VERY clever, as well as sexy. However, this is NOT a trashy romance novel. Margaret Mitchell does not give the usual and cliched damsel in distress heroine. Many intelligent and not-so-intelligent people have complained that of supposed rape, the inaccuracy of slaves were actually treated by their owners, and other indecencies. The one about rape is a flimsy complaint that can be easily refuted because it wasn't and the description of the scene fully suggests otherwise. However, the latter complaint has more value. However, if you really want to see the truth of the treatment of black slaves, just pick up Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States for such purposes. I am glad that the heroine was an imperfect hero. She was as real as any human. Scarlett is the person name for her because it certainly reflects her red-hot devotion to her beloved home Tara and her parents. Other characters such as Melanie and Ashley were so excellently developed. The characters can't get any closer to reality. However, I have lost many nights of sleep for reading this. This is so addictive that I could give up sleep for days in a row.
Rating:
Summary: It is so good!
Review: It's so good that I have read it more than five times.It's one of the best books I have read.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is my favorite book all time. Better than the movie!
Rating:
Summary: Gone with the Wind Historic Review
Review: As the title of the movie portrays it, "Gone with the Wind" is the disappearance of a whole civilization after the Civil War, or a civilization gone with the wind. The movie is about the different stages at which the South was before, through, and finally during Reconstruction. At first, we observe how the Southern aristocracy lived during their peak years when the price of cotton was up in the skies. At the barbecue at Twelve Oaks, the Wilk's plantation, the movie depicts the arrogance of the southern gentlemen, since most of them wanted to go to war and blabbered expressions like, "...a southern gentlemen is worth any ten yankees..." They are all absolutely sure that they will win the war in a matter of months, but as it turned out they were absolutely incorrect. During this part of the movie, the views of the South that we observe are pretty biased, because slaves were treated as part of the family and with a lot of respect. In some plantations like the O'Hara's it could've happened, but it was very rare. Suddenly, when war is declared all of the southern beaux go to enlist into the army feverishly. The only one with a realistic view is Rhett Buttler, since he tells the men that before they start talking about victory they should be concerned in building more factories to supply their troops with such things as weapons and clothing. At this time, Rhett is looked at with scorn. But afterwards, he becomes a hero because he is the one who breaks the Union blockade and smuggles supplies into Charleston. When the war drags on, the south is just lingering its defeat. The movie also depicts the southern courage during the war, but with just courage and persistent one can't with the war. The movie is actually very realistic when it shows the wounded and the lack of supplies the southern hospitals had to help them. Finally when the war is about to end, we see General Sherman's troops marching into Atlanta and the evacuation of the city. In this scene, the movie also portrays Scarlett's courage by managing to take Melanie and the baby to Tara. When they finally arrive to Tara, we really see the devastation that took place at the South by the Union troops. At this moment, Scarlett vowed that no matter what she had to do, she would never suffer from hunger again in her life. Later, the carpetbaggers, or the blacks that come from the north, and the scalawags, southern people that supported reconstruction, make life very harsh for the southern people. They raise the taxes to the skies knowing that there is no way for them to be paid, but Scarlett with her strength and wit manages to pay them. Finally when she is established and married to Mr. Douglas, she starts a lumber business with Ashley Wilks. All her old friends criticize Scarlett, since she has become a scalawag herself and is dealing with the northern merchants. This part of the movie is very ironic because Ashley refuses to gain profit from forced labor, in this case prisoners that are brought to the mill by an overseer. Scarlett replies that he used to own slaves, but he tells her that even if the war didn't occur, they were going to be free when his father died. Again we observe the nostalgic and sympathetic view towards the South in the story line. Finally, the movie also presents the reactions that the Southerners had against the colored people. When Scarlett is attacked in the dark side of town, her husband and the other men pretend to be in a 'political meeting' while they are raiding into the blacks area burning their houses and killing some men. They wanted to 'clean' this area so it was safe for Scarlet to travel to the mill. Similar events did take place after the war. In fact, some of them took place in a larger scale and included lynchings and other violent acts. This anti-black feeling lead to the sprouting of groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the violence among both groups continued for a long time. Overall, "Gone with the Wind" is a great movie that gives us a feeling of what it was like to live during the Civil War. Although it gets carried away sometimes by being slightly biased, the movie is a very good representation of the events that took place during this period. Besides from providing some historical evidence, it presents the different feelings and responses that the people had towards the confli
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable story
Review: If you're a fan of the movie, you HAVE to read the book. It is packed with details the movie doesn't even touch. Plus I think the book is actually more entertaining, believe it or not. Reading the novel enables you to better understand the principal characters and the environment of the Old South. The movie, even though it is 3 1/2 hours long, is really a huge abridgement of the novel. So much is missing from the film. After you've read the book you'll understand what I mean. Finally, if you do read the novel, prepare yourself, because it is quite long and requires concentration to keep track of the vast amount of characters and scenes. Anyway, this is the best novel I've ever read, and I generally don't read novels.
Rating:
Summary: Gone With the Wind
Review: In the book Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell accurately portrays both the struggles and triumphs of living in the Civil War-torn South. Through the characters of Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley and Melanie, she shares with us the many opposing viewpoints of the Civil War. Gone With the Wind is a book that is timeless due to its amazing ability to stun readers with its stark truth. Everyone can relate to at least one character: hot-headed, poverty-fearing Scarlett; her husband, the child-doting blackguard Rhett; gentle, sweet Melanie, whose love for the Cause is greater than anything; and and Ashley, the hater of all wars. For these reasons, I rate Gone With the Wind five brilliantly shining stars!
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps my Favorite Book of All Time!
Review: I have been reading "Gone With the Wind" every couple of years since I was first "allowed" to read it at the age of 14! (In those days our mothers had higher hurdles for "appropriate" reading). When I was younger, I read this book once every year. I actually learned to read French without a dictionary by reading the French translation. (It's long enough to have that kind of linguistic influence! )The story of Scarlett O'Hara, a feisty and courageous southern "belle" whose beauty and sharpness was complicated by a lack of insight into human nature that ultimately left her unable to understand the hearts of those she most loved and by whom she was loved, until it was too late. It is also the story of the the South just before, during and after the Civil War. A more sympathetic portrait of the South than many other Civil war histories, it has aged fairly well, despite a slightly more patronistic view of African-Americans than one might be comfortable with today. Given its authorship dating back to the 1930s, I believe one needs to look at the book in the context of its historical period, and not to demean its historical or entertainment value simply because we are more aware and more sophisticated after the Era of Civil Rights in the United States. I also believe a sympathetic and well-educated person such as the author Margaret Mitchell seems to be, would have been the first to agree had she lived long enough to undergo that period of transformation in our country. Despite this limitation, few books of historical fiction are so well-plotted, and few characters in literature are so well-developed as that of Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler, or Ashley and Melanie Wilkes--people I continue to feel like I "knew" in another time. The story is also that of Atlanta, a city which was relatively young and "brash" as a Confederate economic and cultural center, relative to Charleston and Richmond, the more sedate Confederate capitals. The book is valuable both as a historical text for those of us with little insight into the viewpoint of the South beyond that given in grade school textbooks, and as one of the most romantic dramas in American literature. I enjoyed reading this book as much at the age of 48 as I did almost 35 years ago (and many times in-between). I can't imagine a better summer read for a teenage girl, or a better way to relax at the beach for her mother, or a better way to pass a cold snowy vacation in front of a fire. Definetely a book for the romantically inclined. One should also note, that "Gone With the Wind" is one of the few books (until perhaps "Cider House Rules") portrayed almost as well on film as the book is written. However the pleasures remain different and self-contained, and no enjoyment of either is lost by viewing or reading the other.
Rating:
Summary: If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!
Review: I'm a 12 year old and a little while ago finished reading GWTW. It was my favorite movie for the longest time and I decided I wanted to read the book. All my friends bet I would never finish it but I did! It may be long but there was never a dull moment. Read this book or see the movie! Actually, do both!
|
