Gone with the Wind (Gone with the Wind) (Penguin Joint Venture Readers S.)

by Margaret Mitchell

Pat Conroy (Preface)

Since its original publication in 1936, Gone With the Wind--winner of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the bestselling novels of all time--has been heralded by readers everywhere as The Great American Novel.

Widely considered The Great American Novel, and often remembered for its epic film version, Gone With the Wind explores the depth of human passions with an intensity as bold as its setting in the red hills of Georgia. A superb piece of storytelling, it vividly depicts the drama of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

This is the tale of Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled, manipulative daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, who arrives at young womanhood just in time to see the Civil War forever change her way of life. A sweeping story of tangled passion and courage, in the pages of Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell brings to life the unforgettable characters that have captured readers for over seventy years.

• ISBN10: 1451635621
• ISBN13: 9781451635621
• Publish Date: 3 May 2011 (first published 30 June 1936)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Edition: 75th Anniversary ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 960
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Every time I read this book, I get a little something different from it.

My first read was a sheer feat of determination:  I was eleven, and it was a huge book.  And an adult book.  I felt like a rock star.

The second time, I fell in love with the story.  The richness of the world Margaret Mitchell presents is astounding.

The third time, I fell in love with Scarlett.  Scarlett is the immense character of spirit and soul, with an unbreakable determination and strength.  I envied her strong shoulders for bearing the burdens she did, and her ability to say "Fiddle-dee-dee!" and not care what others thought.

This time, I've fallen in love with Melanie Wilkes.

Melly has been on my radar since the beginning, but like Scarlett, I haven't always had the patience for her slow, deliberate actions and selfless heart.  As I get older and smarter, I have learned to appreciate this silently strong character.  Where Scarlett will trod over anyone she must to rise to the top, Melly stands resolute behind all the other characters, both a sanctuary and a rock.  She is graceful and poised.  Most of all, her kindness stands out.  Strangely, this is an uncommon characteristic in literature, but it makes Melanie all the more bright.

As long and grueling as it is, Gone With the Wind remains vehemently one of my favorite books.  From the richness of the story to the depth and growth of the characters, I find myself drawn into the Old South.  Margaret Mitchell effortlessly paints different shades of Georgia - from the grand plantations to Yankee-occupied Atlanta.   You can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell every aspect of this novel and every book should have this incredible balance of description and experience.

As I've mentioned, the characters are fantastic.  There are parts of Rhett and Scarlett that, four reads in, I'm still not certain about.  One of the most popular post-reading questions about this book is: "Do you think Rhett and Scarlett will make amends?" and I love this question, because I don't know.  The more I read it, the more I think that the best they can ever hope for is a struggling friendship but... ah... anyway, if you've read Gone With the Wind I'd love to hear your opinion on this.

I understand and acknowledge the problematic scenes where POC characters are portrayed in a stereotyped manner and slavery is longed for... I try to be mindful that Gone With the Wind was written in 1936 and the world has grown smarter, more respectful, and more accountable.  Characters like Prissy and Big Sam are unfairly characterized especially.  That said, I would fully recommend reading this book despite these portrayals, but knowing they are there and that they are problematic.

In short, this book is a classic for a reason.  It is beautifully written, the characters are relatable even almost ninety years later, and I love it.  Three good reasons for you to give Gone With the Wind a try.

Intimidated by the size?  No problem.  The Recorded Books version read by Linda Stephens (this one!) is fabulous.

[jamiereadthis]

I am torn between liking this book better than I thought I would and not liking it at all. I think the highest praise is that I finished it, which is more than I can say for even the first half hour of the movie. It’s the melodrama; oh, the melodrama. I do not have a melodramatic bone in my body.

On the other hand, I’m genuinely glad to have read it. It was my grandmother’s favorite story, always, and now I can see how: she was, in a person, the Irish, hot-tempered, embittered Scarlett. Always with the driving, fearless, reckless impatience to fly in the face of others, never with the imagination, will, or desire to see life from any other perspective, somehow rooted in a deeply personal, misguided sense of love and duty. She was a hard woman to understand, and for that reason alone I’m glad to have found Scarlett out.

But, oh, the melodrama.

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

The book begins with Scarlett O'Hara, the belle of the ball who has every beaux at her fingertips but refuses any man's love except that of Ashley Wilkes who's love is unobtainable as he is to marry his cousin Melanie, as all the Wilkes have done for generations. After hearing this news with Scarlett having a delusion that if Ashley Wilkes knows her true feelings he couldn't marry that mealy mouth Melanie Hamilton. She decides to confess her love to him at an upcoming baroque, but unfortunately her declaration of love is overheard by Rhett Butler who has a horrible reputation and will not be received by most of Charleston, his home town. While at the baroque war breaks out and the Confederacy calls for volunteers Scarlett agrees to marry Melanie's brother Charles believing that this will make Ashley jealous. After her husband's death she leaves Tara and moves to Atlanta to live with Melanie and Pitty Pat Hamilton. Though out her stay in Atlanta she is visited by the scoundrel Rhett Butler, while bringing her gifts and buying her at auction to dance at a fundraiser he still manages to make sarcastic comments about Ashley Wilkes.

After Atlanta falls and she flees for Tara her etiquette and southern upbringing takes a back seat as she realizes that charm and sweet talk will not put food on the table she develops a strong backbone and as God as her wittiness, will never go hungry again.

Finally after a second husband and hundreds of pages of build up Scarlett becomes Mrs. Rhett Butler, this time not marrying for spite or money but for fun. Though out all this time she still believes that her one and only true love is Ashley Wilkes even though they are like oil and vinegar. And whatever his true feelings are he would never be unfaithful to his wife Melanie and Scarlett loathes her with a passion for this, even though Melly loves her unconditionally realizing all to late that Scarlett can not live with out her friendship. As for Rhett he still remembers that fatefull day when he heard her confession and knows her feelings have not changed but hopes that he can remedy this.

After marriage, however, his jealousy and misery grows as he realizes that she isn't going to outwardly love him. After coming to terms with this he transfers all his love and affection to their daughter Bonnie, after her death there is nothing left for Rhett in the marriage as both Husband and Wife are too proud to admit their love for one another and leaves this now broken unity not giving a damn what happens to Scarlett.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is just an amazing book and read it every year, and always has me crying by the end of the saga every time.