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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Christmas gift...
done now: As a standalone read, certainly it rates 4 *s. Having visited Charleston a couple times, I can visualize some of the locales. And the history is interesting.
As a GWTW companion/prequel/sequel, I'm not sure. The Rhett info reads true (although anyone who has read Scarlett will have to erase that info from their memory banks -- the 2 books have nothing to do with one another), and the situations presented fill in some informational gaps in the original. For example, Rhett's arrest before Scarlett goes to him in her mother's drapes [:-)]
The Scarlett portions are a bit jarring/grating, though, and the later sequence set at Tara seemed a stretch.
If someone is a GWTW die-hard, maybe steer clear. But if you want a good read with a different spin on some of the characters (Melanie among them), then check it out.
done now: As a standalone read, certainly it rates 4 *s. Having visited Charleston a couple times, I can visualize some of the locales. And the history is interesting.
As a GWTW companion/prequel/sequel, I'm not sure. The Rhett info reads true (although anyone who has read Scarlett will have to erase that info from their memory banks -- the 2 books have nothing to do with one another), and the situations presented fill in some informational gaps in the original. For example, Rhett's arrest before Scarlett goes to him in her mother's drapes [:-)]
The Scarlett portions are a bit jarring/grating, though, and the later sequence set at Tara seemed a stretch.
If someone is a GWTW die-hard, maybe steer clear. But if you want a good read with a different spin on some of the characters (Melanie among them), then check it out.
DNF 10% poor allowance of authorization by the Margaret Mitchell estate. Stahp!
While I found this book entertaining it was unjust to Gone with the Wind.
I read it just after finishing Gone with the Wind, and while I enjoyed it, I am not certain it was true to the characters that were in the original work all of the time. There were also some scenes that were supposed to correspond with [b:Gone with the Wind|18405|Gone With The Wind|Margaret Mitchell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166913011s/18405.jpg|3358283], and had characters in the wrong rooms.
I recommend it, but I cannot praise it too highly.
I read it just after finishing Gone with the Wind, and while I enjoyed it, I am not certain it was true to the characters that were in the original work all of the time. There were also some scenes that were supposed to correspond with [b:Gone with the Wind|18405|Gone With The Wind|Margaret Mitchell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166913011s/18405.jpg|3358283], and had characters in the wrong rooms.
I recommend it, but I cannot praise it too highly.
I'm going to go right down the middle on this one. I enjoyed seeing this author's take on Rhett's family and the detail behind Belle, Rosemary, etc, life is interesting. I had too look at it on a couple of different levels to really digest how I felt about this -- usually I think about whether I like the story, liked the characters or whether I learned anything new.
DID I LOVE THE CHARACTERS?
Someone else on this site said you really need to have read GWTW to understand this == I think it's more that you need to read GWTW to really love the characters in this book. I don't think I would have been attached to these characters in the way I was without having read GWTW. So to that end, I don't think I could have liked this book as a stand-alone based on my attachment to them. They just weren't as compelling. I wouldn't have "gotten it."
DID I LOVE THE STORY?
I liked all the parts that did not overlap with GWTW. For example, there are key scenes from GWTW that are "reimagined" in this book. I would have rathered these scenes be left out and that the author had found another way to progress the plot withouth re-hashing the scenes that are so beautifully done in GWTW. At least, recreate the dialog faithfully and then add Rhett's perspective or inner monologue. I tried to accept these changes throughout the book by remembering that all of us remember conversations differently and that this is merely presenting Rhett's side of what happened. However there are a couple of scenes where Scarlett is by herself and the author rehashes an entire scene that is in GWTW, where Rhett isnt even present. Why did we need that?
DID I LEARN ANYTHING NEW?
This author did try to add some more historical perspective to the novel that Mitchell's original classic. GWTW describes a world and everything that comes into contact with the people in that world, but it isn't heavy on describing the external world. You learn about the external only when it touches the main characters. With RBP the story ranges far afield with the descriptions of the army and its structure, the reconstruction and many of the issues of the day. So from that perspective, it was interesting to see the timeline of wartime events followed more closely.
Ultimately, its unfair to judge it again GWTW too much. It's just one imagining of the same world. But of course what makes us love GWTW is that Mitchell knew how to describe it so that we felt the texture of their dresses, the feel of the velvet settee, the heaviness of the Georgia heat, the dirt in our mouths and the frustrated rage and sadness of a society we can barely understand anymore. I don't know that this book does that, but I found it enjoyable to have someone help me imagine how Rhett and Scarlett got their happily ever after. And to be honest, I think RBP is closer to how it could have happened than the Scarlett sequel was.
DID I LOVE THE CHARACTERS?
Someone else on this site said you really need to have read GWTW to understand this == I think it's more that you need to read GWTW to really love the characters in this book. I don't think I would have been attached to these characters in the way I was without having read GWTW. So to that end, I don't think I could have liked this book as a stand-alone based on my attachment to them. They just weren't as compelling. I wouldn't have "gotten it."
DID I LOVE THE STORY?
I liked all the parts that did not overlap with GWTW. For example, there are key scenes from GWTW that are "reimagined" in this book. I would have rathered these scenes be left out and that the author had found another way to progress the plot withouth re-hashing the scenes that are so beautifully done in GWTW. At least, recreate the dialog faithfully and then add Rhett's perspective or inner monologue. I tried to accept these changes throughout the book by remembering that all of us remember conversations differently and that this is merely presenting Rhett's side of what happened. However there are a couple of scenes where Scarlett is by herself and the author rehashes an entire scene that is in GWTW, where Rhett isnt even present. Why did we need that?
DID I LEARN ANYTHING NEW?
This author did try to add some more historical perspective to the novel that Mitchell's original classic. GWTW describes a world and everything that comes into contact with the people in that world, but it isn't heavy on describing the external world. You learn about the external only when it touches the main characters. With RBP the story ranges far afield with the descriptions of the army and its structure, the reconstruction and many of the issues of the day. So from that perspective, it was interesting to see the timeline of wartime events followed more closely.
Ultimately, its unfair to judge it again GWTW too much. It's just one imagining of the same world. But of course what makes us love GWTW is that Mitchell knew how to describe it so that we felt the texture of their dresses, the feel of the velvet settee, the heaviness of the Georgia heat, the dirt in our mouths and the frustrated rage and sadness of a society we can barely understand anymore. I don't know that this book does that, but I found it enjoyable to have someone help me imagine how Rhett and Scarlett got their happily ever after. And to be honest, I think RBP is closer to how it could have happened than the Scarlett sequel was.
I really wanted to love this book because Gone With the Wind is one of my favorites, mostly due to the fact that I love history and I love reading about all different time periods. This one is a Margaret Mitchell estate-authorized GWTW companion novel touted as the greatest love story ever told, from Rhett’s perspective. More than just a sequel, this book gives us Rhett Butler’s backstory, from his life as a child growing up on Broughton Plantation in the Low Country under a very strict, authoritarian father, to his rebellious teenage years, to his blockade runner days during the Civil War, to his life with Scarlett, and everything in between.
What I didn’t like:
1. The story isn’t told just from Rhett’s POV, which is what the description leads you to think, but from multiple characters’ POV, which is fine really, but why did we need Scarlett’s take on anything? We already have a book from her POV. I did think that having chapters told from a few other characters’ POV, like Rosemary Butler, Belle Watling, and Melanie Hamilton, was a nice touch.
2. The characters in this book were oddly out of character! Did Mr. McCaig even read GWTW? You know Rhett’s character. You know Scarlett’s character. You know Melanie and Ashley and every other GWTW character. Well, they seem to be such different people in this book.
3. This novel glaringly skips over some important storylines from GWTW, the most obvious being Bonnie’s death, which had a major effect on Rhett. It would seem that we should get to read about this from his perspective. Also, certain events didn’t follow the same timeline as GWTW.
4. The story ends completely different from Scarlett (the estate-authorized GWTW sequel by Alexandra Ripley). I mean, if the Margaret Mitchell estate authorized a sequel, then shouldn’t the companion novel at least have the same end result?
What I did like:
1. Revisiting this story and getting reacquainted with some of my favorite characters.
2. I’m glad the author didn’t sugarcoat what plantation life was like for slaves, but instead painted a true picture of the horrors of slavery, and of what life was like during that dark period in our nation’s history.
3. I enjoyed getting the inside scoop on Rhett’s and Belle’s relationship, as well as getting the addition of Belle’s son.
So, did I love this book? No. But will I keep it on my shelves? Yes, because I’m such a GWTW fan, I will keep the book.
What I didn’t like:
1. The story isn’t told just from Rhett’s POV, which is what the description leads you to think, but from multiple characters’ POV, which is fine really, but why did we need Scarlett’s take on anything? We already have a book from her POV. I did think that having chapters told from a few other characters’ POV, like Rosemary Butler, Belle Watling, and Melanie Hamilton, was a nice touch.
2. The characters in this book were oddly out of character! Did Mr. McCaig even read GWTW? You know Rhett’s character. You know Scarlett’s character. You know Melanie and Ashley and every other GWTW character. Well, they seem to be such different people in this book.
3. This novel glaringly skips over some important storylines from GWTW, the most obvious being Bonnie’s death, which had a major effect on Rhett. It would seem that we should get to read about this from his perspective. Also, certain events didn’t follow the same timeline as GWTW.
4. The story ends completely different from Scarlett (the estate-authorized GWTW sequel by Alexandra Ripley). I mean, if the Margaret Mitchell estate authorized a sequel, then shouldn’t the companion novel at least have the same end result?
What I did like:
1. Revisiting this story and getting reacquainted with some of my favorite characters.
2. I’m glad the author didn’t sugarcoat what plantation life was like for slaves, but instead painted a true picture of the horrors of slavery, and of what life was like during that dark period in our nation’s history.
3. I enjoyed getting the inside scoop on Rhett’s and Belle’s relationship, as well as getting the addition of Belle’s son.
So, did I love this book? No. But will I keep it on my shelves? Yes, because I’m such a GWTW fan, I will keep the book.
This book was a good companion to Gone With the Wind, but I did not "love" it like I was hoping.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I think it's because I went in knowing that it was not Gone With The Wind, I don't think the author's intent was to write another GWTW. To me this was a flushing out of a very complex character. You get to know Rhett and the people that shaped his life. Why he was the he was.
I loved it.
I know it’s not GWTW.
But I respect it for what it is ..... a good novel with familiar characters.
I know it’s not GWTW.
But I respect it for what it is ..... a good novel with familiar characters.
going back to read gone with the wind and scarlet again.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I could never make it through "Scarlett," but this was a great "other side" of the story!