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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Classic. To be read regardless of ethnicity, age or where you stood on the Civil War politics. The historical perspective is timeless.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I refuse to give this book any stars because of how ungodly racist its depictions of POC are. While it’s an expertly written and grand, sweeping story that understandably captivated so many hearts and minds, it’s hard to put aside how horrendously Mitchell treats the POC in her novel. The dialogue for all of the black people is downright offensive, as is the way the characters talk about them and the frequent use of the N word. It tries to make Scarlett a sympathetic character because she loves her slaves, but she also is incensed at the ideas of them marrying whites. While she thinks of them as people with feelings, she thinks of them as children. The novel makes you root for Scarlett by painting her as a modern woman in an old world, bristling at the restraints of society. It tries to wash away the racism with a feminist protagonist, and it’s not difficult to root for her. I picked this up because it’s been lauded as one of the greatest romances of all time, and several books on writing reference it as a great example of writing and character building. I however wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Though I am glad I’ve read it so I can have an articulate opinion on it, I think some classics can be left in the past. The myth of the lost cause and trying to paint the civil war as something grander than what it really was, a fight to enslave, paired with offensive depictions of POC tips the scales in such a way that I don’t think this needs to be recommended to anyone. Not to mention the male protagonist Scarlett’s pines over for 900+ pages is in the Klan, but it’s supposed to be okay because he didn’t believe in violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Xenophobia
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"After all, tomorrow is another day."
Despite the fact that Margaret Mitchell was blatantly racist, glorified slavery and the KKK, and romanticized the whitewashing of America, she was an impressive storyteller and continuously broke my heart for nearly 1000 pages. Without the overtly racist content, the story would obviously be very different from what it is but I did my best to separate the two while reading. As a white woman, it felt not only necessary but important for me to acknowledge and consider my privilege during the entirety of my read.
I cannot say that I loved the book, due to the atrocious and gross depictions of Black people and their relationship with slavery, but I did love the (majority of) the story, the development, and the characters themselves. Never in my life did I think I’d be devastated by the events of Gone With the Wind but my visceral emotional reaction to the ending said otherwise.
Despite the fact that Margaret Mitchell was blatantly racist, glorified slavery and the KKK, and romanticized the whitewashing of America, she was an impressive storyteller and continuously broke my heart for nearly 1000 pages. Without the overtly racist content, the story would obviously be very different from what it is but I did my best to separate the two while reading. As a white woman, it felt not only necessary but important for me to acknowledge and consider my privilege during the entirety of my read.
I cannot say that I loved the book, due to the atrocious and gross depictions of Black people and their relationship with slavery, but I did love the (majority of) the story, the development, and the characters themselves. Never in my life did I think I’d be devastated by the events of Gone With the Wind but my visceral emotional reaction to the ending said otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gone with the Wind is a deeply complicated read—both sweeping in its emotional scope and deeply problematic in its portrayal of race.
The racism in this book is horrific. The Black characters are painfully one-dimensional, infantilized, and written in a way that strips them of depth. The language used to depict them is offensive and steeped in the worst kind of romanticized nostalgia for the antebellum South and their dialogue is rendered in exaggerated dialect that strips them of dignity. This book repeatedly attempts to justify the institution of slavery. It portrays enslaved people as content with their condition—an offensive and historically false narrative that reinforces white supremacist ideology. It’s not just a product of its time—it’s a deliberate attempt to rewrite history through a nostalgic, racist lens. It’s impossible to ignore, and it casts a long shadow over the entire novel.
And yet I did find myself swept up in the story, and ultimately loving Scarlett O'Hara.
Scarlett one of the most compelling, frustrating, and unforgettable characters I’ve ever read. She’s strong, pragmatic, manipulative, and utterly unapologetic. Her resilience in the face of war, starvation, and social ruin is incredible at times. She’s flawed—cruel, selfish, and blind to her own heart—but I couldn’t help rooting for her.
The novel depicts a “Lost Cause” narrative. While it romanticizes the Old South, it also doesn’t shy away from the trauma of war: destroyed homes, starvation, and the emotional wreckage left behind. The portrayal of post-war struggle and collapse of a way of life is incredibly moving even as it’s wrapped in dangerous nostalgia.
Scarlett’s relationship with Rhett is a slow-burning toxic mess. Their chemistry is undeniable, but their inability to be vulnerable with each other is maddening. Rhett sees Scarlett more clearly than anyone else, but he also infantilizes her, never truly expressing his love until it’s too late. And let’s not ignore the age gap—Scarlett is 16 when they meet, and Rhett is in his 30s. There are moments of real heartbreak—especially Scarlett’s miscarriage—and the slow decay of their marriage is painful to witness. The blame for their failed marriage is unfairly placed on Scarlett—despite Rhett’s emotional withholding and condescension which I found incredibly frustrating, and the sexism and double standards were glaring.
Despite its many flaws, Gone with the Wind is a powerful portrayal of survival, loss, and the collapse of a world. But it’s also a dangerous piece of historical revisionism that glorifies a society built on human suffering. While I enjoyed it, it was an incredibly conflicting read.
okay this book was so long but the more i read it the more i enjoyed it. honestly she ate for being the independent queen she was but didn’t have to do ashley and rhett like that??? i hope she got rhett back tho, i can take ashley i’d understand him
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
¡Se acabó! :( Tienes sus altos y bajos, como todo tocho de semejante calibre, pero después de mil y pico páginas sufriendo y riendo, amando y odiando a Scarlett, Melly, Mammy y compañía no podía ponerle menos de cinco estrellas.