Reviews - Gone with the Wind

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3.62k reviews for:

Gone with the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

4.15 AVERAGE

ksoccello24's review against another edition

5.0

stunning piece of literature. I enjoyed the history, the perspectives, the characterization, and beautiful writing.

harry_gl's review against another edition

The central relationship between Scarlett and Rhett is really uncomfortable to me. Their interactions have so many red flags and I persevered as long as I could but another million hours of this enormous book is too much. I also really hated how Scarlett talks about not caring about her son Wade, I found it quite upsetting.

jillbcdb's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous dark informative tense medium-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

stacikristine's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

3.5 stars - I finished this last week and I'm struggling to rate or review it. on the one hand, I can absolutely see why it is an American Classic. The author is extremely gifted in bringing characters, places, and events to life. I feel like I learned more about the Civil War while reading this than I ever did in school. On the other hand, almost every single character made me very angry. Yes, I can see why certain characters acted like they did. But that doesn't make me like them more. Over all, I'm glad that I read it, but it isn't a favorite.

michellelatourelle's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

-obviously the racism is rampant throughout the book; black people are either infantilized or demonized, either “good” because they like their positions or “uppity” if they want literally anything other than to be a slave. Scarlet justifies the institution because they are “good” slave owners and treat their people well, and somehow only the Yankees are the actual racists ones. Unflattering physical and intellectual descriptions abound (although, to be absolutely fair, Scarlet describes nearly everyone that isn’t Ashley, her mother and father, or Rhett , as stupid and ugly - she is quite a shallow and mean-hearted person)
-whenever you start to feel too bad for Scarlet and her peers during the war or reconstruction, as you might because the author’s ability to make you feel emotions is incredible, remind yourself that the life they want to go back to is one only made possible through slavery, one in which to be “in trade” or need to do any actual work is shameful; they literally just want to be able to sit around in leisure day in day out. Remind yourself that the poverty and hard work they have to life through is probably the same level of the “poor whites” and many others before the war who they reviled. You don’t think it needs to be said, but man does the author start making you feel overly sympathetic if you’re not watching out .
- Scarlet is both so dumb and so smart, so frivolous and so pragmatic. You end up loving her more than you know you should - mostly because you can only compare her to her peers that are even more dumb and frivolous. The confederates are not painted in a good light at all.
-Rhett is the framework for the morally-grey love interest. And they are so perfect for each other in such a tragic way, I understand why they are on the lists of greatest fictional love stories. It’s heartbreaking and inevitable.
-the emotional rollercoasters, the gorgeous imagery