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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
It took half a year of stopping and starting, but now at the end I don't feel I have a rating for it. I was repeatedly struck by how very real so much of it felt, in a way that "history" rarely is to me, that I could look down Peachtree Street today and see in its place how it looked during Scarlett's time, half-expecting to see the characters trotting down the muddy roads in a carriage -- but I also don't think anyone should ever read this book. I learned so much while drawn into the very vivid lives and minds of these characters, but I was also thoroughly repulsed enough to abandon it for other books several times over. I was swept away, enchanted, put through the emotional wringer, but I'm very glad to be done with it. It's both an admirable accomplishment of a book and a stain on humanity (or at least representative of this).
Loveable characters:
Yes
Wow, I did it. This book is another that has loomed over me- I knew that it would be a gauntlet to read but that's all I knew of this book. Other than the obvious stereotypes of the film, Scarlett is standing resolute with closed fists as the cotton fields burn behind her. The "Tomorrow's another day." & "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" clips on repeat. Etc etc. I knew that the book had some very apologetic views on the Confederate South and that the book centers around the Civil War and the reformation of the South.
Plot-wise- I knew very little of the book- and I am glad I could read it without too many preconceived ideas about its story. I found it a very enjoyable read and even more- I liked very much reading about a flawed heroine. I appreciate a character (especially in the setting when GWTW was written) with plenty of spots and alternate virtues, even more so given as attributes to women- women of all kinds, well-rounded persons. I enjoy Scarlet's furious determination to exist- to continue. Her often misaligned virtues - stubborn, yes but also indominable.
I did see a comparison regarding Rhett & Scarlett as almost a Heathcliff & Cathy relationship- and I could easily see that in what I read. I will write more shortly-
Plot-wise- I knew very little of the book- and I am glad I could read it without too many preconceived ideas about its story. I found it a very enjoyable read and even more- I liked very much reading about a flawed heroine. I appreciate a character (especially in the setting when GWTW was written) with plenty of spots and alternate virtues, even more so given as attributes to women- women of all kinds, well-rounded persons. I enjoy Scarlet's furious determination to exist- to continue. Her often misaligned virtues - stubborn, yes but also indominable.
I did see a comparison regarding Rhett & Scarlett as almost a Heathcliff & Cathy relationship- and I could easily see that in what I read. I will write more shortly-
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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
Scarlett O’Hara is the most vapid, narcissistic, mean, brilliant, hilarious, self-possessed character ever written. I loved and loathed her in equal measure. I listened to 50 hours of audio and still wanted to know what would happen next.
P.S.
Justice for Melanie…married to the most mediocre man in history.
P.S.
Justice for Melanie…married to the most mediocre man in history.
A book that not only deals with the protagonist's childish infatuation and personal growth but also with the socio-economic state during American Civil War. The latter is often slightly neglected because of the romantic tone of the book.
Disclaimer: Slavery is inherently bad, cruel and inhumane. This goes without saying but my reading of this book or any book which contains slavery or paints it as anything other than awful does not represent my personal views on it.
This book is a controversial read. It’s written in a way that sympathizes with the Confederacy. However, I think it’s important to understand the opinions of those you don’t agree with. Gone With The Wind really helps paint the picture of the Southern Gentleman’s opinion on slavery and their opinions about the war. It gives us an understanding about the cultural divide between North and South. Overall, it earns a solid 3 stars from me.
The reason I only gave it three stars was because the depictions of slavery were grueling. It was tough to read something that puts such a rose-colored glass over such a serious subject. I couldn’t get past it even if the point of view was important.
That being out of the way, we have a few bites of information that I’d like to touch on:
Scarlett O’Hara is the antithesis of the southern gentlewoman. While she comes from a family with pedigree and pretends to be gentle and sweet- we learn very quickly from her inner monologue that she is very much a sadistic, manipulative and selfish person. She spends majority of the book making decisions to spite those around her. She has no problem whipping out tears when she knows she’ll benefit from it. She’s not meant to be likable and yet she was. I loved how strong and determined she was. Despite complaining about her destitute (and let’s be honest- if a person is starving they have a right), she did everything within her power to fight back and gain what she lost. Public opinion be damned!
Rhett Butler is instantly in love with her. However, Rhett is at least 20 years older than her. The weird feeling I get when I think about the fact that this adult man was in love with a 16 year old is not great. I’m not sure if this was considered typical or okay during the Civil War era. I digress. He’s sees a lot of himself in her. He’s a very morally gray character and it’s really up to the reader to decide whether he’s more good than bad or vice versa. What I will say is that I thought Scarlett and Rhett deserved each other.
There’s also Ashley- the southern gentleman who is honor bound but spends the entire novel lusting after Scarlett. We learn he doesn’t love her like he loves his wife Melanie. We learn that Scarlett was an unobtainable fantasy for him and that he likes to play around. He’s just as bad as Rhett and Scarlett, in my opinion. He’s weak minded and unappreciative of what he has until the very end when he loses his wife.
Melanie, or Melly, is quite literally the only character in the novel who is beyond reproach. She is strong despite being physically weak. She is willing to do anything and everything to defend and help the people she loves. She never forgets about the people who help her- never letting class or pedigree overshadow their character. She’s the type of person that can only see the good in others. She saved this book for me and her only real flaw is her love for the Confederacy.
This book is a historical time capsule for a side whose opinion we don’t see often. If you like history, Gone With the Wind is 100% worth reading. The added romantic element and the depiction of southern geniality and social expectations make it an interesting read. It’s not a novel I could see myself reading again but it’s worth a once over.
This book is a controversial read. It’s written in a way that sympathizes with the Confederacy. However, I think it’s important to understand the opinions of those you don’t agree with. Gone With The Wind really helps paint the picture of the Southern Gentleman’s opinion on slavery and their opinions about the war. It gives us an understanding about the cultural divide between North and South. Overall, it earns a solid 3 stars from me.
The reason I only gave it three stars was because the depictions of slavery were grueling. It was tough to read something that puts such a rose-colored glass over such a serious subject. I couldn’t get past it even if the point of view was important.
That being out of the way, we have a few bites of information that I’d like to touch on:
Scarlett O’Hara is the antithesis of the southern gentlewoman. While she comes from a family with pedigree and pretends to be gentle and sweet- we learn very quickly from her inner monologue that she is very much a sadistic, manipulative and selfish person. She spends majority of the book making decisions to spite those around her. She has no problem whipping out tears when she knows she’ll benefit from it. She’s not meant to be likable and yet she was. I loved how strong and determined she was. Despite complaining about her destitute (and let’s be honest- if a person is starving they have a right), she did everything within her power to fight back and gain what she lost. Public opinion be damned!
Rhett Butler is instantly in love with her. However, Rhett is at least 20 years older than her. The weird feeling I get when I think about the fact that this adult man was in love with a 16 year old is not great. I’m not sure if this was considered typical or okay during the Civil War era. I digress. He’s sees a lot of himself in her. He’s a very morally gray character and it’s really up to the reader to decide whether he’s more good than bad or vice versa. What I will say is that I thought Scarlett and Rhett deserved each other.
There’s also Ashley- the southern gentleman who is honor bound but spends the entire novel lusting after Scarlett. We learn he doesn’t love her like he loves his wife Melanie. We learn that Scarlett was an unobtainable fantasy for him and that he likes to play around. He’s just as bad as Rhett and Scarlett, in my opinion. He’s weak minded and unappreciative of what he has until the very end when he loses his wife.
Melanie, or Melly, is quite literally the only character in the novel who is beyond reproach. She is strong despite being physically weak. She is willing to do anything and everything to defend and help the people she loves. She never forgets about the people who help her- never letting class or pedigree overshadow their character. She’s the type of person that can only see the good in others. She saved this book for me and her only real flaw is her love for the Confederacy.
This book is a historical time capsule for a side whose opinion we don’t see often. If you like history, Gone With the Wind is 100% worth reading. The added romantic element and the depiction of southern geniality and social expectations make it an interesting read. It’s not a novel I could see myself reading again but it’s worth a once over.
“After all, tomorrow is another day.”
I think this has just become my favourite book. I’ve read it in the course of months, often stopping for lengths of time because it was difficult to read the horrible things Scarlett would do and I would need to get a break from her.
I often tried to justify her choices as young age, but when the book ends she is 28, my same age, and the kind of life she lived through should have made her way more mature than I am. Instead, she is a stupid child up until the very end; a mule stuck in her own senseless path, running blindly towards a ditch. Only, her mistakes have bigger effects than the ones of a child. She goes on ruining lives, breaking hearts, stomping on goodness and decency until there’s only ugliness left, and she never realises that she has completely and utterly lost herself.
Scarlett is indeed both the heroine and the villain of her own story. It seems almost a reversed Bildungsroman because what growth is actually there? Scarlett’s degrading morality is the only thing growing throughout the novel.
And yet, she is possibly the best character ever written: she is charming and even knowing the real her (her stubbornness, maliciousness, unscrupulousness, selfishness) you can’t help but admire her and love her. I think we readers are all like Rhett, obsessing over her because of and despite her personality.
It’s just as Grandma Fontaine said, Scarlett doesn’t understand people, only money: “Oh, you are smart enough about dollars and cents. That’s a man’s way of being smart. But you aren’t smart at all like a woman. You aren’t a speck smart about folks.”
And until the very end, Scarlett doesn’t understand anything at all about herself and about the people around her. It’s only fitting that in the end she is completely alone, her beloved land the only thing left. Nevertheless, she will never give up, she will always keep on going, her morality a flighty thing but her survival instincts as strong as ever. Maybe she will even learn from her mistakes this time, who knows.
This said, this book is racist and classist so at times quite difficult to digest. Every white person who’s not from old money (i.e. plantation owner) is dirty trash; every black person is not really a person but either an enraged drunken beast or a sweet poor idiot who needs a master to survive.
But I’m still going to give it 5 stars because it’s beautifully written, most of the characters are amazingly deep and multifaceted, and because it’s the most entertaining and exciting and dramatic book I’ve read in a long while.
Edit: it’s not 2am anymore, but I still feel stuck among the pages of this book.
Will probably read again sometime soon. It’s so difficult to get away from this charming and intricate South.
I think this has just become my favourite book. I’ve read it in the course of months, often stopping for lengths of time because it was difficult to read the horrible things Scarlett would do and I would need to get a break from her.
I often tried to justify her choices as young age, but when the book ends she is 28, my same age, and the kind of life she lived through should have made her way more mature than I am. Instead, she is a stupid child up until the very end; a mule stuck in her own senseless path, running blindly towards a ditch. Only, her mistakes have bigger effects than the ones of a child. She goes on ruining lives, breaking hearts, stomping on goodness and decency until there’s only ugliness left, and she never realises that she has completely and utterly lost herself.
Scarlett is indeed both the heroine and the villain of her own story. It seems almost a reversed Bildungsroman because what growth is actually there? Scarlett’s degrading morality is the only thing growing throughout the novel.
And yet, she is possibly the best character ever written: she is charming and even knowing the real her (her stubbornness, maliciousness, unscrupulousness, selfishness) you can’t help but admire her and love her. I think we readers are all like Rhett, obsessing over her because of and despite her personality.
It’s just as Grandma Fontaine said, Scarlett doesn’t understand people, only money: “Oh, you are smart enough about dollars and cents. That’s a man’s way of being smart. But you aren’t smart at all like a woman. You aren’t a speck smart about folks.”
And until the very end, Scarlett doesn’t understand anything at all about herself and about the people around her. It’s only fitting that in the end she is completely alone, her beloved land the only thing left. Nevertheless, she will never give up, she will always keep on going, her morality a flighty thing but her survival instincts as strong as ever. Maybe she will even learn from her mistakes this time, who knows.
This said, this book is racist and classist so at times quite difficult to digest. Every white person who’s not from old money (i.e. plantation owner) is dirty trash; every black person is not really a person but either an enraged drunken beast or a sweet poor idiot who needs a master to survive.
But I’m still going to give it 5 stars because it’s beautifully written, most of the characters are amazingly deep and multifaceted, and because it’s the most entertaining and exciting and dramatic book I’ve read in a long while.
Edit: it’s not 2am anymore, but I still feel stuck among the pages of this book.
Will probably read again sometime soon. It’s so difficult to get away from this charming and intricate South.
This was one of the most emotionally engaging, well-written, beautiful books that I've ever experienced. For that alone, I would have given it 5 stars. But the moment I finished this book, my finger flickered over the 1 star rating, and I almost threw the book across the room.
Gone with the Wind is beautifully written. Despite being over 1000 pages, there are no sections that you'll want to skip, and the prose is striking but simple. The history is fascinating, the characters' depths are astounding, and the emotions that you feel for each character make it so that after you finish the novel, you will feel that you've lived with them through the hardships of their years.
The romantic suspense is very intense, and the moral questions that arise are interesting and add depth not only to the characters but to the questions that we ask ourselves about ourselves and our ancestors.
I love this book. And, I passionately hate it. The ending was so incredibly painful for me to read, and I cried on my husband's shoulder for an hour as I read the finale. In those moments, I felt that everything that I had experienced had been for nothing. I felt that I had wasted 3 weeks of my life. Everything that I desperately wanted to happen, did not happen, and was thrown in my face in the worst way that I could have imagined. My nightmares, my deepest feelings of fear, were played before my eyes in the ending of this book. It was so painful for me that I still can feel those emotions vividly, 3 days later.
Its beauty, its depth, its complexity, its plot, its suspense - all are top tier. It is easily one of the best of all of the hundreds of novels that I've read.
But I can't forgive it for what it did to my heart.
Gone with the Wind is beautifully written. Despite being over 1000 pages, there are no sections that you'll want to skip, and the prose is striking but simple. The history is fascinating, the characters' depths are astounding, and the emotions that you feel for each character make it so that after you finish the novel, you will feel that you've lived with them through the hardships of their years.
The romantic suspense is very intense, and the moral questions that arise are interesting and add depth not only to the characters but to the questions that we ask ourselves about ourselves and our ancestors.
I love this book. And, I passionately hate it. The ending was so incredibly painful for me to read, and I cried on my husband's shoulder for an hour as I read the finale. In those moments, I felt that everything that I had experienced had been for nothing. I felt that I had wasted 3 weeks of my life. Everything that I desperately wanted to happen, did not happen, and was thrown in my face in the worst way that I could have imagined. My nightmares, my deepest feelings of fear, were played before my eyes in the ending of this book. It was so painful for me that I still can feel those emotions vividly, 3 days later.
Its beauty, its depth, its complexity, its plot, its suspense - all are top tier. It is easily one of the best of all of the hundreds of novels that I've read.
But I can't forgive it for what it did to my heart.