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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Gone with the Wind became my favorite book before I even finished reading. It is full of powerful moments that kept me emotionally enthralled. The inherently flawed characters make the story feel so much more real. Margaret Mitchell is truly a masterful story-teller - I'm sure I will return to this book many times in future years.
This is one of my favorite books and I am very happy I made it my summer goal to read it. Mitchell really created such memorable and rich characters. Scarlett is such an underdog of a heroine, acting in ways that make it surprising to to find myself rooting for her. I love her gumption and although I do not agree with all the decisions she made, I admire her survival skills.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
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
I liked the psychological insights in this book and the "unlikeable" main characters, but I was deeply disturbed by some of the racist attitudes in the book. I understand that the book is set in the Civil War South, so some racism is to be expected in the characters. This would be realistic, and, let's face it, the characters have a lot of other characteristics that are not too admirable. So what bothers me is not the attitudes of the characters but the fact that the narrator agrees with the negative attitudes. A book that has racist characters is not necessarily racist, but unfortunately, this one is. The story and characters are strong, so the racism is an unfortunate blight on what could otherwise be a very enjoyable, thought-provoking book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
Truly an epic saga! It was slow getting into it but then I couldn’t read it fast enough. I deducted a quarter star because it was unnecessarily drawn out in places, which just makes a long story even longer without really adding anything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There were definitely parts of this book that I raced through. I think not knowing what was going to happen made these parts a lot more exciting and kept me wondering what would happen next. The sexual tension between Scarlett and Rhett was also exciting, but I was disappointed that they married with so many pages left. These last 200 pages were rather slow for me because they did not seem as compelling. Scarlett had the guy who was most right for her (they are two selfish jerkfaces) and all the money, but they bickered. I didn't like that. The author didn't patch up their failing marriage at the end, and I didn't like that either, even though it was most realistic. As I read unhappily, the story went slower. Also, I didn't like the ending because it seemed forced and sappy (She realized she didn't love Ashley after all and she was running through the mists to Rhett all along). The story I think had too many plot elements--the birth of Melanie's baby, the fire at Tara, the mills, the 3 husbands, Scarlett's miscarriage, Bonnie's death. Each time was a climax but each time I was less excited for it to develop/resolve.
I think the turning point happens when Scarlett decides she won't dwell on the past. She loses all the lessons her beloved mother has taught her and this is the first step towards her new, yet really actually enhanced, self. At the beginning of the novel, she is greedy and willful with her beaux, one reason why she accepts her first husband Charles's proposal, and throughout the middle and end, she uses these personalities, not inhibited by maintaining her reputation, to get what she wants. I had trouble determining whether she had my sympathy or whether I just didn't like her--I admired that she persistently does not give up to succeed but I did not like that she would also state her "women are inferior" speech as an excuse to why a man, rather than she, should be having to deal with survival matters at Tara. She sacrifices love with her second husband Frank Kennedy to be able to save Tara, even though marrying him means she can't live there since she would be living with him in Atlanta. She saves Melanie's life, even though it is because she was in love with Melanie's husband and has promised to look after her. She can take charge when she needs to but she also needs a supporter, and that is what Melanie does all along--Melanie who is not a weakling who supports her because she is so kind but rather who is strong because her heart is steadfast. All Scarlett wants is to return to the comfort she has in the beginning. She figures misguidedly that she must have money and her dearest beax Ashley to make herself happy again, and it takes her the entire book (which is merely 16 pages shy of 1,000 pages) to discover that neither satisfy her completely. All of her expectations turn upside-down: When she has wants to get rid of Melanie to get to Ashley, Melanie comes through to her as her as more beloved. Scarlett only takes care of Melanie because Ashley requests her to--and it becomes the opposite at the end. Whereas Scarlett is physically strong and mindfully stubborn, Melanie is physically weak but heartfully loyal. Both need each other. Melanie is definitely a worthwhile character, but Scarlett is less easily redeemable. Same with Rhett. Ashley becomes like Edgar in Wuthering Heights.
I think the turning point happens when Scarlett decides she won't dwell on the past. She loses all the lessons her beloved mother has taught her and this is the first step towards her new, yet really actually enhanced, self. At the beginning of the novel, she is greedy and willful with her beaux, one reason why she accepts her first husband Charles's proposal, and throughout the middle and end, she uses these personalities, not inhibited by maintaining her reputation, to get what she wants. I had trouble determining whether she had my sympathy or whether I just didn't like her--I admired that she persistently does not give up to succeed but I did not like that she would also state her "women are inferior" speech as an excuse to why a man, rather than she, should be having to deal with survival matters at Tara. She sacrifices love with her second husband Frank Kennedy to be able to save Tara, even though marrying him means she can't live there since she would be living with him in Atlanta. She saves Melanie's life, even though it is because she was in love with Melanie's husband and has promised to look after her. She can take charge when she needs to but she also needs a supporter, and that is what Melanie does all along--Melanie who is not a weakling who supports her because she is so kind but rather who is strong because her heart is steadfast. All Scarlett wants is to return to the comfort she has in the beginning. She figures misguidedly that she must have money and her dearest beax Ashley to make herself happy again, and it takes her the entire book (which is merely 16 pages shy of 1,000 pages) to discover that neither satisfy her completely. All of her expectations turn upside-down: When she has wants to get rid of Melanie to get to Ashley, Melanie comes through to her as her as more beloved. Scarlett only takes care of Melanie because Ashley requests her to--and it becomes the opposite at the end. Whereas Scarlett is physically strong and mindfully stubborn, Melanie is physically weak but heartfully loyal. Both need each other. Melanie is definitely a worthwhile character, but Scarlett is less easily redeemable. Same with Rhett. Ashley becomes like Edgar in Wuthering Heights.
adventurous
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes