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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Me gustó mucho, muy lento en ciertas partes y difícil de leer por el inglés antiguo y la alta carga de contexto histórico
Muy en desacuerdo con el racismo proyectado
Muy en desacuerdo con el racismo proyectado
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
It is really hard to rate this because I have e such complicated feelings. GWTW is incredibly, horrifically racist, sexist and antisemitic, and yet it is a compelling read. And it's a novel that has become an ingrained part of American culture and shows a false version of the past that many people still believe today.
Gone with the Wind is a book that I've had in my queue to read for decades. It truly is the epic people make it out to be. Do I agree with everything in the novel, or even fully understand it? Hell no. Even the ENTIRE POINT of the novel is up for debate, in my humble opinion. Is it highlighting issues of slavery, race and class? The evils and strengths of human nature? A story of love and loss? Yes....and likely more. What are the lessons I'm meant to learn from this romanticized view of southern culture during the Civil War? Am I supposed to relate to Scarlett, be jealous of her, find her insipid or be in awe? I'm not sure, to be honest. But this is what GWTW did for me - it made me think for weeks and weeks. It moved me, made me frustrated, awed, uncomfortable, restless and curious. I know it's a long read, but I promise it's worth it. (4.5/5 stars.)
"Had" to read it for my Civil War class, but now it's one of my favorites.
How many hundreds of pages and no personal growth. ARGH!
Is this very well written? Yes
Is it incredibly racist? Also yes
(in contrast to Heart of Darkness which was both racist and terribly written)
I know it's not generally considered a satire but I couldn't read it any other way. There are little moments peppered throughout where a character says something so completely at odds with the narrative/previous events (re both the racism and misogyny) that it conjured up an image in my mind of an arched eyebrow and pointed look. It may not have been intentional by Mitchell, but it gave a wonderful, subtle undertone to story. Maybe it's just me reading through the lens of a modern perspective.
Mitchell was clearly a talented writer, but it's a controversial book for good reason, which makes for an uncomfortable read in lots of places. I headed into reading it knowing that it would be problematic, treating it as more of a critical thinking exercise instead and opportunity to learn more about the society and culture of that period of US history (warts and all) . But if Mitchell's intent was to glorify the Lost Cause, it did the complete opposite for me, particularly with neither of the two main protaganists believing in the Cause themselves and treating the society faithful with great derision (another reason it read like satire).
I was hooked for the first three quarters. It started to lose it a bit at the end, with some of the characters doing things completely out of kilter to how they'd developed, with little reasoning as to why (looking at you, Ashley). I found Scarlett to be an unexpectedly sympathetic character in the second half (again could be my modern sensibilities showing through for how she was treated for being a boss-lady albeit a mis-guided one), and although Melly seemed two-dimensional at the beginning, she became a complex and interesting character.
I know the ending is considered a classic but the last chapter felt rather rushed - maybe that was deliberate and it's to leave the reader feeling as unfulfilled as both Scarlett and Rhett were. Oh well, I'll worry about that tomorrow.....(!)
Is it incredibly racist? Also yes
(in contrast to Heart of Darkness which was both racist and terribly written)
I know it's not generally considered a satire but I couldn't read it any other way. There are little moments peppered throughout where a character says something so completely at odds with the narrative/previous events (re both the racism and misogyny) that it conjured up an image in my mind of an arched eyebrow and pointed look. It may not have been intentional by Mitchell, but it gave a wonderful, subtle undertone to story. Maybe it's just me reading through the lens of a modern perspective.
Mitchell was clearly a talented writer, but it's a controversial book for good reason, which makes for an uncomfortable read in lots of places. I headed into reading it knowing that it would be problematic, treating it as more of a critical thinking exercise instead and opportunity to learn more about the society and culture of that period of US history (warts and all) . But if Mitchell's intent was to glorify the Lost Cause, it did the complete opposite for me, particularly with neither of the two main protaganists believing in the Cause themselves and treating the society faithful with great derision (another reason it read like satire).
I was hooked for the first three quarters. It started to lose it a bit at the end, with some of the characters doing things completely out of kilter to how they'd developed, with little reasoning as to why (looking at you, Ashley). I found Scarlett to be an unexpectedly sympathetic character in the second half (again could be my modern sensibilities showing through for how she was treated for being a boss-lady albeit a mis-guided one), and although Melly seemed two-dimensional at the beginning, she became a complex and interesting character.
I know the ending is considered a classic but the last chapter felt rather rushed - maybe that was deliberate and it's to leave the reader feeling as unfulfilled as both Scarlett and Rhett were. Oh well, I'll worry about that tomorrow.....(!)
I can understand why this is on "best books" lists. This is so beautifully written. I had to remind myself that this was written in a very different time, but, the language was beautiful, and I felt (love and hatred) for all of the characters.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes