catsreadgooder 's review for:

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

5.0

emotional sad 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

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It's hard to know where to start with this epic Civil War era tale.

First of all, this book is problematic at times. It's very pro-antebellum south and can be extremely racist, which was very uncomfortable and rage-inducing to read. It's very apparent that these were the views the author had, even though the book was written 60 years after the Civil War ended. Unfortunately, even now, in 2025, there are people that still have these views. These views did make me question how I would rate this book and if I could truly enjoy it.

But there is much more to this book. There are a lot of very complex characters in this book. Probably none more so than the main character Scarlett O'Hara. Scarlett is a character easy to hate, she's selfish, conceited, greedy, manipulative, and that's just to start. But she's also determined, ambitious, and strong. I do love a book with a questionable FMC.

While there are a lot of characters in this book, most are fleshed out and have both good and bad characteristics. 

The settings are well-descibed so you can easily imagine them. And it was interesting to read about Atlanta in its early days and through the wars.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, spending time with the characters and the range of emotions it took me on. This one will stay with me for a long time.