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A review by karaklos
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
5.0
I loved this book and I hated it. Being over 1,000 pages long, I thought this author really needed an editor but I never got bored. It’s a very rich story with many plots and sub-plots, complex characters, and history. The last 50 pages were so engrossing, I raced to finish it.
The history was the most interesting part to me. I didn’t know very much about the civil war outside of what I learned in history class. Learning about the Battle of Atlanta, Reconstruction, and the ensuing corruption was fascinating...particularly from the perspective of the confederates.
Racism is prevalent throughout the book. There are a number of offensive racial descriptions that made me uncomfortable. To read this book, you have to set aside those feelings and put yourself in the time it was written. It was surprising to me that so many classes and subclasses existed in society (e.g., a “house” slave would look down on a “field” slave and poor whites).
The origins of the KKK was also surprising and it made me wonder how real a threat there was to warrant its creation. There were no actual events described to explain why protection was needed.
Now for Scarlett...When I was a kid, whenever Gone With the Wind was mentioned, my mom would rant about how horrible Scarlett O’Hara was. She was right! Scarlett is quite possibly the most selfish and clueless character I have ever come in contact with. I did respect her ability to take charge, think for herself, and not go along with the social norms of the time when they did not suit her. However, she was a horrible friend and mother. The descriptions of how she felt about everyone and the way she treated Rhett (and how he treated her) made cringe.
I’m really glad I finally read it.
The history was the most interesting part to me. I didn’t know very much about the civil war outside of what I learned in history class. Learning about the Battle of Atlanta, Reconstruction, and the ensuing corruption was fascinating...particularly from the perspective of the confederates.
Racism is prevalent throughout the book. There are a number of offensive racial descriptions that made me uncomfortable. To read this book, you have to set aside those feelings and put yourself in the time it was written. It was surprising to me that so many classes and subclasses existed in society (e.g., a “house” slave would look down on a “field” slave and poor whites).
The origins of the KKK was also surprising and it made me wonder how real a threat there was to warrant its creation. There were no actual events described to explain why protection was needed.
Now for Scarlett...When I was a kid, whenever Gone With the Wind was mentioned, my mom would rant about how horrible Scarlett O’Hara was. She was right! Scarlett is quite possibly the most selfish and clueless character I have ever come in contact with. I did respect her ability to take charge, think for herself, and not go along with the social norms of the time when they did not suit her. However, she was a horrible friend and mother. The descriptions of how she felt about everyone and the way she treated Rhett (and how he treated her) made cringe.
I’m really glad I finally read it.