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Rate: 5/5

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Medium: Audiobook

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Overview (Minimal Spoilers):

I hadn’t thought of Gone with the Wind for years, but when Luke and I were debating names for our son, who was due in August, Rhett kept coming up as an option we both liked. As we both associated the name with the classic movie, we of course had to watch it again to make sure the character wasn’t too terribly deplorable. Needless to say we stuck with the name and our sweet Rhett Aloysius was born August 12th. After his birth, we had so many people commenting on how much they loved the book that had inspired the movie. To be completely honest, I hadn’t even realized there was a book, so I immediately decided to pick up the long read, especially in light of all the high praise.

After only a few chapters into Gone with the Wind, I couldn’t help but be impressed with how well the movie brought the book to life. As I was reading, I could easily see Scarlett’s expressions or hear her tone of voice at key exchanges. This theme continues throughout, however the book packs in so many more details, which elevates the story beyond anything the movie could have accomplished. Scarlett is so much more complex and key side characters such as Frank are significantly more developed, making their deaths that much more tragic. 

In the movie, Ashley seems unfailingly honorable and essentially perfect, but in the book we see a much more realistic man full of flaws and contradictions. We also observe parallels to Rhett that were quite unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed Ashley being framed in this new light as it made Scarlett’s blindness toward him all that much more heartbreaking. 

Melanie is obviously the best character of this whole book and I loved Rhett’s deferential treatment toward her. She is another character that Scarlett only recognized her deep value until she’d lost her. Honestly, it grew to a point of almost amusement how much Melanie would attribute honorable actions to Scarlett’s selfish maneuvers. 

I am surprised, though I shouldn’t have been about the prevalence of the KKK in this book. The movie totally underplays their presence, to the point of not including it at all. The omission has the sour feel of editing and softening the original story in a more favorable light. I have not read much about the south during Reconstruction, particularly from the perspective of rich, aristocratic Georgians, but I’m curious how accurate Mitchell’s portrayal is from a losing side’s point of view. 

Overall, Gone with the Wind is so eloquently written that you will effortlessly get lost in the story, though the material is unapologetically heartbreaking, and has an open ending that will leave one pondering the future fates of characters long after finishing the last chapter.

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Additional Insights (Spoilers Abound):

• Where did Archie go after Melanie kicked him out?
• Did Scarlett keep her promises to Melanie?
• Did Suellen end up being happy with her life?
• What might have happen to Scarlett had there been no war?
• What happened to Big Sam?
• What would have happened to Ashley had they gone to New York?
• Did Mammie end up coming back to Scarlett?
• I loved that Scarlett had other children in the novel!
• What happened to Tara?

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