Gone With the Wind-Reviewed by Bethany Miscannon

Gone With the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

5 stars

 

Scarlett O’Hara doesn’t pay any attention to the talk of war.  She’s much too busy trying to win over the handsome Ashley Wilkes, newly engaged to Miss Melanie Hamilton.  Even the witty Rhett Butler, whose opposition to the war provides a welcome change, does not interest her.  When war becomes a reality, however, the charming and beautiful southern belle finds herself widowed with a young son.   As the novel progresses, Scarlett finds the comfort and security of her old world slowly fading away.  As the Yankees come closer and closer to Atlanta, so does Melanie come closer to her due date for Ashley’s child.  What will happen when she goes into labor the same day they arrive?

Home at Tara, Scarlett finds the devastating news that her mother has passed away.  Her father has gone insane, her sisters are very sick, and Melanie is recovering from her hard labor.  Scarlett is the only one who can keep them all from starving to death.  Scarlett, who has never had to work in the fields a day in her life, is now responsible for the whole family.  When a Yankee man comes to Tara, she will stoop lower than ever before to protect the others, but will she succeed in keeping the others alive?  And how long can she hide her desire for Ashley away from Melanie?

The war has finally ended, but for Scarlett the battles have only just begun.  She must find some way to pay the taxes on Tara, but how?  The only man she knows who may have the money she desires is Rhett Butler, but when she finds him imprisoned with no way of getting the money to her, she must set her sights on a new goal.  Before you can bat an eye, Scarlett has married rich and is the successful business owner of not one, but two mills, and with all the reconstruction going on, she’s raking in quite a profit.  When she is attacked in a shanty town, the town’s men go to work to make sure it will never happen again, but when the Yankees discover their plans, they must rely on Rhett Butler and the prostitute Belle Watling to save them.  Will Rhett and Belle succeed?  What is Scarlett’s husband’s fate?  And, more importantly, what becomes of the wounded Ashley?

Scarlett never does stay widowed for long, and this time is no exception.  With Rhett finally by her side, Scarlett becomes one of the richest women in town, and isn’t afraid to show it.  But is life really back normal?  Not quite, as you’ll soon find out.  Scarlett’s way of life is completely gone with the wind.

This book is wonderful.  It is one of the best books I have ever read, and I don’t often say that.  I highly recommend it, as it has something for everyone.  There are two companion novels written by different authors.  They are Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley and Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCaig.  You don’t have to read them to enjoy this story, however, and it is wonderful as a stand-alone novel.  If you liked To Kill a Mockingbird, I think you would like this book, as both have very southern feels and explore racial and other equality themes.  If you enjoy historical fiction, then you should definitely read this book.