5. Gone With the Wind

5 Stars

*****SPOILERS****

****DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON"T WANT ANYTHING GIVEN AWAY****



I think this may very well be my favourite book of all time. I could read it over and over again (and have). Each time I reazd this book I glean something new. I see way more of myself in Scarlett than I am proud of. I hold a huge soft spot in my heart for Rhett and I despise Ashley Wilkes. However, sometime eachtime I read this book I still have a part of me hoping and wishing for a different ending and that Scarlett makes different choices througout. It breaks my heart that Scarlett ends up alone but really she has no one to blame but herself. Ashley is a spineless ninny and I can't believe she doesn't realise it until the Melly's death and the breakdown of her 3rd marriage. But I could go all day on this point so I'll leave it at that.


I do think the book idealizes the Old South and glamorizes the lifestyle. But the reality of it is that slavery existed in that time period and is abolished through the book. I do think that Margaret Mitchell portrays slavery in a fairly realistic light. Some like Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter choose to stay working with the families they have grown to love as their own, others strike out on their own. Before criticizing the book too harshly for its historical inaccuracies the important thing to remember is that this is a work of fiction. It is not meant to be an educational textbook on the Old South and as such should be appreciated for what it is....