Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece in every way, 7 Mar 2003
By A Customer
All too often, when the book 'Gone With The Wind' is mentioned, people let out a groan of derision. Mostly these are people who have only seen the film. The film, although a wonderful classic, is a product of its times. Like many epics of that era, it is none too subtle. It also feels overly dramatic, no doubt the effect of cramming such a long story into a single film. The novel, however, is flawless. It may get written off as a romance in the same vein as Mills & Boon, but anyone who has read it will agree that is a most unfair comparison. It is a brilliantly researched historical drama, containing many finer points that are only discovered upon a second, or even third reading. The characters are so vividly drawn, and as the novel takes place over many years, there is real scope for development. Scarlett O'Hara is utterly believable as the flawed heroine, as is Rhett Butler, the cynical anti-hero. Ashley is symbolic of the civilisation 'gone with the wind'. But the most quietly fascinating character of all must be Melanie. The love story between Scarlett and Rhett is not so central a theme to the novel as survival and the struggle for independence. For a novel that contains such a broad scope of events and rich abundance of characters, Margaret Mitchell manages to keep a tight rein on both plot and pace. There are those books that make such a profound impression on our own lives that we never forget them - 'Gone With The Wind' is such a book.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't read this book, if you don't want your heart broken!, 14 Jun 2003
Gone with the wind has been quite a cliche for many years. Curious, i decided i would read it, however i didn't really know what i was getting into. 1000 pages and everyone of them a worthwhile read. From the 1st page i was captivated - i read it in 1 week and did little else (unfortunately, it was only 2 weeks before a violin exam - not a good time to be glued to a book!) The end left me in complete bits, and i didn't know what to do with myself once i had finished it. I had an inkling it wouldn't end that happily, but, well..... i' ll leave you to read it. The story follows the life of the young (but by the end of the book, slightly older) Scarlett o'Hara - what a stupid, b***h, yet you've got to love her! and the dashing, utterly gorgeous Rhett Butler - who dosn't like a bad boy? Other characters include the kind Melanie, "perfect" Ashley and Scarlett's various husbands and children.
This novel has been named as one of the greatest love stories of all time, but that is an unfair statement - the bits about love are wonderful, but it is also carefully researched - the civil war is written about in large detail, but it is also much deeper than that; In a way it is slightly psycological - how people inter-react with one another, the way their minds work and how different people cope with new situations.
I think Margaret Mitchell did a wonderful job in that she wrote a book of 1000 pages and i did not get bored once and she has written a truly original, historical, love story.
Read it if you want, but beware, it may cause a complete lack of being able to do anything until you've finsihed it and once you have, moping around the house, because you've become so attached to the characters and can't believe the way it ended. I'm going to have to read the sequel, even if it wasn't written by Margaret Mitchell.....
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A really, really great book!, 19 Jul 2001
By A Customer
'Gone With The Wind' amazed me. I thought it would be light, throwaway romantic fiction. Instead, it is a tough, believable, intelligent and completely gripping historical novel. The characters are mesmerising, plausible and original - I expected more cliches, but having read it I have come to the conclusion that GWTW created the cliches because it is just so damn good! I can really see why people still consider it the greatest historical novel ever written. The fact that it has survived the test of time, unlike the many books that are applauded as brilliant one year and forgotten the next, should give you some clue as to just how good this book is.
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