The epic story of Scarlett O’Hara has been on my to-read list for ages. According to my Goodreads, I added Gone With the Wind in 2011. In actuality, it has been there much longer. I probably wanted to read the book from the moment I realized it was a book after watching the movie.
Gone With the Wind (GWTW) was first published in 1936, and has been reprinted multiple times and in 16 different languages. I read the Scribner trade paperback edition printed in 2011. GWTW received the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and was made into an Oscar award-winning movie in 1939.
As one may expect, a trigger warning comes with this book. That is the racist undertones in the story and the repeated use of a derogatory word. The word and some of the thoughts/attitudes in the book were common both when the book was written and when it is set.
In this 960 page novel, you watch Katie Scarlett O’Hara grow and change. She goes from a petty, selfish 16-year-old boy crazy girl to a self-confident 28-year-old woman.
When I say that Scarlett is petty and selfish, I don’t mean in a way you may expect a 16-year-old to act. In many ways she acts as though she is a toddler, stomping her feet because she can’t get her way. She wants to be the prettiest girl at the barbecue, she wants to get the attention of Ashley Wilkes. She refuses to eat so she can wear a dress that isn’t wholly appropriate for the occasion. When she can’t get Ashley to change his mind about marrying Melanie, and he refuses her, she throws a bowl at the fireplace.
Scarlett had been married 3 times and had 3 children by the end of the story. She grows enough, to finally realize that everything she’s ever wanted was in front of her the whole time.
The excessive descriptions given throughout the book are my main issue. I appreciate it when the author takes the time to describe the scene, as it makes it easier to picture what is happening. But, when you say all the plants in the city are at the party, do you need to tell me what specific plants? Where they came from? Where they are sitting?
I got bogged down with the excessive details, and I started skipping pages. I believe, I skipped 20 pages, which isn’t really a lot when a book is 960 pages in length.
Many people see this book as a romance or a love story. I will admit, when I was younger and first watched the movie, I felt the same way. But as an adult, I don’t see that any longer. Sure there’s romantic tension in the book between Scarlett and Rhett, and Scarlett and Ashley. I see it as more of a coming of age type story, as Scarlett grows (and finally matures past her childhood love) and becomes a strong woman who fights hard for what she wants in life. Do I agree with how she did it? No, but I am sure many women in that era did much the same as she did to get ahead.
If you decide to read this epic novel, keep in mind that it was written in a different era. Try to suspend your 21st-century ideals, just a bit, while reading GWTW.
To find out what else I’ve read this year, check out my January reading wrap-up.
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