Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Book Review

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, but 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 in 16 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 words and some of the thoughts/attitudes in the book were common both when it was written and 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 like 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 inappropriate for the occasion. She throws a bowl at the fireplace when she can’t get Ashley to change his mind about marrying Melanie, and he refuses her.

Scarlett had been married three times and had three 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.

My main issue is the excessive descriptions throughout the book. I appreciate it when the author takes the time to describe a 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 are there? Where did they come from? Where are they sitting?

I got bogged down with the excessive details and 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 that I felt the same way when I was younger and first watched the movie. But as an adult, I don’t see that any longer. There’s romantic tension in the book between Scarlett, Rhett, and Scarlett and Ashley. I see it as more of a coming-of-age story, as Scarlett grows (and finally matures past her childhood love) and becomes a strong woman who fights hard for what she wants. 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, remember that it was written in a different era. Try to suspend your 21st-century ideals, just a bit, while reading GWTW.

Check out my January reading wrap-up to find out what else I’ve read this year.