Gone with the Wind

Author: Margaret Mitchell
Paperback: 1037 pages
Publisher: Warner Books; 1st edition (June 30th 1936)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446675539
ISBN-13: 9780446675536

The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. It depicts the struggles of young Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to claw her way out of poverty following Sherman’s destructive “March to the Sea”. This historical novel features a Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, with the title taken from a poem written by Ernest Dowson.

What I thought: I read this book in high school and I fell in love with Scarlett O’Hara and her moxy. The movie is also a masterpiece and something every person should experience. A lot of people have their favorite literary couple: Elizabeth and Darcy, Feyre and Rhysand,

Romeo and Juliet, Gatsby and Daisy, Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, Catherine and Heathcliff….I could go on. But the hill I will die on: Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler are my favorites.

Unpopular opinion: a lot of classics have dry writing. They don’t elicit the same feelings as when I read something more modern works like those of Sarah J. Maas (I love that woman). But GwtW still has it. Mitchell’s use of color adds to the spectrum of emotion I felt when I read it. *sigh* I think I’ll go home and watch the movie again.

The Quote: Don’t worry, my dear, take heart. Some day, I will kiss you and you will like it. But not now, so I beg you to not be too impatient.

Why I chose it: Ugh Rhett Butler, you glorious bastard. I remember watching the movie (for the millionth time) right after I first met my husband. After watching the volley of words between Scarlett and Rhett, I realized that my husband is a German version of Rhett and I know I had to nab him before anyone else. You think I’m kidding? I’m not.

About the Author:

Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, popularly known as Margaret Mitchell, was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel, Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 28 million copies. An American film adaptation, released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood, and received a record-breaking number of Academy Awards.