Gone with the Wind is simply brilliant. This is a true work of art. It proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that superb, masterful fiction doesn’t have to be obtuse and unreadable, like most literary snobs would have us believe. Not only did this novel win the Pulitzer, but has managed, since its publication, to sell in the neighborhood of 25 million copies worldwide. Not an easy feat.
This is a very long novel that flies through your fingers so quickly, you won’t believe you could read that fast. At its core, this remarkable book is simply one hell of a page turner. It reads like a modern fast paced thriller, and it’s definitely a couldn’t put it down winner. But this novel is such much more. It is at once a history lesson, a romance, an adventure story, and a deeply characterized masterpiece.
It has been accused over the years of racism, sexism, revisionism, and of being on the whole nothing more than a fancy Harlequin novel. None of these things could be further from the truth. This novel is really about the end of a way of life, and about how those people most affected by it were changed by the ordeal.
If you haven’t yet read this novel you have absolutely no idea what you’re missing. Pick it up today and prepare yourself for an experience you will never forget.
Stumble It!
I would give Margaret Mitchell points for creating a dazzling story in the first half of her novel. But by the second half, it nearly grounded into a turgid melodrama. The racism and sexism are still off-putting. And the entire novel seemed to be in great need of some serious editing.