Gone With The Wind: Still one of the greatest books ever?

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Folks,

 

Can you recall your first reading of Gone With The Wind?

 

And, can you recall where and when you read it….sort of like when you first received the news of JFK’s tragedy?

 

I am not saying that Gone WIth The Wind (GWTW) is that much of a tragedy, and it might even be more of a comedy, these days.

 

Sure, it was a tragedy when Tara burned to the ground, or did it? I forget.

 

And since I forget, what I am doing is listening to GWTW on tape, just so I can get my facts straight about things like the plot, for example.

 

Absolutely, GWTW is one of the greatest books ever written, with umpteen copies sold, and even more borrowed from libraries around the United States.

 

And, do you think there will be a remake of the famous GWTW film?

Who will play Scarlet, I do wonder.

Certainly nobody could play Scarlet as well as Vivien Leigh, IMHO.  She’s British, you know.

 

FYI:  I found a wonderful audiobook recording read by, I think, Linda Stephens. She does all the characters so well, even the slaves.

 

This particular copy of the audio recordings is cheap at half the price.

 

If one had read GWTW in one sitting, as I did, back in 1964, then listening to the audio version in 2024 would be twice the thrill.

 

I just wish that the Old South still survived, meaning not ALL of it, but the ROMANCE of it!!!!!!

 

Anyone else here think this book is the greatest novel written during the past 100 years?

 

I still love Scarlet, just as much as I ever did.

 

Love this book!

 

Best regards,

Gamma (Rhett) Globulin

 

Note:  Love her, Simply Love her, to bits….!

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Correction: Vivien played Scarlett, and not Scarlet, as we know.  (Strange, me thinks that Rhet is Rhett and Scarlet is Scarlett, and neither can stand each other, even though both have two Ts in their first names, occurring at the end of each name.)

 

This, too, boggles the mind.

 

[Evil Penevil]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

And, do you think there will be a remake of the famous GWTW film?

Who will play Scarlet, I do wonder.

 

Frankly, @GammaGlobulin, I don't give a damn.

 

It true that polls rank GWTW as the most popular novel among U.S. readers and it is indeed better researched and written than most popular works of fiction, it is far from a great book.

[Terrance8812]

Gone With the Wind, you say GG? Oh, what a tale. A sweeping saga of love, loss, and, dare I say, audacious resilience! I can’t recall exactly when I first read it, but I do remember closing the book and muttering to myself, “Frankly, my dear.” Though I’ll admit I lacked the panache of Mr. Gable.

 

Scarlet O’Hara… what a woman! Fierce, flawed, and utterly unforgettable. You’re right, Vivien Leigh was Scarlet. No question. Who could possibly fill her shoes in a remake? I shudder to think. They’d likely cast someone who wouldn’t know a petticoat from a potato sack. And the romance! There’s something about the idea of the Old South, that intoxicating, honey-dipped veneer of it all. Though, truth be told, I wouldn’t trade air conditioning for a hoop skirt.

 

Listening to the audiobook sounds delightful. Linda Stephens, you say? If she can breathe life into Scarlet and Mammy in one fell swoop, she deserves her own Oscar for narration. A cheap price for a double dose of nostalgia, to be sure. Maybe I’ll dig out my old copy of the book, or dare I say, download an eBook? Blasphemy, I know.

 

And oh, Tara. Did it burn? Didn’t it? Who can say? Memory is a funny thing, isn’t it? All I remember is the feeling of it, the ashes of dreams scattered to the wind. But Scarlet, as always, rises. Tomorrow, after all, is another day.

 

Greatest novel of the past 100 years? It just might be. Though let’s not forget To Kill a Mockingbird. Another Southern gem. But Scarlet, oh Scarlet. She’s the one who still haunts us, isn’t she?

 

Simply love her. To bits. To absolute bits.

 

Best regards,

Ashley… no, wait… Call me Rhett Jr.

[connda]

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Can you recall your first reading of Gone With The Wind?

I've never read it, but now that you mentioned it, I think I'll put it into my "To Read" list.

[Ben Zioner]

Yeah.. M.Mitchell, must have read the great Russian writers. But to be honest I read them too, but didn't write a soft porn novel.

[ChaiyaTH]

9 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

 

Frankly, @GammaGlobulin, I don't give a damn.

 

It true that polls rank GWTW as the most popular novel among U.S. readers and it is indeed better researched and written than most popular works of fiction, it is far from a great book.

Do people read in usa?

[1FinickyOne]

Book? I thought it was just a Carol Burnett sketch... at '55 seconds is the funniest scen with the curtains...

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Yeah.. M.Mitchell, must have read the great Russian writers. But to be honest I read them too, but didn't write a soft porn novel.

 

Now that you mention it, GWTW definitely has some Russian storytelling-feel to offer the reader.

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Do people read in usa?

 

Only in New England, in the summertime, in places around coastal areas, and in marshlands during duck-hunting season.

 

While hunting birds, one must wait in a blind for hours on end, often without internet connectivity, and limited battery storage. Books become the only option in such conditions.

 

 

[Ben Zioner]

4 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Do people read in usa?

Can MAGA people read?

[GammaGlobulin]

27 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Can MAGA people read?

 

It was clearly stated in GWTW that Scarlett was NOT a reader.

This is why Ashley wouldn't have anything to do with her.

 

Do you remember THAT?

 

Ashley, on the other hand, was a BIG TIME reader....Big Time!

 

I do not associate with those who do not read, and read often, and read in depth, and read books which are not trash, fit for White Trash.

 

You recall how, in GWTW...most of the big landholder could not stand the white-trash family who owned only 3-acres of land down by the river.  They wanted to buy them out at any price, and get rid of them.

 

This turned out to be impossible as the white-trash would not sell their cotton-land.

If they had, then it might have ruined part of the story.

 

As for MAGA, I think you are on a different Topic, and might do well to stick to the 100s of Topics hashing and rehashing the MAGA themes....