Gone With the Wind

Reality

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 3:29 am

When I read it as a teenager I loved it.

Rereading as an adult, I realized it's a very well written trashy romance novel.

It is a controversial book today because it is considered racist. Those types of issues don't bother me as a Jewish person because actual classics that are filled with antisemitism are taught in classrooms all across the world, no problem. So I'm not interested in a double standard.

DVOM

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 6:20 am

I adore it. One of my most favorite books of all time.

I love Scarlett's character arch, the ways her personality changes and responds to actual war, and her war with Rhett, which I've always thought of as a war with the softer, more humane side of herself.

And I love the historical description of the civil war. One sided as it is, I do think it must be how the southern ruling class viewed their cause and it's destruction, and to me that peek into another culture was fascinating.

amother

Dandelion

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 6:22 am

I read it as a teen. I liked it a lot. I had innocently borrowed it from my friend.

My father saw it lying around and went to tell my mother (she’s an immigrant so she would not have known) how inappropriate it was.

My mother got really angry and went with me to drop it off by my friend. She has planned with my friends mother before that she would make a scene… unbeknownst to me. When we got there she loudly said so that the whole block can hear- this book is a terrible book! And the other mother said- really bad. I don’t know why my daughter had it!

My friend and her brother was there and I almost died.

So yes, this book left a bad taste in my kitchen though on no fault of the author.

DVOM

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 6:28 am

Reality wrote:

I very much disagree that it's a 'trashy romance novel'!

The best part of every story, in any form, is always going to be a love story. It's one of the reasons why most Jewish novels are so... boring. They don't address the most basic and powerful human quest for love. Finding someone to love and receive love from is the core of human existence. If your book or play or film doesn't address that, it's going to feel flat.

So yes, this is a love story, but nothing trashy about it!

patzer

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 8:12 am

I read the book as a teenager, and I loved the book but hated Scarlett. The book was wonderful, but I saw Scarlett as a completely evil person with no redeeming qualities whatever. I liked the other characters very much, and thought it a pity that Scarlett had to come along and ruin an otherwise good book.

Interestingly, I re-read the book as an adult and was startled to see how much my own personality resembles Scarlett's. Maybe that explains why I disliked her so much - she reminded me of my character traits that I would have preferred to ignore.

amother

Mayflower

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 9:22 am

B'Syata D'Shmya wrote:

Now read " the help" ( Not the movie...the book)

Was just going to say that. But I’ll add, read the book and watch the movie. The movie is one of the rare ones where it’s just as good if not better, than the book.

You might enjoy the movie of Gone with the Wind as well.

amother

Slateblue

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:50 am

I read it a few years ago, I really enjoyed the book. What I liked was

The quality of the writing & story
Learning about a time period through historical fiction
The portrayal of human emotions and character depth

I have read a handful of these classics and found this to be true of them all

cbsp

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:56 am

patzer wrote:

There was a "sequel" written (not by the same author). You may find it interesting how she goes about attempting to rehabilitate her character...

Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind
Alexandra Ripley
Published '91

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/225474

When it first was published most people passionately hated it (but it nonetheless made it to all the bestseller lists)

daagahminayin

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 11:00 am

DVOM wrote:

The best part of every story, in any form, is always going to be a love story. It's one of the reasons why most Jewish novels are so... boring. They don't address the most basic and powerful human quest for love. Finding someone to love and receive love from is the core of human existence. If your book or play or film doesn't address that, it's going to feel flat.

Wow, I love how you put that!

amother

Khaki

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 11:01 am

B'Syata D'Shmya wrote:

Now read " the help" ( Not the movie...the book)

It's a fun book.

But on the subject of racist, we had a book club at work and my black coworkers found "The Help" more offensive than gone with the wind because of how it portrayed black men as the real villains. What made it worse for them is that this book was meant to be progressive and helpful to black people. Instead they saw it as harmful. They said it was narratives like this that hurt the black family unit more than anything else.

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 11:10 am

Charnie123 wrote:

I read it for the first time over many shabbosim, I’m curious what you think of the book

One of my all time favorites. I’ll never forget where I was (the pool in Miami Beach) or when (winter break my senior year of HS) when I read it. So so good

amother

Pansy

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 11:29 am

I read it as a young adult and read it again recently. I loves both times. I love the characters even though I hate scarlett and I love the peek into the past, it really fascinates me. it was written in 1936, so I thought the author might have had more insight as to what the public sentiment was about the war and slavery in general from both sides of the story. Yes, there were racist things in there but at least it was authentic. We can't erase the past, doing so would defeat the whole purpose. I don't want to read the sequel because I'm afraid it will disappoint as it wasn't written but the same author.
The movie was also fantastic, very true to the book and Vivian Leigh was perfect. She played all the faces of Scarlett just right. In honor of its 85th anniversary, the movie is showing in theaters near me.
I also agree that it is a love story, and a fantastic one too

amother

Pumpkin

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 11:30 am

amother Pansy wrote:

Yes! I saw it in theaters for the 75th. I’d love to go again! I have it on my screen so have to think about it