Everyone has felt. Every day, it seems, there are sorrows and plights, jokes and smiles, things that rile your anger until it seems that you will explode if you do not make it known. This is especially so in that dramatic and heartbreaking era we call the civil war, and the preceding one we call Reconstruction. In the south, this means hardship and devestation, but also love and togetherness. For a feisty and determined Scarlett O' Hara, war is just a distraction for what she wants.
And what does she want? Most assume it is to live life adored as a Southern belle, flocked with beaux enchanted by her, the way that she always has. But in her heart is love for the well-mannered but drawn and bookish Ashley Wilkes. However, he cannot marry her because he is set up to marry with the mousy and polite Melanie Hamilton. As her heart is broken, she falls into marriage with other men, is a victim of the cruelties of war, and ends up needing courage she has never known, trying to figure out what love really is.
Margaret Mitchell has undoubtedly created a masterpiece here, although it isn't the greatest book I've read. Like many classics, it is a bit long and dull. In her character, Scarlett, she has placed a bit of an unlikable and unrelatable cold and selfish countenance, as well. However, the tale is epic and shouldn't go without reading. It is mature, though not raunchy, and will probably be most enjoyed by young women due to its romance. This novel is wordy and a little dry, so it may not be enjoyed by readers who like fast-paced excitement. If you do read it, however, you may be swept away in the wind of its text, so classic and enjoyable.
Points: 1305
Reviews: 170
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