Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind is one of my favorite classic novels. This epic is set before, during, and after the Civil War, and Margaret Mitchell gives a fantastic look into the War that is not taught in schools.

The characters are so vivid and so well written that it is impossible to get through this book without feeling a part of it. You will connect with one or more of the characters at some point during the story. I loved that the narrator of the book followed Scarlett around most excessively. She was such an unlikeable character, and yet I could not cease to be fascinated with her. She is such a cocky and manipulative person, and yet there are instances where you think she does have a good heart deep down. 

As the novel progresses Scarlett's character develops, mostly due to her interactions with Rhett Butler, seemingly the only one with enough spunk to bring her down. However, Scarlett does have a few redeeming qualities. She is a fighter and very determined. When she returned to a ruined Tara during the war, she did not give up. She kept going and fought to bring her family and their home back.

While Ashley and Melly are certainly more likeable than Scarlett, the two are not very strong characters. Neither seems to be able to function without the other. Rhett was the most interesting character to me, but I struggle to call him my favorite as his character was just as morally questionable as Scarlett.

This is not a happy book. It is the most devastating and tragic piece of fiction I have ever read, and also one of the best. I loved having a look at the Civil War from inside one family going through the whole thing together. Even though this book is lengthy, you'll be so eager to see what happens next, you'll tear right through it!