Is there more to Scarlett O'Hara than "Gone With The Wind"?

When you think "Gone With The Wind" the first thing you think about is Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in that beautiful love scene looking passionately into each other's eyes. The second thing you think is how long both the movie and book are. Yes, it takes some time to sit down and watch a movie that is almost 4 hours long and it takes even more time to sit down and actually read the book, which can be up to 1,000 pages long; but, this is time well spent, especially when reading the book. In addition to the original "Gone With The Wind" there was also an authorized sequel and an authorized Rhett Butler vantage point book.

"Gone With the Wind" chronicles the life of Scarlett O'Hara during the Civil War. The lights and glitter of Hollywood caught Scarlett's charm and ruthlessness but left out some even more shocking events in her life and the detail Mitchell paid to the Civil War. "Gone With The Wind" could have very easily been a Civil War book instead of a romance because Mitchell permeated the book with how the Confederates lived during the Civil War, how various battles affected the Confederates, and, finally, the siege of Atlanta and end of the war. There were many struggles that Scarlett had to overcome and close relationships with people, like her neighbors and Melanie WIlkes, that did not make the final Hollywood film cut. It is worth reading simply to truly understand why Scarlett did the things she did and how Melanie truly thought of her as a sister.

Since its publication in 1991, "Scarlett" has had much criticism and praise. There are people who love and adore finding out what happened to Scarlett after "Gone With The Wind" and there are those who thought Alexandra Ripley did the worst job writing one of the earliest official fan fiction books. What people have to keep in mind is that "Gone With The Wind" was written in 1936 when the Civil War had only been 71 years ago. There were still some facts about life during the Civil War that were easily found and known about. Ripley wrote "Scarlett" in the early 90s and did not have the historian touch Mitchell gave to "Gone With The Wind." "Scarlett" is simply a continuation of what Scarlett's life may have been like after the Civil War without all the historical facts. There are some very interesting twists in both Scarlett and Rhett's lineage and both Scarlett and Rhett become more mature and understanding. Their struggles to be together without constantly fighting are still eminent but overall it is a good read for those who would like to know what happened after Rhett said, "My dear, I don't give a damn."

"Rhett Butler's People" debuted in 2007 to a much anticipated audience; however, Donald McCaig left much to be desired. "Rhett Butler's People" does not take "Scarlett" into account. It is as if McCaig underestimated the fact that his readers were looking for more to admire about Scarlett and Rhett and they had most likely already read "Scarlett." This major flaw left enthusiastic audiences scrambling to get rid of the book after buying it. It was thought to have dominated best sellers list and, instead, ended up on bargain store bookshelves.

Great love affairs and stories have been highly criticized lately for their fairytale, storybook endings. "Gone With The Wind" has anything but a storybook ending; "Scarlett" is ideal for those readers who love and enjoy a labored fairytale ending; and, finally, "Rhett Butler's People" may still find room in your heart to sympathize with how and why Rhett was ostracized by everyone in his social class. If you choose to read one of them, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable will undoubtedly come back to life as the main characters and it will make the book that much more entertaining.