Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell | Audible Audiobook

Series: Standalone

Publication: January 10th 2009 (audio version)

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: Margaret Mitchell's epic novel of love and war won the Pulitzer Prize and one of the most popular and celebrated movies of all time.

Many novels have been written about the Civil War and its aftermath. None take us into the burning fields and cities of the American South as Gone With the Wind does, creating haunting scenes and thrilling portraits of characters so vivid that we remember their words and feel their fear and hunger for the rest of our lives.

In the two main characters, the white-shouldered, irresistible Scarlett and the flashy, contemptuous Rhett, Margaret Mitchell not only conveyed a timeless story of survival under the harshest of circumstances, she also created two of the most famous lovers in the English-speaking world since Romeo and Juliet.
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My Thoughts:

This was incredible.

I always feel strange reviewing classic books, because I mean they're classics for a reason and why does my opinion matter much? But this was so engrossing and such a good "read." (I listened to this on Audible). I grew up watching the movie and I can definitely say that the movie is very, very close to the book, only omitting some minor characters. Although I was surprised that in the book, Scarlett has a child with every man she married as opposed to only one with Rhett in the movie. I was also very surprised to find that there are characters involved with the KKK of the time. It's understandable why this was omitted from the movie but it was very surprising to see just how in depth Margaret Mitchell went into the Civil War period.

There's really not much to say about this other than it's amazing. I can't even imagine how much work went into creating this. The relatable, intriguing, realistic characters, the plotline of Scarlett's life among the other characters' as well, the entire backstory of the Civil War happening. It's beautifully woven together with the perfect emphasis on each element of the story. I loved all of the characters, I love the setting, I loved everything.

The Audible audiobook is also very, very good. When first listening to it, I wasn't a big fan of the reader but she grew on me and I loved her by the end of it. I also read that the reader grew up in Georgia and therefore does realistic, accurate accents for each character and I definitely grew to appreciate her different inflections. Although I don't believe this recording is produced by Audible, this audiobook is definitely worth a credit to listen to through the app. Definitely would recommend!