Erin from The Heroine's Bookshelf is sponsoring a readalong of my all-time favorite book, Gone With The Wind, and I am reveling in re-reading the book with so many others.
We read the first seven chapters and you can find the interesting discussion here.
I clearly remember reading the book on my front porch the summer I was in ninth grade. I fell in love with it, getting lost in the old South, and I found Scarlett to be a most fascinating character. You either love her or hate her, and I love her.
Margaret Mitchell goes into great detail with her characters, even the minor ones. (Scarlett's mother Ellen is my favorite.) Reading it feels like you are at the barbecue at Twelve Oaks, dining with the Tarleton twins, shy Charles Hamilton, old bachelor Frank Kennedy, all of whom fall under the spell that young Scarlettt weaves to make Ashley Hamilton jealous.
The description of the clothes and the homes are so vivid, you can picture them clearly in your mind, especially the gowns the ladies wore at the barbecue. The traditions of that day fascinated me; the girls retiring during the day for a nap was a favorite scene.
There are so many great scenes in this first section, the best perhaps being when Rhett Butler surprises Scarlett after Ashley rejects her. The fireworks between the two foreshadows more excitement to come.
Now that the first section is done, the beautiful clothes and parties from Part One will disappear as the Civil War takes center stage.
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