Gone with the Wind

By: Margaret Mitchell

Narrated by: Linda Stephens

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, Margaret Mitchell's great novel of the South is one of the most popular books ever written. Within six months of its publication in 1936, Gone With the Wind had sold a million copies. To date, it has been translated into 25 languages, and more than 28 million copies have been sold.

Here are the characters that have become symbols of passion and desire: darkly handsome Rhett Butler and flirtatious Scarlett O'Hara. Behind them stand their gentler counterparts: Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton. As the lives and affairs of these absorbing characters play out against the tumult of the Civil War, Gone With the Wind reaches dramatic heights that have swept generations of fans off their feet.

Having lived in Atlanta for many years, narrator Linda Stephens has an authentic ear for the dialects of that region. Get ready to hear Gone With the Wind exactly as it was written: every word beautifully captured in a spectacular unabridged audio production.

©1964 Stephens Mitchell (P)2001 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Beyond a doubt one of the most remarkable first novels produced by an American writer. It is also one of the best." ( The New York Times)
"The best novel to have ever come out of the South...it is unsurpassed in the whole of American writing." ( The Washington Post)

Got the Accents Right

Okay, I'm not going to review the text of GWTW. It's been analyzed plenty. It's a brilliant book. 'Nuff said.

What I do want to review is the audio performance. When I saw that GWTW was available in audio format, I was dubious. I'm from the South. (Not the deep South -- Virginia). I speak with a Tidewater accent, which is different to my ear from a Georgia accent, which is different to my ear from a Charleston accent... You get the picture.

Ms. Stephens managed to get the nuances of the various accents well enough not to make me cringe. It sounds like a trivial thing, but since Mitchell, herself, made a big deal of differences of dialect in the actual novel, you need to have it in the performance. I'm so glad that the narrator did not go for that Eastern Tennessee accent that is so often touted as "Generic Southern".

If you love GWTW, get it. If you've never read it, this is a good way to enjoy the book.

The real Gone with the Wind

The book is so much richer than the film could ever be. It's really a character study into the nature of the people who lived through the civil war and those who didn't. It is written through the eyes of Scarlett, who is a survivor regardless of the cost, and the people who clung to her for their own survival.
Unfortunately, this novel is politically incorrect. If I were black, I would be very angry when reading it. Considering the publication date, it should be noted that during that time, (1936) racism existed throughout the U.S. and this book, unfortunately, reflects those belief. Regardless, it remains one of the very best glimpses into the civil war south.

Yes, I know

As far as I'm concerned, this is probably my favorite book of all time. I understand that there are folks out there who think the book is shameful and terrible, and I honestly don't understand why.

If you read it thinking that it's supposed to be a historically accurate portrayal of the south before, during, and after the Civil War, then yes, it looks like the book trivializes slavery, paints all men as idiots and all women as shrews.

If, however, you look at it as a work of fiction, it seems clear to me that it wasn't meant to describe life as it truly was, but to show what it might have looked like through the eyes of a young white girl.

With one exception, the characters are a bunch of selfish, difficult, judgmental jerks, and the protagonist (Scarlett) is the worst of the lot.

They're also a bunch of survivors, doing what they think is right, or what they think they can get away with, in order to see themselves and their families through difficult times.

This is the best credit I've ever spent, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who can separate fact from fiction, and appreciates the latter even when the subject matter is ugly.

great novel

The narrator was excellent. This novel gives the emotional side of the ramp up to the Civil War, the war itself, and subsequent reconstruction. Highly recommended.

I can't believe I waited 61 years to read this!

Would you listen to Gone with the Wind again? Why?

I feel this book gives a true depiction of how life was during this time. The narrator could NOT have been better. She brought this book to life! It's very long, but worth every minute. I couldn't stop listening and that's always a compliment from me. I honestly did not think I would care for this book much when I decided to read it. I as wrong.

What other book might you compare Gone with the Wind to and why?

I don't believe there is any book to compare to this one that I have read.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are honestly several. One was when she was in the library with Ashley, telling him her feelings for him and when he left (well, don't want to spoil it for you!) Another was when the yankee was in her home. You quickly realize just what it took for people to survive during this time.

Who was the most memorable character of Gone with the Wind and why?

Well, it is Scarlet, obviously ... she was a very intelligent person, yet she made some terrible choices ... I would really be rooting for her and then she would be so cruel to someone ... it was as if she had no feelings for others ... then she would be just the opposite. I would say she is the definition of "spoiled". But when the going got tough, she got going.

Any additional comments?

I was truly hoping for a better ending. I will now watch the movie as I have never seen it either.