Gone with the Wind

By: Margaret Mitchell

Narrated by: Linda Stephens

Length: 49 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Great narrator!

This has always been one of my favorite books. I’ve read it twice and so to listen to it for my third time I was worried that the narrator would not be satisfactory. So often I find the narrator to be distracting but I really enjoyed listening to her.

Oldie but goodie

The narrator was wonderful providing different personas for each character. I’ve seen the movie dozens of times but had never read. Scarlet’s character was much deeper in the book, and her relationships were so much more complicated. The other characters come to life in the telling. I began the book thinking I’d be bored with the story I thought I knew so well and was glad to be proven wrong!

not to miss audible experience

GWTW has been a favourite read of mine since my teen years, but I never realized before how much of the descriptions I tend to skip over in favour of dialogue. Listening to this book has made me hear every word and added a whole new dimension to the story. I thought the narrator was brilliant and the accents added an authenticity - its made me want to study more about the civil war.

Linda Stephens is an Incredible Reader

I agree with another reviewer that this was one of the best credits I've ever spent, largely due to the excellent performance of the reader. Consistent and distinct characterizations were the highlight of this reading--I was actually brought to tears several times. I will listen to this audiobook over and over again, I'm sure.

Excellent Book

I had read the book a few times and have seen the movie, so I already knew I liked the story. This narrator does a fantastic job. The book is rather racist and rather sexist (at least with some of the views of women), but consider when it was written and the period in which it was placed. If it was politically correct it likely wouldn't feel as real. It is funny that such unlikable charactors can be so very interesting. It is a shame she only wrote the one book as she is really a great author. I highly recommend the book, don't be afraid of the length, long books are great if well written, and this one is very well written. She could have tacked another 40 hours to the end of it and I wouldn't have minded at all.

Gone With The Wind

My favority all time book. I've read it several times but listening to it is the best. I highly recommend it to anyone. There is a reason it's a classic.

What an Excellent Book...Well Narrated

Part of my youth, I read "GWTW" in high school in the 50's-a time when segregation still ruled, even 100 years after the civil war. It was a matter of discussion in my debate class-'should schools be segregated or integrated?' until the mid 60s when the civil rights movement finally brought it to the for front.

Of course I've seen the movie many times, but it was very abridged - the book is so much more and narrated so well that I found myself unable to pull myself away, even though I knew the story well.

I encourage young listeners who haven't experienced this iconic view of the civil war and the results to the white (and black) south post war. It's not only a novel, it's an educational experience in many ways.

Not being from the south, though I have friends who have moved north from southern climes,I found this book is an enlightening view of women's lives post war. Many current southern traditions have come down from those old days.

Read/listen once again to this wonderful novel of the old south. It'a long but well worth your time.

Listen to it-have your young adult children listen to it too. You might be surprised at how it affects you.

Classic book... great performance

I have been wanting to read this book for years, never got around to it. I wanted to see the movie... never got to that either. When I found this Audiobook I finally got my opportunity to receive the story I had been searching for for so long.

What a great performance! Linda Stephens is wonderful in bringing to life that beautiful Georgia drawl, it literally wraps around your ears. The story is wonderful and well written but I truly believe the performance was what really brought it to life for me.

I'm sooo glad I didn't read the book or see the movie before this! I much preferred the images in my head supplemented by Linda's wonderful performance.

Must Listen again!!!

Superb story diminished by flawed narration

What did you love best about Gone with the Wind?

Fantastic blend of engaging fiction set in an important and incredible period of history.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I'm afraid this goes against the grain of many positive reviews for the narration, but I find her habit of pausing every five to ten words, regardless of the story's context, to be distracting, almost an affectation. She often does not seem to be in sync with the rhythm of the story, of knowing when to allow the words to simply flow. Perhaps it's done for dramatic effect; I find it's overdone. But this was a relatively small price to pay for the pleasure of listening to this superb story.

Great American Classic!!!

So this is my first time ever reading/listening to this book, as popular as it is, and I'm kind of ashamed, but not really. It's interesting to read such a classic book as an adult, because I'm not sure I could've appreciated the depth of character development and portrayal of the South during the American Civil War if I'd read this in high school or even in college.

Scarlett O'Hara has to be one of the most selfish, petty, superficial women I've ever read in any book ever. She humored me at first, because who isn't like that as a young person. I was legitimately tickled at how obsessed she was over Ashley Wilkes and nonchalant she was over accepting marriage proposals as a means to an end. I can understand that. But when years and years and YEARS passed, and she didn't grow out of it? I wanted to punch her myself.

And OH, CAN WE TALK ABOUT RHETT BUTLER?! Oh my blessed Southern soul just adores this character. He took NONE of Scarlett's shit, and gave it back to her just as good. Sure, he had his flaws, a LOT of them, but at least he matured and grew and adapted to his circumstances as they came. He was honest about his flaws, and upfront about his motives. He went through so much tragedy near the end of the book, it was hard to get through. I just wanted to hug him tight and protect him from that evil wench O'Hara.

I truly, truly loved this book, and I can see what the big deal is about it. It truly is an American classic novel, one of the best classics I think I've ever read. Linda Stephens did an EXCELLENT JOB narrating this book as well! She really brought out the characters, both major AND minor!