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)

Don’t wait for tomorrow to listen to this masterpiece

Excellent writing performed superbly by the reader…

For the intelligent and thoughtful listener this book is a profound experience - a rare and realistic mirror into the complexity of an era of America’s past that needs to be understood more clearly today.

still one of my favorites

I loved this book when I was 17 and could concentrate enough to read for hours. it's been my favorite for years but I haven't been able to read it in nearly a decade. it's still my favorite. narrorated very well. it was like listening to a story as a kid again

One of my favorite books!

Love it the story, the history, the characters. Best book ever written . I’ll listen to it again

History from southern perspective

I found the historical perspective of the civil war from the perspective of folks in Atlanta interesting: Sherman’s March from Atlanta to the coast burning the city and everything in his path and the effects of reconstruction on the south. Nobody talks about this

Spectacular

I was reluctant to listen to this book because I thought it would be just a boring re-do of the great movie.

However, I think this book is spectacular. I have a personal rating system like Jacob's ladder. This is a five star book above the ordinary five stars. The narration is as good as the book and is what carried me along for several days straight, to the extent I neglected important personal duties...

Besides being a great love story with admirable characters, I learned more history in this book than I thought possible for a single volume. The author captured life in the South during, before and after the Civil War.

Gone With the Wind has been compared to War and Peace. I have listened to them both, and I say War and Peace was a duty to be fulfilled, and that Gone With the Wind an exciting pleasure and a true education, if you want it.

GREAT AMERICAN LOVE STORY, TERRIBLE NARRATOR!

I simply can't believe Linda Stephens was allowed to announce the chapters as though she were calling out bingo numbers! She hollers triumphantly in the moments after someone has died or some serious development has occurred and before the next chapter will continue the story. A real pro narrator will make the chapter headings neutral. But not this poor excuse of a narrator. It's all about her, and we never forget she is reading us a story. She never rises to the level of Juliet Stevenson, Davina Porter or Humphrey Bower, just a few of my favorites. Chapter 22 and Chapter 57 were especially irritating. I could wring her neck!

A great book, despite the racism

I didn't expect to really like this, let alone sustain the length of it...but I found it enjoyable, thought-provoking, and educational. Of course, the racism is appalling, but it's a product of its time I suppose. Its length and the ending would not be my choice, but it is a powerful work about life in the south and the culture of politeness. Linda Stephens does a good job of the narration.

American Classic

Loved the movie ...... Was shocked that the book was different ....... Enjoy listening to this classic ........ Ten stars!!!!!

Timeless Classic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend Gone With The Wind. It is an amzing book. I've seen the movie more times than I can count and read the book a long time ago, yet it still keeps my attention. I'm 30 hours in and I rarely find my thoughts drifting away in distraction. I thought the 49 hours would last me quite a while. Not so. Even though I know the story so well frrom the moive, I am anxious to get back to listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gone with the Wind?

Just about any time Scarlett is stymied by Rhett.

Have you listened to any of Linda Stephens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first listen with Linda Stephens but she does a great job. Truly.

If you could take any character from Gone with the Wind out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Rhett. He's unconventional and brash, yet very practical. A Rebel with his own cause, yet respectful where respect is due.

Great Listen

If you could sum up Gone with the Wind in three words, what would they be?

So much more than the movie.

Any additional comments?

I was sorry the book was over when I reached the end.