Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind"

I loved this book. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it, but it's well worth reading. If you loved Gone With the Wind as much as I did, you will want to read this book. It's one of my favorites!

I really enjoyed it

I loved Gone with the Wind and I had to know how the story ended, i got so tied up with the characters. I don't think it matters who wrote the book as long as the story was as good and it was- I would definately recomend this book! It had a great ending.

... I noticed 2 reactions to this book. One type was the one or two star "how could she have written such a lousy novel" reactions, that often proved their point by sticking to tiny little details (such as the similarity of Scarlett's trips to Tara when she was desprate, or her having taken off her corsets). The other type of reaction was usually 3 stars or more, with an appreciation of Ripley's effort to write this sequel. I must admit I belong to the 2nd group, because I basically believe that the first book was very well written, and managed to tie all of its own loose ends except for the Scarlett and Rhett relationship - which is an end I think Margaret Mitchell herself wanted to leave loose... And this is why I found the Scarlett / Rhett aspects of the sequal so disappointing - after all the plot twists of GWTW between them, the only way to go was a variation of the one mentioned in the book: Scarlett chasing Rhett, which only makes him run further away, and only when she 'grows up' does she get him back... The inclusion of Rhett in this book seemed a little fake, and to me it felt as though Ripley had included it just to satisfy the die - hard fans of GWTW who wished to see the couple get back...I think that Ripley made a wise choice by removing Scarlett from everything and everyone she knew. Scarlett had misunderstood the rules of the Atlanta 'Old Guard' and had so many chances to fix her status in GWTW that keeping her in Atlanta would have been boring. She was there long enough for us to see how low she had gone there (not being invited to parties, people ignoring her, not selling her stuff in their stores, not going into hers...), and by this stage having the 'Old Guard' forgive her would have been fake. The Old Guard's attitude was already tied and sealed by Margaret Mitchel, and all Alexandra Ripley had to do was show that Scarlett finally realizes the kind of people her new friends are, and when she throws them out she just has no one to live for in Atlanta... This might be a specific example, but in general, I felt that going back to all the locations from GWTW would have been just re - writing the first book, and I'm glad the plot was taken to new and interesting places... I suppose that many of the die hrd fans expected something with the same style and plot turns of the GWTW book - but then, why not ust read GWTW again?Scarlett's moving to Ireland seemed a natural step - after not fitting into the southern society in Atlanta and Charleston, she finally finds her Irish relatives, which seem to love her, admire her, and most important of all - accept her just as she is... This is what trigers her to change. Instead of wearing a tight corset under over - decorated fancy clothes, she takes her corsets off, and wears simple peasant clothes, because she doesn't have to impress anyone with her fancy clothes - her relatives love her anyway... She finally gains status without having to act unnaturally, which makes her realize all of her n

Here is the completion to the book that has swept counties and countries alike. Ripely picks up where Mitchell left off on Gone With The Wind, continuing the timeless classic with a novel of her own. In this tale, our heroine, Scarlett O'Hara flees to Ireland, unwilling to face the shame of being divorced and bearing Rhett's child. Amoung her Irish kin, she finds a home there- no one needs to know that her husband threw her over, so Scarlett begins to weave an intricate and delicate web of lies. Earning the title of The O'Hara, and being selected out of her many relatives to be the head of the family, Scarlett grows to be well-known in Ireland. This attracts the attention of a woman determined to make Scarlett an even bigger celebrity. News of the belle travels even as far to the states . . . Back in Charleston, unknown to Scarlett, Anne Hampton, former friend to The O'Hara weaves her own web, with plans to have Rhett caught in the silky threads. He falls into the trap, and is forced to marry the school ma'am or be shunned by all in South Carolina. This choice turns out to be a mistake, for no sooner are the wedding vows said than do Rhett's passions for his ex-wife begin to overcome his senses. And when Anne dies from the yellow fever, Mr. Butler travels to Ireland, and to the side of his ex-wife and younger daughter. All ends well for the threesome, as Margaret Mitchell would have no doubt intended. As a worthy sequel to Gone With The Wind, Scarlett wraps up the history of Rhett and Scarlett, tying up all the loose ends and leaving nothing but a wholly satisfied reader.

Here is the completion to the book that has swept counties and countries alike. Ripely picks up where Mitchell left off on Gone With The Wind, continuing the timeless classic with a novel of her own. In this tale, our heroine, Scarlett O'Hara flees to Ireland, unwilling to face the shame of being divorced and bearing Rhett's child. Amoung her Irish kin, she finds a home there- no one needs to know that her husband threw her over, so Scarlett begins to weave an intricate and delicate web of lies. Earning the title of The O'Hara, and being selected out of her many relatives to be the head of the family, Scarlett grows to be well-known in Ireland. This attracts the attention of a woman determined to make Scarlett an even bigger celebrity. News of the belle travels even as far to the states . . . Back in Charleston, unknown to Scarlett, Anne Hampton, former friend to The O'Hara weaves her own web, with plans to have Rhett caught in the silky threads. He falls into the trap, and is forced to marry the school ma'am or be shunned by all in South Carolina. This choice turns out to be a mistake, for no sooner are the wedding vows said than do Rhett's passions for his ex-wife begin to overcome his senses. And when Anne dies from the yellow fever, Mr. Butler travels to Ireland, and to the side of his ex-wife and younger daughter. All ends well for the threesome, as Margaret Mitchell would have no doubt intended. As a worthy sequel to Gone With The Wind, Scarlett wraps up the history of Rhett and Scarlett, tying up all the loose ends and leaving nothing but a wholly satisfied reader.