Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), author of Gone With the Wind , jilted her kind, protective suitor, John Marsh, and instead married Red Upshaw, an unstable bootlegger who physically abused her. Even after she divorced Upshaw, Mitchell, according to Walker, was a confused romantic who in many ways resembled her heroine, Scarlett O'Hara. A "classic demanding-dependent personality," Mitchell found more than a supportive fatherly mate in public relations executive Marsh, whom she finally married in 1925. Walker, a professor of English and philosophy at the University of Kentucky-Henderson Community College, reveals that Marsh played a vital role in the creation of Mitchell's classic Civil War saga. He offered key ideas and advice, continuously edited the manuscript as his wife wrote it, and helped with the revision. Walker quotes liberally from the couple's letters and also draws on interviews, family papers and archival research to tell a moving love story of a symbiotic union that lasted 24 years. A remarkable piece of detective work. Photos. 25,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Through her exclusive access to over 200 of Mitchell's and Marsh's personal letters and a close association with some surviving members of their family, Walker succeeds in presenting a fresh, exciting account of the complex, intertwined aspects of the lives of this celebrated writer and her less well known spouse. GWTW was Mitchell's great singular achievement, and the uncertain extent to which Marsh may have written as well as edited the celebrated novel might easily be viewed in today's terminology as being dramatically "codependent." But Walker brings an intriguing perspective to the personal and professional interplay during their long marriage, revealing Marsh's doting attachment to his wife and, in turn, her reliance upon him in all aspects of her life and work. This appealing portrait of a marriage is certain to generate interest among Mitchell's legions of fans. Alice Joyce --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561452319
• ISBN-13: 978-1561452316
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #596,119 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for GWTW fans! This books is truly interesting., March 27, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind (Paperback)

I have been a GWTW fan since I was 12. This book is a must for GWTW fans and anyone else as well. This book gives us a peek into the writing process and what instant fame and forture can do to a person. It also tells us of interesting facts about Margaret Mitchell, her husband John, and their families. This story is told partially through letters saved by friends and families. A wonderful insight to that era of GWTW's initial popularity.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Margaret Mitchell Love Story, July 17, 2000

By	Maryella Fox (Terre Haute, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Margaret Mitchell & John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind (Paperback)

I felt that Margaret Mitchell's family was part of my own, and hated to see the book end. Am reading it now for the second time. Would love to communicate with Marianne Walker, direct. Just finished reading Darden Asbury Pyron's SOUTHERN DAUGHTER and it has made me so MAD. There are so many contradictions in it with the Walker version and I choose to believe Marianne! As you can see, I am a devoted Margaret Mitchell fan and have tried to read every thing I could throughout the years. I look forward to learning if Marianne Walker is available to the "general" public, like me.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars From A Teens Perspective, October 30, 2002

By	Christi P. (Hiram, GA) - See all my reviews

Margaret Mitchell's own love story accentuated the movie. She was able to create such a romantic story because she was leading such a romantic life herself.