Customer Reviews

Scarlett

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There's a reason this book can be purchased for pennies on amazon. There are hundreds of readers out there desperate to forget it ever existed. As a stand-alone novel, it may be entertaining in a Harlequin romance sort of way; with its requisite action sequences; stock romance characters; and happy-ever-after resolution. As a sequel to the Pultzer Prize winning novel written by Margaret Mitchell, it's an infamous literary mistake. Mitchell's estate have finally come out on record as saying they were "embarrassed" by Ripley's effort. Of course, it's safe for them to say that now that Ms. Ripley has passed away.

For a comparison between this and the original version, consider that Mitchell spent 7 years and 8 months writing Gone With The Wind. Ripley devoted less than a year to her sequel. In it, she completely disregards the characters of Scarlett & Rhett, whom Mitchell so painstakingly and exquisitely detailed, in favor of making them "her" people (in otherwords, bland and one-dimensional)---this comes directly from Ripley herself, in an interview. From start to finish, this effort was never seen as an attempt to re-capture and expand upon Mitchell's masterpiece. It was inspired by, and designed for making money. And it's painfully obvious that Alexandra Ripley approached her subject matter from this perspective.

I can only account for the high praises of this book by its fans (thankfully in the minority) as people who were left so desperate for resolution to Scarlett's relationship, that they are willing to accept anything written about it. If that's the case, they might as well pick up any book published by Harlequin and simply change the characters' names to Scarlett and Rhett. It amounts to the same thing.

What they fail to understand is that S&R's relationship ended on the last page of GWTW. It's over. They broke up. There's no happy ending. Just the way it is in real life; just as Mitchell spent 7 years and many, many pages informing us as devoted readers. Scarlett & Rhett made for great reading, but as people they were failures. They were not capable of having satisfactory relationships. The clue to their futures were given to us in the final chapters of GWTW. Mitchell informs us that Rhett is burned out; he's tired of battling himself and the world, looking backwards and inwards with nothing but regret; in short, he's given up.

As for Scarlett, in fiction's greatest moment of arch-irony, inherits the helpless Ashley just as she realizes that she doesn't want him. She loses Rhett in the same moment; only then, only when he's lost, does she want him. So very true to Scarlett's character.

There really is nothing else to add to their story; unless readers want to read about Scarlett going home to Tara and growing old with Ashely tied around her neck like a millstone. Or suffer through Rhett's self-destruction as he slowly drinks himself to death. The idea that these two people could make it as a couple is ludicrously simple-minded. Scarlett herself tells us it is over with the last line of Gone With The Wind: "I can't think about that now. I'll think about it tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day." This trademark line of Scarlett's, uttered throughout the book, is a que from Mitchell to the reader: Scarlett has consigned the thing to oblivion, never to think about it again.

To affect a different outcome, Ripley literally had to create new characterizations for Scarlett & Rhett, characters who bare no resembalance to anything in Mitchell's epic novel. This was never a happy story, or even a romance.

Okay, okay. I know all the true, die-hard Gone with the Wind fans hate this book with a passionate passion. But. I didn't. At. ALL.

See, I'm the kind of girl who will not finish a sad movie. Moulin Rouge? I stop it right before she (SPOILER ALERT) dies. A Walk to Remember? I stop it right before she (SPOILER ALERT) dies. Old Yeller? I stop it right before he (SPOILER ALERT) dies.

I felt the same way about Gone with the Wind. I loved Rhett and I loved Scarlett and I loved Rhett and Scarlett. Yes, I know that she didn't deserve him and he made his choice and a woman can't change a man and it's soooo like realistic and blah blah.

Don't give me that crap. I want a happy ending, dang it!

Scarlett was written for all the people who demand happy endings.

Basically, Scarlett goes back to her motherland (no, not Africa, although WHAT A HILARIOUS PARODY!!!) of Ireland, finds her extended family, and learns how to be a decent person who works and makes money. She has a random run in with Rhett, they DO THE DEED (in detail--yikes!), and a baby ScarRhett is born. The rest of the book is about Scarlett obsessing over her very cool daughter, and about Rhett and Scarlett eventually (SPOILER ALERT) dying. Just kidding. They don't die. They get back together and happy ending and yay!

You should buy this if: you are a normal person who likes happy endings.

You should not buy this if: you are a cynical, grumpy person who likes real life.

Alexandra Ripley offers her readers the roots of what GWTW left un-touched. The intricate details of Scarlett's life as first Scarlett, one and only, and as she matures through children she had, husbands she married that died, spirits that could of been dead, re-vived. Before her marriages of convenience, including the marriage to Rhett, but more importantly what, little Katie Scarlett like Gerald O'Hara used to call her, did to amuse herself when she was alone, afraid, happy, sad. This real in-depth development of the heroines character is not as flamboyant as some of the prety frocks she wore.

Ripley researched what women like Scarlett would of endured and how tough they would of become despite the suppleness of youthful skin and hair. Ripley goes beyond the skin-deep attributes and one really knows 'scarlett' by the end. This book guarantees a reader will discover many things about the eerie Irish culture; while never having read GWTW, not be lost in the character development, the locations, the past and the present. It is told through Scarlett's eyes and with her mind, body and spirit as if a real tru bloodied southern Irish belle, appreciation is awarded and interest is satisfied.

Enjoy & Thank you for reading me

This really is a typical romance novel. It is based on the characters created by Margaret Mitchell in "Gone With The Wind" , with a bit of Irish and history tossed in. I truly enjoyed this book but only because I had read GWTW and already knew the characters (their history and story). "Scarlett" picks up where GWTW left off, and does a good job of bridging the two stories. Once again we see the on/off romance-game played and re-palyed by Scarlett & Rhett. This story was a little too heavy on the romance-side from time to time, but I still enjoyed the character and setting development throughout the story. I think the direction Scarlett took in this story is completely believable. Even though Scarlett is a strong, scheming, grown woman, she remains naive to the world and still feels inadequate. This story takes you to all new locations with new characters and events (some historical)worthy of GWTW. WARNING: if you saw the "Scarlett" movie, you have NO IDEA what this book is about! The movie compressed and completely changed significant events. I would never watch the movie again, and felt robbed of what should have been a great movie experience.

I have been a big fan of Gone with the Wind since I could remember. It's a beautifully written classic. This "sequel" is about as far from that as you can get.

On nearly every page Scarlett moans and whines about how she wants Rhett or finds some reason to complain about money. She is written as a selfish child, despite the fact that she is in her twenties and thirties throughout the book. I don't recall Scarlett acting this spoiled in Gone with the Wind, even if she was spoiled. But towards the end of Gone with the Wind, she seemed to have matured. Having to take over Tara and then losing Rhett to me was something that aged her, brought her beyond being a young belle to a grown woman. In Scarlett, she's transformed into a three year old in a grown woman's body. Rhett isn't written as badly as Scarlett but he's still not the Rhett Butler that Margaret Mitchell created either, but he seems to have developed the ability to be anywhere he's needed at any time, from Tara to Ireland.

The writing is awful, jumpy, and repetitive. The author chooses to describe several things over and over again. She spends nearly three pages describing how Scarlett thinks her mother did not love her, that people were forcing her to be a lady, which is nothing she wanted to be. And yet for more important things, like her visit to Tara and her attempt to get her children to join her in Ireland, are brushed away with one or two paragraphs. It was basically written off as her children did not want her, and that was that.

Scarlett's children from Gone with the Wind are brushed off for Katie Colum O'Hara, Scarlett's child that is conceived after a shipwreck that leaves Scarlett and Rhett in a cave where they, of course, make love. Cat as the child is called, of course has a miraculous birth despite the fact that Scarlett was told she would most likely never have another child. An Irish witch delivers her via c-section, which is apparently the excuse for writing Cat as a genius child who is supposedly wise beyond her years.

In fact, nearly every character from Gone with the Wind is distanced from Scarlett to make way for the author's own creations. Mammy, a solid character from Ms. Mitchell's classic, is killed off within the first few pages. Other characters like India Wilkes and Uncle Henry Hamilton, would pop up from time to time in small mentions or cameos. Scarlett, though, screams of the author making the characters "hers" and changing the story in what felt like her attempt at a romance novel.

It is like an awfully written fanfic that somehow managed to get itself published. I would never recommend it. If you truly want to read a companion piece to Gone with the Wind, I'd suggest Rhett Butler's People over this. Or make up your own. It surely wouldn't be as bad as Scarlett.

I've read other reviews on this site about the book... and I have to say that some are rather harsh.

I feel that this book, although not as good as Margaret Mitchell's (there are not many that are as good anyway), was still very well done and true to the characters for the majority of the time. The circumstances Alexandra Ripley picked up writing after were difficult ones, to say the least. But, in my opinion, she dealt with the characters and the difficulty of the relationship with Rhett and Scarlett very realistically. I knew after reading Gone with the Wind that if there was any hope of reconciliation between Rhett and Scarlett that Scarlett would have to mature, in many areas of her personality. That is the path Alexandra Ripley pursued with this book and that is just exactly what needed to occur. Rhett needed to get out of the picture some and let her grow up. She was like a selfish child throughout Gone with the Wind. An independent, highly practical, and, at times, intelligent child, but still a child nonetheless. She was emotionally immature on so many levels... but I digress.

"Scarlett" was a book of a different tone and feeling than Gone with the Wind. I liked the positive nature of it. At the end of Gone with the Wind, I thought to myself, "When will these characters get a break from the cruelty of life?" In Scarlett, the writer tried to allow Scarlett to experience the positive aspects of life that the war had hid her from. I thought this was a good move on the part of the writer and helped Scarlett to grow. The conversations between her and Rhett were well done. Some felt a little weird, or not exactly what I would think he would have said, but on the whole, very realistic and true to Rhett's personality and the way he was feeling after he left Scarlett at the end of Gone with the Wind.

Overall, I think it is worth reading if you don't like how things ended with Gone with the Wind. I just wanted some kind of hope and positive ending. I felt like a great relationship was built up over so many pages in Gone with the Wind and then smashed at the end. I just couldn't handle it ... and maybe that's my issue, but I thought that there had to be a better way to end it and Scarlett fulfills that for me in a way that is satisfying and well done.

I have had this book in paperback since I was in high school. I prefer hardback as it looks better on a bookcase so I bought it in hardback finally. This book continues the story of Gone With the Wind right were Mitchell leaves off. I love Gone With the Wind, I was actually named after Ashley and my little brother is named Rhett so I was weaned on this story. Some people seem to be offended that it was written but I like how accurate Ripley is with the characters. There are some differences in style and other things because it was written 60 years later by an entirely different person but considering these two facts it is extremely good. I have read this story probably a good 10+ times and never tire of it. I highly recommend this book if you are a lover of Scarlett and Rhett. If you can let go of sentimentalism for Margaret Mitchell and just enjoy a good story I promise you will not be disappointed.

must never have read the book for which she wrote the sequel.

Awful.

The only reason I gave it 2 stars is that, if this hadn't been about the fabulous Scarlett, I might - emphasis on the "might" - have been able to read it more dispassionately.

Because it was, however, the long-awaited sequel I had great expectations going in. Ms. Ripley, it seems, had no such ambitions. This is just a common place romance that misses the entire emotional and psychological makeup of the title character as originally created by Mitchell.

I can't understand why the Mitchell Trust ever approved it. They must have just needed some money.

It's obviously not as good as the original, but satisfied my curiosity! The tone of the book (character's traits) seemed slightly different, but this author did a good job of continuing the story.

I purchased the book "Scarlett" and it is a very well written book. I enjoyed it as well as "Rhett Butler's People". Scarlett (The Sequel to Gone With the Wind)Rhett Butler's People