Customer Reviews

The Winds of Tara

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

After finishing THE WINDS OF TARA, all I can say is: Oh, my God.

Because no review I've yet read had told me how pitifully dreadful this book really is, I had high hopes that the Mitchell Estate was wrong to prevent its publication in the United States. That THE WINDS OF TARA would at least be a well plotted, decently written book, if not exactly comparable to what Margaret Mitchell accomplished with GONE WITH THE WIND. And I didn't think (before I read this novel) that GWTW was some untouchable bastion - why shouldn't any writer have a go at a sequel? After all, might not THE WINDS OF TARA be just as worthy an effort as the two authorized sequels? Wasn't the Mitchell Estate just being unnecessarily harsh by restricting Ms. Pinotti from publishing her book in the U.S.? How unfair! Perhaps they should have embraced her version... Or so my thoughts ran.

So, I went to considerable trouble, and expense, to obtain a copy of this novel... and, having done so, I beg every single person who reads this review, and, especially those readers who care even a tiny bit about GONE WITH THE WIND -- DO NOT invest in obtaining a copy of this unauthorized sequel. If you are a reader who cares about what could have happened to Rhett and Scarlett or any other character from GONE WITH THE WIND, believe me, please, your daydreams will be more satisfying than ANYTHING presented here. On the other hand, if you are simply a reader who doesn't have a strong opinion about GWTW, and just wants to read a well-written story, then you surely musn't read this book. Because your stomach will turn at the first capitalizations of the words 'typhoid' and 'brandy', and the fact that the author brings (admittedly, minor) characters who died in GWTW back from the dead. And --I beg that you believe me-- the author's writing powers only decrease from there.

If I could vote *zero* stars for this book on the Amazon system, I certainly would. It's not only that THE WINDS OF TARA is not a good sequel. It's just not GOOD, period. I'm not even a devoted fan of GWTW, the book or the movie - but this novel doesn't even come CLOSE to the good qualities of either. Frankly I feel as if I'd participated in some unholy act just by reading it, it's that bloody awful.

Thank you, Mitchell Estate, from keeping this book off our U.S. bookshelves. You were right all along.

A real "Windy" would not find this book to be even close to an acceptable attempt at a sequel. Grammar, spelling, syntax, context - all amiss. Did Pinotti not have an editor? Or a spellcheck program? Basics were ignored, as was MM original and timeless story. If possible, I would have rated this book "no stars." I can find nothing legit in those here who credit Pinotti with being a good writer as nothing in her book suggests she knows how to write.

Having been disappointed by both "Scarlett" and "Rhett Butler's People" - the two sanctioned Mitchell Estate sequels to GWTW, I thought that maybe this unauthorized book might be better. I was sorely mistaken. Not only is the writing style below par, basic facts - from both the original books and American history went unchecked. Most are silly mistakes, but they make the reader groan in their stupidity. Established birth parentage (Dilcey and Prissy,) established name origins (Ella [also called in the book by her middle name Lorena], Careen [Caroline Irene], Belle Watling [not "Watlin" as in the book] Eleanor [not Charlotte as in the book] Butler, are ignored and misspelled, American holidays misinterpreted (Thanksgiving is mentioned often as being celebrated by Scarlett and her family - is not routinely celebrated in the South having been thought of as "Lincoln's holiday" long into the 20th century) and locations (a precious package arrives from England through Ellis Island - where immigrants, not parcels, entered the United States). A beloved and very observant Catholic character is cremated, against strict Catholic burial customs (not modified until 1918) instead of buried - it all adds up to a sub standard and silly attempt to concoct a happy ending for Scarlett and Rhett. Perhaps most disturbing is that a character killed off my Mitchell in 1936 reappears here and has a major impact on the plot. Lots and lots of food and food scents are mentioned, most "swimming in butter" and Rhett "reaches for", "lights up", "puts out" "smells", "flicks the ashes off", picks up" "puts down" "throws out", "throws down", "discards" his many, many, many cigars ad nauseum. Some sentences and terms are lifted right off of Margaret Mitchell's pages. Aside from the "forbidden fruit" aspect of it not available in the U.S., it is not worth the read. And if you are a real GWTW fan, it's sloppiness will make you mad.

There are too many anachronisms to go into here, so let me put it bluntly...this sequel is simply bad.

"There was never a slave sold from Tara and only one whipping."

Devoutly Cathlolic Ellen O'Hara would never have tolerated such a relationship between her maid and her husband. Mammy, by the way, was probably old enough to be GERALD'S mother.

There are plenty of other antebellum novels that could have been parodied, and much more convincingly.

Don't waste your $$$$.

I wanted to enjoy this book. There are far too many inaccuracies which makes me think the person who wrote this never even read Gone With the Wind. There are too many little details that she has gotten completely wrong that makes the pages it is written on less than Confederate bonds right after the Civil War. This attempt at a sequel is an insult to Margaret Mitchell and all GWTW fans.

A lot of people have a problem with the emergence of Jonas Wilkerson, the Yankee overseer. This part of the story, however, was somewhat workable. They thought Jonas was dead, but he was badly wounded, and therefore was alive all along. OK, if you are going to change a huge part of the original story, then I can understand the presumed dead, but really alive explanation. I think this was handled well enough, not saying that I like it, but it was not completely impossible. However, not only is Jonas alive, other previously dead characters are as well. Grandma Fontaine was killed off in GWTW, so why is she in this novel? On one page, Tom and Willie are referred to as Cade Calvert's boys. Two pages later, they are referred to as Tom and Willie Fontaine. So which is it?
The rest of it is just out of hand. Suellen's husband Will, who we know as a small farmer with little family now has a much more polished and wealthy history. Scarlet constantly refers to her sister Careen as "Sugar Baby" This alone is annoying. I can understand wanting Scarlett to grow up and change a bit, but she totally changes the character from the get go. It would have been better for Scarlett to examine her conscience and work towards becoming a less selfish person.

Ashley, who Margaret Mitchell describes as golden haired and grey eyed, now has reddish blonde hair and blue eyes. His sister India also has a new eye color, so does Scarlet's son Wade. His eyes are now blue instead of brown. There are major continuity problems with this book. Scarlett is now 34 years old. At the end of GWTW, she is 28, and Rhett is 45. This writer decided to fast forward the story 7 years. How ridiculous is this? Scarlet all of a sudden own the mills again, when we know she sold it off to Ashley in GWTW.

Beatrice Tarleton all of a sudden hates Scarlett, when in GWTW, they did have a somewhat friendly relationship. A part in the book says that Beatrice does not like mares. Ummmm hello, what's about her mare Nessie, her pride and joy from GWTW? Again, did this idiot even read the book before she decided to do a sequel? A woman like Beatrice, who was enthusiastic about all things horses, to the point where she loved them more than her own children would never dislike mares. This makes no sense. Also, weren't all of her sons killed off in the war?

One of Suellen's children refer to Scarlet's son Wade as Uncle Wade. Again, pure nonsense. Wade is her cousin. Wade is also supposed to be about 17. GWTW had Wade about 11 years old at the end of the novel and Ella about 7 or 8. This ridiculous story turns her into a teenager who has been living with her aunts in Charleston. Why would Scarlett drop off her daughter to live with her elderly aunts? And when did this all supposedly happen? Scarlet says she is going to Tara tomorrow and all of a sudden it is 7 years later?



I cannot even continue. Save yourself the money and do not buy this crap. The editing is awful. Whoever proofread this does not know the difference between your and you're. Pretty pathetic.

I thought previous reviewers with negative opinions were being harsh about this novel. Boy was I wrong.

How this got through an editor is beyond me. All this is, is published fanfiction! There was a reason why it was pulled from the shelves when it was first published in 2001.

This book is horrible and every copy should be burned!

This book was earning a solid B most of the way through. The characters are engaging and the general tone is very Mitchell-like. There were minor errors (such as adding 5 years to each character's age) that you could gloss over without too much trouble because the story itself was quite good.

In the last part of the book, however, she started losing me. When a husband who was actually selling pies after the war is listed as dead in the war and an Atlanta resident is mentioned as a County resident, you kinda get tossed out of story and into fact check mode. When Mammy, Dilcey and Prissy sit down with Scarlett and have a discussion about what it was like to be torn from the homeland by slavers ... well, GWTW itself answers the question of Mammy and Dilcey's birth (in the US!) and since Prissy is Dilcey's daughter... that simply felt like a bunch of PC nonsense thrown in to soothe today's sensibilities.

Finally, by the very end, Rhett and Scarlett's famously engaging, sarcastic and witty repertoire has turned into mere sniping.

All in all, Ms. Pinotti is an excellent writer. She and her editors merely failed in the fact checking. I would look forward to a book of her own, of her own design.

Don't believe all of those Old Pea Hens who are giving Katherine Pinoitti's book a bad review. Personally, I found this book to be a terrific read and I particularly enjoyed the new plot directions. The text was full of colorful, Mitchell-inspired language and settings.

I enjoyed this book very much! The author kept the characters so true to life. Most sequels written by a different author stink, but this one was fantastic. I especially liked the new characters and felt the story suited Rhett and Scarlett. It was just what I had hoped it would be. If you want to read a really good continuation of Gone with the Wind, you should get this book. If you are a windy fan, you're gonna love this!

I just finished reading this sequel to Gone With The Wind, and thought it was excellent. I was stunned to see how the author actually kept the characters as they were in the original. Pinotti writes very well, and although I had read some reviews that almost kept me from purchasing the book, I am glad I ignored them and got it anyway. It just goes to show that some people perfer to dissect a literary work, instead of enjoying it for what it was intended to be...a good story. I did not find any errors that others have tauted. Perhaps they were confused? This is a book of fiction for God's sake, which allows the author a little latitude. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love this book. The plot seemed so fresh and much more natural, as what you would have expected the characters to do, unlike the other one "Scarlett", which I didn't like at all. It was expensive, but when it finally arrived, I couldn't put it down. The storyline transpired evenly into a well-crafted novel full of suspense and engaging behavior among the characters. It was as if I had turned the last page in Gone With The Wind and read on, without a break. I would love to see this made into a movie eventually, if the Mitchell Trust will allow its sells in the US. Can't imagine why they wouldn't. I believe Ms. Pinotti did justice to Margaret Mitchell's work, and finally gave us a sequel that was realistic, entertaining, and delicious to read. I usually don't write book reviews, but I felt compelled to write this time, since I would not want anyone not to get this book if they can. I enjoyed it very much. Hat's off to the author for bringing us a little bit of heaven through the eyes and antics of the characters we grew to love. Scarlett didn't change a bit, perhaps grew a little, but we all know she must, if she intended to get Rhett back. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loved Gone With The Wind as I do, and wanted to finally read a real, true-to-life sequel.