Gone With the Wind

Yesterday was a momentous day. I finally, finally, finished Gone With the Wind. Would you like to know when I started reading this hefty novel? August 2007. Right about when we first found out I was pregnant. It has been quite the saga, and I'm not just talking about Scarlett and Rhett. Alongside the many intricacies of their tale has been the saga of my reading this book.

I checked it out from the library in August because it's one of the Great American Novels and I needed a good summer read. I really had no idea how long it was until I actually had it in my hands. And even then I thought, "Surely this book isn't really over 900 pages. Surely there is an introduction, a preface, some sort of commentary that takes up a lot of space." But no. The copy I own has 960 pages. The last page is About the Author. The first 24 pages are all the Preface, Title Page, etc. That's 934 pages of content, 934 pages of solid book. That's a lot of book.

So I hunkered down for the long read. Unfortunately, I then began puking my guts out, and had a really hard time concentrating on anything. But I persevered! The book came due at the library. I renewed! But alas! I ran out of renewals on the book, and it had to go back. It was a sad day. And so I decided to ask for the book for Christmas. Then I wouldn't have to worry about library late fees. And I got it! (Thank you, Jessica!) I was back on track.

And then another book that I had requested from the library months earlier was on hold for me. So I had to read that one. I mean, I owned Gone With the Wind, right? There would be time. This happened a few times. Until finally I decided that it could be put off no longer, and I simply had to finish this book before Wombsly arrived, I just had to! Luckily, I had plenty of doctor's visits to help me on this quest, I don't think I could have done it without all that time spent waiting.

OK, so now that I've told you all about reading the book, let me say that I really enjoyed this book. Even though it took me 9 months to read it. It gave me a greater appreciation for the Southern point of view, and I learned a lot about the Reconstruction Era. It's really a book about people, and what drives them, which I find fascinating. There is a quote from an interview with Margaret Mitchell in 1936 that I think sums up the book pretty well. She was asked what Gone With the Wind was about:

"If the novel has a theme it is that of survival. What makes some people come through catastrophes and others, apparently just as able, strong and brave go under? It happens in every upheaval. Some people survive; others don't. What qualities are in those who fight their way through triumphantly that are lacking in those that go under? I only know that survivors used to call that quality 'gumption.' So I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn't."

Well said, Ms. Mitchell. Well said.