Why did I wait so long to read this book? It's fantastic. I've never seen the movie, nor read the book before so everything was a complete surprise for me. Two of the most well known characters in American literacy were unknown to me.

One of my favorite parts of the book is how much I learned by reading it. I learned more about the Civil War by reading this book than I have in any class I've ever taken. Margaret Mitchell paints such beautiful and alarming pictures through her beautiful prose.

It fascinates me that Mitchell wrote this book backwards. She started with the ending and then wrote backwards, skipping around. When she handed her manuscript to the publisher, she had yet to write a beginning. (She was so embarrassed about her book that she hid it all around her house in loose pages. And, she very nearly did not give it to a publisher at all.)

I highly highly recommend this book. It may seem daunting at well over 700 pages (hardback), but it is definitely worth it. I read in a month while finishing grad school. I just couldn't put it down. And, I instantly had to read the sequel, Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley.

Buy your copy of Gone with the Wind today: