Rhett Butler's People
For the past 24 hours I have been immersed in this fantastic book.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/books/review/Carter-t.html
McCaig, the author of two other novels set during the Civil War period, was chosen by the Mitchell estate to write this sequel. He works hard to cleanse Rhett of the stains on his reputation that Mitchell considered compliments. That McCaig so admirably succeeds is both the strength and weakness of his tale and helps illustrate the risk of attempting a sequel to one of the most popular novels in history.
The review is incorrect to call this a "sequel" for it is not. It is better than some sequel. Instead it is a RETELLING of the same story we all know and love but from a new point of view... the POV of the mysterious and charming Rhett Butler!
We learn who Rhett was. Where he came from. The novel begins when Rhett is a boy. We learn about his family, both current and the scandals of the past that led to who he became. We learn all about the Watling family and how Belle Watling came to be a part of Rhett's life and why he was involved with her (it wasn't for sex). We learn how and why Rhett came to be at Twelve Oaks that day, how he fell in love with Scarlett on first sight, before he even knew who she was. We learn why he was in the library, "hiding", when Scarlett begged Ashley to love her.
And we learn about others too. We learn of Ashley's motivations -- did he ever love Scarlett? why did he choose Melanie? And why did Melanie always defend Scarlett? Was she just stupid? The Wilkes family plays a big role in this novel. We learn of Rhett's enduring love for his sister Rosemary. We learn about Aunt PittyPat, we learn about the Watling family, and more.
Best of all... the story doesn't end when Rhett walks out on Scarlett and she vows to get him back! We learn what happened to Rhett, where he goes and what he does. We learn about Scarlett, going back to Tara, and what happens there.
Best of all this novel is not written by some hack. The author has written other novels on the Civil War and won awards for these. He was chosen by the Margaret Mitchell Estate to write Rhett's story. This is the AUTHORIZED version.
I've only read Gone With the Wind once, but this novel fleshes out so many incidents not fully explained in the book, some of which the NYT review covers. I've seen the movie so very many times, like many American women, northern and southern. I felt like I knew every bit of it.
This book makes me want to see it again. It would be like a whole new movie, and I would know all the secret bits not explained.
Though I read a lot, I am very picky about books. It's hard for me to find a book that i think is really good, especially in fiction. For example, I just finished The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and that book was AWFUL. It's been so long since I picked up a book and fell into it and barely come up for air. I stayed up all night reading, then fell asleep most of the day, woke up this evening, picked it back up and read until I was done.
Strangely...right before I went to the library and stumbled on this novel in the New Books section I had just watched and returned to Blockbuster the movie Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace is the true story of William Wilburforce, a British politician in the 18th and 19th centuries, who worked for decades to abolish the British slave trade. It was a really good movie, and I learned a lot. The movie portrayed real people and real events.
I feel like I've been immersed in slave history for the past two days.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/books/review/Carter-t.html
McCaig, the author of two other novels set during the Civil War period, was chosen by the Mitchell estate to write this sequel. He works hard to cleanse Rhett of the stains on his reputation that Mitchell considered compliments. That McCaig so admirably succeeds is both the strength and weakness of his tale and helps illustrate the risk of attempting a sequel to one of the most popular novels in history.
The review is incorrect to call this a "sequel" for it is not. It is better than some sequel. Instead it is a RETELLING of the same story we all know and love but from a new point of view... the POV of the mysterious and charming Rhett Butler!
We learn who Rhett was. Where he came from. The novel begins when Rhett is a boy. We learn about his family, both current and the scandals of the past that led to who he became. We learn all about the Watling family and how Belle Watling came to be a part of Rhett's life and why he was involved with her (it wasn't for sex). We learn how and why Rhett came to be at Twelve Oaks that day, how he fell in love with Scarlett on first sight, before he even knew who she was. We learn why he was in the library, "hiding", when Scarlett begged Ashley to love her.
And we learn about others too. We learn of Ashley's motivations -- did he ever love Scarlett? why did he choose Melanie? And why did Melanie always defend Scarlett? Was she just stupid? The Wilkes family plays a big role in this novel. We learn of Rhett's enduring love for his sister Rosemary. We learn about Aunt PittyPat, we learn about the Watling family, and more.
Best of all... the story doesn't end when Rhett walks out on Scarlett and she vows to get him back! We learn what happened to Rhett, where he goes and what he does. We learn about Scarlett, going back to Tara, and what happens there.
Best of all this novel is not written by some hack. The author has written other novels on the Civil War and won awards for these. He was chosen by the Margaret Mitchell Estate to write Rhett's story. This is the AUTHORIZED version.
I've only read Gone With the Wind once, but this novel fleshes out so many incidents not fully explained in the book, some of which the NYT review covers. I've seen the movie so very many times, like many American women, northern and southern. I felt like I knew every bit of it.
This book makes me want to see it again. It would be like a whole new movie, and I would know all the secret bits not explained.
Though I read a lot, I am very picky about books. It's hard for me to find a book that i think is really good, especially in fiction. For example, I just finished The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and that book was AWFUL. It's been so long since I picked up a book and fell into it and barely come up for air. I stayed up all night reading, then fell asleep most of the day, woke up this evening, picked it back up and read until I was done.
Strangely...right before I went to the library and stumbled on this novel in the New Books section I had just watched and returned to Blockbuster the movie Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace is the true story of William Wilburforce, a British politician in the 18th and 19th centuries, who worked for decades to abolish the British slave trade. It was a really good movie, and I learned a lot. The movie portrayed real people and real events.
I feel like I've been immersed in slave history for the past two days.