I've been anti blog lately. Why? I've been lost in a book. Don't worry, it happens regularly and I usually find myself in a few days. But this time the book was long, and consuming -- Gone with the Wind.
I read this book long ago when I was still a young whipper snapper. Then I devoured it for the story. This time I think I understood the moral dilemma, the soul rending grief, and the bitterness a little more. And so it was better, and so it was worse.
I finally had to stay up late last night to just finish it. It was ruining my days. Scarlett is so completely given over to selfishness that it was painful to read. I saw her pain and the obvious causes and I just started despairing. We can make life so difficult for ourselves. Certainly life is hard enough all by itself without us compounding things.
After my first reading of the book, I immediately picked up the sequel Scarlett(not written by Margaret Mitchell) to try and change the terrible ending. This time I told myself I wouldn't read it. But after the end of Gone with the Wind, I was so devastated that I may have to read it after all.
This was such a good book, although Matt swore he'd never read it after seeing me struggle with it. I'm interested in a great history of the civil war and especially the reconstruction. Does anyone have any good ideas?
3 comments:
Sounds like you had a powerful experience with the book. It makes me pretty tempted.
March by Geraldine Brooks won a Pulitzer. It's apparently a fabulous read about the father of the March family from Little Women, when he is off to war. It's something I should add to my to-read list.
Unfortunately, I have no book suggestions. I did, however, watch Gone With the Wind yesterday. I haven't seen it in years. I liked how my life's experience has given me a new perspective on the story. I really want to read the actual book now, as I never have.
I read the book for the first time when I was in middle school. I picked it back up recently and am in the process of rereading it. Man, my perspective has really changed since reading it last time too!
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