Finished and Lost

I wrapped up reading Gone With The Wind tonight. Oh my lands!! Now that's a story. I can't believe she contained it in only 1400 pages. The history, the characters, the heartache..... excellent. I will have to post a picture of my pathetic paperpack book. It did not hold up well. My book literally broke into two. The binding split, pages ripped, and it might have been half submerged in the Indian Ocean then dried out with a hotel hairdryer.

I can not get over this story and not believe these characters are fictional. They were honestly so real to me, the interpretation of the lifestyle was astounding. Why wasn't this required reading in high school? Not that I would have read it back then, but oh... I think the year we were suppose to read it I had Ms. Sinclair for English 10th or 11th grade. It was her first year of teaching and she cried every class. She quit after her first year. Marcus High School ate her alive. If you could imagine a class of complete chaos - that was hers. We basically watch movies all year round. That's all I remember... and her crying everyday. Wait, was that even her name? Back to the report she probably tried to have us do:

The characters are so deeply developed. Rhett. Dear Rhett, loving Scarlett all those years. Helping her when she didn't even know it, honoring her for her mind, and then letting her self destruct. Seriously, any man who buys that big of a ring just to make a point is a keeper in my book ;-) A father so against the grain during that era. Loving and doting, even to Wade. Scarlett, what were you thinking? Ashley? Please, you've wasted a life. This lady is a fighter, determined, and tough. A 17 inch waist after all those kids. Doubtful. Can you get over the way of life when it came to pregnancy and how they stayed hidden and in bed after delivery? That's CRAZY to me. Melanie, the truest of friends. A lady with grace and tact. I so wish Scarlett was a better girlfriend to her, and told her as much at the end... Communication, the most important aspect in a relationship. I wish she would have told Rhett sooner.

I'm equally impressed with the language. How Mammy and their other slaves would "speak", you could read it and "hear" the words off the pages. The dialects when a "white trash" would talk and the elders like Miss Pitty. Without even knowing it, I'm hearing them all page after page. Hundreds of characters in and out of the book, and you know them all.

I could go on! Please read this book. Erin, thank you for the New Year's Resolution. Please Tell Pat the Bunny to hide her ornament collection before I bribe her with salt and pepper shakers ;-)

As soon as I can find a free 233 minutes to enjoy the movie, my mission will be complete.