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Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" by: Alexandra Ripley

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Rating: - Not a bad effort!

Mitchell's sweeping epic is one of my all time favourite comfort reads and so, on finishing it for the umpteenth time I resolved to give the 'sequel' a look, mainly because I just felt I needed a little more. I sort of expected to be disappointed to an inevitable extent - and I was not wrong. Ultimately it just ain't the real deal - Ripley just isn't Mitchell. I state the obvious of course. However, aside from that, she did manage to draw me into the narrative with relative ease and I devoured the novel fairly quickly. It's not bad - it's just not as good as the original - it goes without saying really!
Ripley breathes life into Mitchell's characters - far more successfully with the major ones than the minor ones. Certainly Scarlett has spunk; Rhett has charisma and oozes charm. The whole enterprise would have failed dismally were that not the case. Minor characters like Ashley and the Atlanta crew however remain very one-dimensional and ultimately unconvincing. Ripley veers into melodrama and overindulges the soap opera element from time to time. That aside, she has successfully created an engaging, readable novel that, to a limited degree, provides fans of the original with a relatively satisfying second installment in the lives of Mitchell's famous characters.

Rating: - A huge disappointment

I love "Gone with the wind", one of the best written books I ever read. Unfortunately, "Scarlett" has very little to do with it: characters have the same name but not the same personality they had in Mitchell's book, the plot is quite unrealistic and the style poor. It is outrageous it has been officially anounced to be the sequel of GWTW.

Rating: - A highly credible sequel, difficult at the best of times...

I would recommend this book to all lovers of `Gone With the Wind' because only the lack of intricate detail tells the reader that this was not written by Margaret Mitchell; there is description enough, and it takes the reader into the post-Civil War period very well, but it would be very hard to match Mitchell's style completely. This is as close as we are ever likely to come. And it follows on very well as a sequel, something even original authors have trouble managing.

The story begins with Melanie's funeral and then moves from place to place, ending in late 19th century Ireland, where Scarlett meets her father's family and finds a certain peace even though she is desperately lonely for Rhett. I do not wish to destroy the pleasure of reading for anyone else, so will say little more on the subject of storyline but to add that it is plausible in most respects and the reader is drawn along comfortably.

But one of the best things about this book is the way Scarlett changes with each new lesson and circumstance. One still wishes to strangle her for being so stupid at times, as with `Gone With the Wind', a sure sign of a good author, but for the most part her growing up is credible and consistent with the Scarlett O'Hara of the original.

Rating: - Didn't think I'd like it BUT I DID!!

Well, only just read this, as I couldn't bring my self to before, because I did think that I really did not want anything to detract from the original, Gone with the Wind. I must say that I am very glad that I DID read it.

It is excellently done - what a daunting task for any novelist to do a follow on to an iconic book, after all. Ms Ripley has definitely done her research both in Ireland and the USA and I applaud her attention to the minutiae, particularly regarding the way the Irish were treated by the English over hundreds of years - of course, this is germane to the plot and was absolutely necessary and her use of it is outstanding.

In this book we find the reason for what was called in the Old South, Scarlett's 'very unladylike behaviour' - she obviously had a great dollop of Gerald O'Hara's genes, which come right to the fore when she meets and lives with her relatives in Ireland. It actually was obvious in GWTH that although Scarlett was brought up very strictly by her mother to be a Southern belle, with all that it entailed, she was not educated in any academic sense and this was one of the reasons she could never really understand Ashley or Rhett, for that matter.

Rhett's character is also explained here with great regard for the shaping and development of same, from his Old South gentlemanly, well educated upbringing to his days gambling on riverboats and running the blockade during the American Civil War

All in all, this is an EXCELLENT book and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good, long very satisfying read.

Well done Ms. Ripley.

Rating: - Starts off well . . .

. . . but sadly dawdles towards the middle.
I absolutely love 'Gone With The Wind' and was quite intrigued when I discovered that a sequel had been written and was very happy and satisfied that 'Scarlett' began the morning after Rhett leaves.
The story focuses mainly from Scarlett's point of view like 'Gone With The Wind' and begins with her utter determination to win Rhett back, which eventually leads her to Charleston to meet Rhett's mother and various other family members and friends. This portion of the story, I really enjoyed as it bought a refreshing angle to the old story and the reader gets to enjoy some great interaction between Rhett and Scarlett, especially after the bit in the cave during the storm.
From here, Scarlett travels to Savannah to see her Grandfather Robillard and meets various members of her Father's huge Irish immigrant family. This was about the point that this story (for me) became more standardized romance novel, than timeless love story.
Not wanting to give away any more of the plot, I will move onto my criticism's.

For a start, there are far too many new characters - especially the Irish ones, which sadly tend to blend together even though they are supposed to be exciting and original. Also, many of the new characters seemed to either be stereotyped and un-original or carbon copies of old characters from 'Gone With The Wind' (ex; Scarlett's mother and Rhett's mother are like the same person).
Secondly, some of the situations that occur really do border on trashy romance or just seem so trivial. But the most dissapointing and wholly unbelievable plotline is Scarlett's involvement with the beginnings of the IRA and her relationship with 'Cat' which at times seems like it's straight out of a fanfic.
Lastly, from the very beginning you can tell that Scarlett is not Scarlett and Rhett is not Rhett. They seem to lose their charm and originality and many of their personality traits which any 'Gone With The Wind' fan will notice straight off and that is a real shame.

I'm not saying this a terrible book, because it's not. At times I still found myself rooting for my favourite literary characters and really liked some of the plot twists.
As a romance novel, this does the trick. As a sequel I'm not so convinced.

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