Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley
The timeless tale continues… The most popular and beloved American historical novel ever written, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind is unparalleled in its portrayal of men and women at once larger than life but as real as ourselves. Now bestselling writer Alexandra Ripley brings us back to Tara and reintroduces us to the characters we remember so well: Rhett, Ashley, Mammy, Suellen, Aunt Pittypat, and, of course, Scarlett. As the classic story, first told over half a century ago, moves forward, the greatest love affair in all fiction is reignited; amidst heartbreak and joy, the endless, consuming passion between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler reaches its startling culmination. Rich with surprises at every turn and new emotional, breathtaking adventures, Scarlett satisfies our longing to reenter the world of Gone With the Wind, and like its predecessor, Scarlett will find an eternal place in our hearts.
For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #21: Character’s name in the title)
The Classics Club
The Reason
It’s the unofficial sequel to Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and I usually read them both together.
The Quotes
“Should-haves solve nothing. It’s the next thing to happen that needs thinking about.”
“’If only’ repeated again and again in her head like a battering ram…’if only’ could break your heart.”
“I’m going to make a world for myself by my rules, not anybody else’s. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to learn to be happy.”
“She’d done harder things in her life, she could do this. She had to.”
The Narrator(s)
Linda Stephens. I enjoyed the narration very much, I was completely immersed in the world.
My Thoughts
I realize that a lot of GWTW purists hate this book for various reasons, but I personally love it and in fact, I love this more than GWTW itself. Some of the complaints include the fact that Scarlett’s personality in this book isn’t consistent with her personality in GWTW, but in my opinion that’s one of the weakest arguments against this book, because Scarlett starts off at what? 17 years old? in GWTW, and she’s in her 30s in this book.
Honestly, if you haven’t changed from the time you were 17 to when you were in your 30s, I’d be more concerned. Plus, we know Scarlett had gone through so much, and that final scene at the end of GWTW was another catalyst for her and I’d like to think that she grew from that. Not overnight, but that’s the reason why I love this book so much.
I’m a character-driven reader, and I loved seeing Scarlett grow and change throughout the book. It was such a great study of her character by a writer that wasn’t even the original author, and I respect Ripley for it. It was very realistic for me that Scarlett would make the choices she made, do the things she did, act the way she acted, in this book. I’ve always loved Scarlett as a character but I didn’t necessarily like her as a person in GWTW. I grew to love her as both in this book.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?