Maggie Henry
I first read this book when I was 28 - and stayed up all night to finish it. Waht a story! I couldn't put it down. In the beginning,Scarlett irritated me beyond measure as did Melanie, but they needed each other - they were in a sense two sides of the same coin. In the end though, I came out loving Scarlett for her refusal to look back or stay down and even Melanie for her love and trust in Scarlett. I have just found the sequel and can't wait to begin it!
Catherine
I loved the way this book showed that by holding onto an idealized view of someone, as Scarlett does with Ashley Wilkes, you can blind yourself to other possibilities.
Gill Burgess
A very un-pc choice in some ways, but one which really has influenced me as a woman in terms of going for what I want in life and confidence in my abilities as a woman - also a fantastic story and either book or film still reduce me to tears in places.
Georgina Dore
Scarlett O'Hara is far from the most likeable women in fiction- but in many ways she is one of the most admirable. GWTW is a celebration of a women who is prepared to be both self assured and strong at a time when women were supposed to be anything but!
Catherine Otley
The first 'adult' book I read, Scarlett's story was one of a woman breaking out of the historical constraints society imposed on her and and rising to the considerable challenges of her time. She had no training for what life threw at her but managed to find the ways and means within herself to survive and to make her own mistakes.
Jennifer Suggitt
Melanie is an under-rated character in the book, physically weak but spiritually strong, and a wonderful contrast to Scarlett. The interplay between the two women is fascinating.
Eileen Cook
At 11 I had read all the Ladysmith Railway Institute(in South Africa, 1953)had in the way of Childrens Books, and couldn't touch anything else. I started on Mom's books, and in the Michaelmas holidays read GWtW. It formed my ideas of the heroine and so it was inevitable that I was destined always to choose the wrong man. But, and somewhat remarkably, it also opened my eyes to the black people around me, which I questioned from then, and I joined the Liberal Party as soon as I left school and my home town. The film I saw in 1970 -wonderful.
Sue Johnson
I first read GWTW whenI was about 16 (in 1965!), and I found Scarlett horrifying! And then, the NEXT time, a couple years later, it was quite a turn around! I found her moving, understandable, and very strong. She's hard to LIKE, but she's got guts - and that's one thing a woman needs in this world.
Sarah Allen
An imperfect woman battles with her own demons in her struggle to survive the Civil War. I love this book - makes me wish I was more like Scarlett & also helps me put my own problems into perspective.
Janet Leonard
What a memorable book - a love story, US historical culture and some great characters - all rolled into one.
Susan McCoy
Scarlett O'Hara had guts! She went after what she wanted and didn't care what people thought. And I liked her style! She took the direct approach which I find immensely appealing.
Katherine Deal
Talk about playing to your strengths! Taking on the men in their own world and beating them.
Nafsika Thalassis
It taught me that women could be strong and they did not necessarily have to be good.
Natalie Fredriksen
I love this book because it celebrates ballsy, self-assured women and shows women as the real strength in a community that was being ripped apart at the seams.
