what happened next for scarlett and rhett? (Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" - Alexandra Ripley)

Member Name: memelalou

Product:	Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" - Alexandra Ripley
Date:	20/02/09 (255 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: you find out what may have happened next

Disadvantages: plot and charectors was unbelievable and rushed and dull in places

About the author

Alexandra Ripley was born in January 1934 in Charleston, USA, and was best known for the book Scarlett, which despite many poor reviews was a best seller. She was chosen to write the book by the Margaret Mitchell estate in 1990, the book was published in 1991.
Despite being chosen to write the sequel for gone with the wind, one of the most popular and beloved books of all time, Alexandra Ripley did not even like the character of Scarlett and seems to have little respect for the original. 'There are two reasons why I'm doing this book, I can't resist it, and as soon as this is done I will be able to write anything I want to. I really don't know why Scarlett has such appeal. When I began writing the sequel, I had a lot of trouble because Scarlett is not my kind of person. She's virtually illiterate, has no taste, and never learns from her mistakes." - quoted from the New York Times. She is also published Who's the Lady in the President's Bed?, Charleston, On Leaving Charleston, The Time Returns ,New Orleans Legacy, From Fields of Gold and A Love Divine.
The book was turned into an eight hour mini series.
She died in January 2004 in Richmond, Virginia, USA.

Plot

The book carries of more or less where gone with the wind left off. Rhett has left Scarlett, but before she can return home to her beloved Tara she must attend Melanie's funeral, where she is holding onto her grief for the loss of her friend and Rhett.
She returns to Tara to find comfort in the land and in the arms of her mammy, Scarlett is shocked to find her mammy dying and Tara no longer feels home.
After mammy's death she returns to Atlanta to find herself shunned and not 'received'. She secretly fulfills her promise to Melanie to look after Ashley and Beau.
She then leaves Atlanta to Charleston to get back her husband and we learn more of Rhett's past.
Rhett not wanting to let Scarlett back into his heart, makes a deal for her to leave by offering her half a million dollars in return and to help her get Careens share of Tara. Before she leaves Rhett takes her sailing where the boat overturns due to a storm, thinking he almost lost Scarlett brings his love to the surface, when he makes love to her. He again leaves Scarlett, as he is confused and does not want to be hurt once again.
Scarlett again is devastated but puts her sadness to one side to get Careens share of Tara in Savanna, where she meets her Irish O'Hara clan.
This takes her to her fathers homeland in Ireland, where she find out she is pregnant, before she returns home to America she learns of Rhett has divorced her and has remarried, to spite him she builds her new life in Ireland.

But is this the end for Scarlett and Rhett?


My Thoughts

Having Gone with the Wind as my Favourite book and film, learning there was a sequel for the first time a year ago was exciting, I rushed online to buy the book. Even though I prepared myself for it not being the quality of the original, I could not wait to find out what happened next for my favourite fictional couple.

The start of the book was highly detailed but seemed to drag, while the characters where familiar they lacked depth and the essence what made them the very characters we loved or hated in the first place.
Towards the middle of the book where Scarlett is in Ireland, the plot becomes a little unbelievable, with even a witch who delivers her daughter. The main character of Scarlett changes too much and to soon, leaving you thinking Rhett would not recognise this new Scarlett from the selfish, clever, head strong women he fell in love with. After reading the quote from the New York Times I think this must be because the author did not like the original character and to tried to mould her into something more lovable and in doing so made her less interesting and ordinary.
The plot becomes very slow and quite boring in places, when I read the book again I had to skip many parts to get to something mildly interesting.
Towards the end - and you would think highlight of the book, it becomes incredibly rushed and you have to reread to check you have not missed anything important. It's a little confusing and leaves you feeling 'what the hells going on?'.
The end instead of being a heartfelt or heartbreaking finale- the reason most people who brought the book expected, was a complete letdown. It was very rushed, it provoked no emotions, and left me feeling flat and unsatisfied. Not what I wanted from the book especially picked to be wrote by the Mitchell estate to answer 'what happened next'.

This may seem harsh but I would have had rather left gone with the wind unanswered than have had this book be a poor substitute.

The book cost me £3.98 from Amazon

Summary: going to the car boot sale