Gorgeous, dark, sinister - I loved this book! A kiss Before Dying is a classic 1950's noir that kept me entertained from beginning to end. If you likeGorgeous, dark, sinister - I loved this book! A kiss Before Dying is a classic 1950's noir that kept me entertained from beginning to end. If you like thrillers at their finest I highly recommend!...more
I started mourning the loss of Gone with the Wind well before the end. After whizzing through 700+ pages of pure escapist joy the thought of life withI started mourning the loss of Gone with the Wind well before the end. After whizzing through 700+ pages of pure escapist joy the thought of life without the capricious Scarlett, sweet Melly and dashing Rhett was almost too much to bear. So I started taking my time, re-reading each paragraph and savouring each word. Sadly time can't stand still forever and eventually, despite my best efforts I finally finished the last 300 pages... And now 2 days later I have the book hangover to end all book hangovers!
The last 50 pages broke my heart! Tragedy piled onto tragedy until I had tears running down my face. And lets get this straight, I don't cry at books. Well, with the exception of The Fault in Our Stars I don't cry at books, and that's got kids with terminal cancer in it, so if I didn't cry at that I'd be kinda heartless.
I've read the reviews on here with interest and generally people either love Gone with the Wind or hate it. Don't get me wrong this book isn't perfect, but neither are people and neither is life. Yeah Scarlett is flawed, incredibly flawed, but at the bottom of all that she's got a good heart, she's a survivor and she's incredibly readable. Oh, and she's racist too, but considering the time period any other attitude would seem fake, although the idea of African Americans being like children made for pretty uncomfortable reading at times.
I know the history of the deep South isn't 100% accurate, but for a reader from the UK who previously knew nothing about the US civil war I found it fascinating. It's definitely given me the push I need to learn more about US history.
There's so much I could say about GWTW and not enough time or space to capture all my feelings. It's the ultimate tale, one i'm confident i'll come back to time and time again throughout my life. I already loved the movie, but it pales in comparison with the book (as do most film versions for me due to my preference for the written word). Although I finished this 2 days ago it'll take a long time for me to stop reeling. This is one of the most upsetting books I've ever read, yet also one of the best. Guess I'm a masochist when it comes to books.
Don't read this if you want a cosy bedtime yarn, it isn't cute and it isn't pretty. If you're ready for a roller-coaster and don't mind being emotionally challenged, this is the book for you....more