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Epic,
Romantic,
Addictive

1 review

Rhett Butler's People

by Donald McCaig

Published: 2008-08-26
Mass Market Paperback : 704 pages

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Introduction

Rhett Butler’s People fulfills the dreams of those whose imaginations have been indelibly marked by America’s greatest novel, Gone With The Wind. Here you’ll meet Rhett as a boy, a free spirit who loved the marshes and tidewaters of the Low Country, and learn of the ruthlessness of Rhett’s father, whose desire for control resulted in unspeakable. Through Rhett’s eyes, you’ll encounter those who shaped him in other ways: the Overseer’s daughter, Belle Watling; Rosemary, Rhett’s brave and determined sister; Tunis Bonneau, the son of freed slaves who understood the young Rhett like no one else; and Jack Ravanel, whose name became inextricably linked to heartbreak. And then there’s Katie Scarlett O’Hara herself—the headstrong, passionate woman whose life is inextricably entwined with Rhett’s: more like him than she cares to admit; more in love with him than either of them will ever know…

Editorial Review

Margaret Mitchell's story of Scarlett O'Hara's and Rhett Butler's beguiling, twisted love for each other, set against the gruesome background of a nation torn apart by war, is by all accounts epic--so much so that it feels untouchable. Yet McCaig's take on what many would consider a sacred cow of 20th-century American literature is a worthy suitor for Mitchell's many ardent fans, for reasons that may not be altogether obvious. It would be easy to look at Gone With the Wind and Rhett Butlerâ??s People side by side and catalog what is accurate and what isn't and tally up the score. In doing so, however, the fan is apt to miss out on the best part of this whole book: Rhett Butler himself. McCaig's Rhett is thoroughly modern, both a product of his Charleston plantation and an emphatic rejection of it. He is filled with romance and ingenuity, grit and wit, and a toughness matched only by a sense of humility that evokes so gracefully the hardship and heartbreak of a society falling apart. It's not hard to love Rhett in his weakness for Scarlett's love, but it is entirely amazing to love him as he rescues Belle Watling, mentors her bright young son Tazewell, adores his sister Rosemary, dotes on dear Bonnie Blue, and defends his best friend Tunis Bonneau to the very end.

To pluck a character from a beloved book and recalibrate the story's point-of-view isn't an easy thing to do. Ultimately, the new must ring true with the old, and this is where Rhett Butlerâ??s People succeeds beyond measure. In the spirit of Mitchell's masterpiece, McCaig never questions that love--of family, lover, land, or country--is the tie that binds these characters to life, for better or worse. --Anne Bartholomew

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by Laa S. (see profile) 01/03/20

This is Rhett Butler’s point of view of the book Gone with the wind. Just about any question you have of for the older book is answered. I rewatched the movie (Gone with RE wind) after I read the book.... (read more)

by Catherine C. (see profile) 11/17/14

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