Gone with the Wind

Author: Margaret Mitchell
Number of Pages: 1024
Reading Level: 9th grade and up
Reading Time: 1 month

Margaret Mitchell's classic novel of the decline of the Old South centers around a spoiled, selfish girl called Scarlett O'Hara. The clever and manipulative Scarlett, who grew up in the cotton-rich South, has always gotten whatever she wanted, whether it be men, jewelry, or a trip to the nearest town. However, all of that changes with the outbreak of the Civl War. Death becomes all too real, food becomes scarce, and Scarlett, determined not to be beaten by the war, takes everything she can and gives nothing back. However, she sacrifices all the ladylike teachings that have been instilled in her, and the remnant of the South doesn't like it. In fact, the only person who seems to understand her at all is the roguish, sarcastic, and dashing Rhett Butler, who cares for no one but himself. In this brilliant novel, you see an age passing into oblivion, and the Old South is "gone with the wind."

I was so surprised at the draw of this book. I truly loved it. I hated Scarlett at first and couldn't imagine living through a thousand pages of her selfish, obstinate ways. As the book progressed, though, I came to understand Scarlett a little better, and while I didn't like her, I did respect her. She had strength, passion, determination, and a will to move forward instead of looking back. You come to realize after a time that it was only people like her who survived, emotionally, the decline of the South. I also loved Rhett Butler. Like Scarlett, I thought he was a disgusting, rude man at first, but as time goes on you begin to appreciate his suavity, his sarcastic bite, and his sliver of a conscience that popped up occasionally.

The depictions of the South and the Civil War were fascinating. I, like nearly everyone else in America, learned about the Civil War from the viewpoint of the North. Slavery was bad, we all agree upon that. The South was racist; it's true. But it doesn't hurt to see both sides of a conflict, even if you know which one is right. It's always interesting to step into another man's shoes and see things the way he did. The racism was shocking, but it was true to history. And it shows you a new perspective on slavery, the new freedom of slaves, and even the Ku Klux Klan (though, let's be real, it was still horrid).

My favorite part of the book, though, was the relationship between Scarlett and Rhett. It fluctuated from like to dislike, to abhorrence to love and back again as quickly as could be. As a great lover of sass in novels, this one was especially great. Their arguments, their banter, Scarlett's indignation at nearly anything Rhett said, Rhett's brutal honesty; there were times when I laughed out loud at their conversation!

Gone with the Wind is, indeed, a masterpiece of Southern literature, one that I will be reading again and again.

A Note to Parents:
This book is definitely not for children. There's prostitution, adultery, lust, murder, possible rape, and quite a bit of language. It is, however, a brilliant novel, and I would recommend it to any high school student mature enough to read a thousand pages of classic Southern literature. My biggest complaint (and it's not even really a complaint) would be the blatant racism. However, I give this a pass because, as wrong as it is, it fits with the time period. If the book wasn't racist, it wouldn't be accurate. That being said, this book could bring up great conversations on morals and what you would be willing to do to save yourself, your family, and your home in a situation like Scarlett's.

Fiddler's Green

Author: A.S. Peterson
Number of Pages: 323
Reading Level: 9th grade and up
Series: Fin's Revolution #2
Reading Time: 4 days

It is the middle of the Revolutionary War and all Fin Button wants is to go home. Unfortunately, she is wanted for piracy by the British and for mutiny by the Americans. The American congress, though, is prepared to offer her a deal: rescue a kidnapped French countess to spur the French into fighting with America, and get a full pardon for all crimes committed.

Determined to be pardoned so that she can go home, Fin and her crew set off for the Barbary Coast, where they face more dangers than ever before. And, in the midst of all this, Fin is forced to realize that she has changed drastically.

I didn't think this book could possibly be better than The Fiddler's Gun, but I was mistaken. Fiddler's Green was more exciting, more touching, more beautiful, more rollicking, and more fun to read than even the first book.

I truly loved it. Fin is a character everyone can relate to - she's sometimes scared, she doesn't like that she's changing, she sometimes lets her anger get the better of her, and she can fall prey to pride. Fin is human, and that's why she's so appealing.

There are lots of new characters in the second book. Some wonderful, some confounding, and some that you just love to hate. My personal favorite of the newcomers was Jeannot, a Frenchman Knight of Malta, sworn to protect the Mediterranean from pirates and rescue those who are slaves to them. In fact, I wish there was an entirely different book just about Jeannot's life.

I've said it before for The Fiddler's Gun and I'll say it again for Fiddler's Green - A.S. Peterson's prose is phenomenal. He has a power over words that most people only dream of. His descriptive language is mind-blowing, and the pictures he draws of characters, places, battles are so very lifelike. This book deserves to be read if only to experience the beauty of Peterson's writing.

I'm saddened that there are only two books in this series. All the easier to reread, I suppose. And I certainly will be rereading this.

A Note to Parents:
Like The Fiddler's Gun before it, Fiddler's Green is not a children's book. But, as far as teenager/young adult novels go, this one is relatively clean. There are cuss words interspersed (well, they are pirates). There is the occasional mention of whores or a brothel. The biggest standout for me, though, as far as parental guidance goes, would be the gore of it. This book is not for the weak of stomach. A man has to have his leg sawed off, another gets whipped until his back is a bloody mess, and still more are emaciated and grotesque from years of slavery. Overall, though, I would say it's one of the more appropriate books for teens these days.

The Fiddler's Gun

Author: A.S. Peterson
Number of Pages: 293
Reading Level: 9th grade and up
Series: Fin's Revolution #1
Reading Time: 3 days

Seventeen-year-old Fin Button is fed up with orphanage life. She's tired of the old sisters bossing her around and telling her to act like a "lady." She's tired of the monotony. She misses her fiancée Peter, who left the orphanage to establish a home for them. In fact, the only good thing about the orphanage is her growing relationship with the old cook, Bartimaeus.

But when an incredible turn of events lands her on a privateer's ship, running from the law with a dark secret, she's scared that her life will never be how she wanted it to be.

I've been reading so many children's books lately that it was nice to get into a book that was geared toward adults. A.S. Peterson's writing is phenomenal. I found myself getting pulled along by the lull of the language. It was almost poetic. When he writes, you can feel the ocean surging underneath you, hear the clang of swords in battle, and smell the smoke from freshly shot cannons.

More than the story itself though, I loved the protagonist. Fin Button is an incredible character. She's one of those characters that feels like a friend right off the bat. In a world where feminism has taken off, I was afraid that Fin would be just another tomboyish, never-getting-married, take-care-of-myself girl that has become all to stereotypical these days. She wasn't though. Fin desperately wanted to get married. She was tough and confident without coming off as feminist.

The other characters were just as endearing. In fact, one of my favorites was Armand Defain, the Frenchman of dubious intent and even more questionable roots. You really know nothing about him, but you love how suave he is, how gentlemanly on the outside when you know from the glint in his eye that he is not all he seems.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but A.S. Peterson's book really pulled me in. I can't wait to read the next one.

A Note to Parents:

Most likely, by the time your kid's in high school, they can choose what they want to read, and choose wisely. This book, while it does have cussing, drinking, murder, treachery, and mention of rape, is far preferable to many of the other choices your teen has. The romance is wise and pure and beautiful. The writing is elegant and lyrical. The only iffy thing about it would be that Fin decides midway that God doesn't care about her, and is described as not being "on good terms with the Lord." All this set aside, though, I'd say this is one of the cleaner choices one can make in a book these days.