The determination of Scarlett to get home to Tara at all costs seems crazy at first, however once you see her at home - organising everything and everyone you realise how much she's in her element there. The hardship and suffering of the Scarlett's sisters and Melanie are depicted very well. I can see why Scarlett remains so strong though. She doesn't allow herself to grieve for the loss of her mother (and to an extent her father too) and actually becomes very hardened. It's definitely a hard exterior to protect herself but who can blame her for feeling like this?

I felt so bad for them when the Yankees came again, looting and burning everywhere. Just as Scarlett was getting Tara back on it's feet again the Yankees come to destroy everything.

The most recent chapters have been a bit "history book" though, in my opinion. It is interesting to read about what happened after the Yankees conquered the south, but I wonder how true to reality the authors descriptions are. The most recent chapters have been less about the story line and more scene setting, which in itself is ok but I wish I knew if I was reading an accurate historical fiction! I have found myself skimming in places as I want to get back to the plot and see what happens when Scarlett has this baby.

At this point I'm not sure what to make of Rhett. If Scarlett hadn't have rushed into marrying Frank then I'm sure they would have had an arrangement, but that isn't an option now. I used to like him in the early days for his rogue-ish-ness nd felt sure that Scarlett would end up with him in one way or another. Now I'm not so sure, unless Frank dies Scarlett is stuck with him. And actually, other than the security of his money, what can Rhett offer Scarlett?

How ruthless was Scarlett to get Frank married to her??!! Shocking!!

Rhett's definitely a hard person to read and understand Scarlet's doubts regarding him. One minute he's around, the next he's not..it's like he's testing her all the time yet giving the impression he doesn't really care. He must be insecure to have to test someone to those lengths. It's obviously too much for him to reveal his vulnerable side to her, let his guard down, that's what I kept thinking anyhow.

I too wondered how accurate Mitchell's description of the Civil War was. A lot of me felt she wasn't reliable enough? I don't know. I could be wrong! Might be interesting to see what historians make of her version.

I thought the ending was very sad. Scarlett just didn't realise that Rhett really did love her until it was too late. She is such a ruthless character and always pushed the limits of acceptibility, and ultimately it cost her her marriage. I'm glad she had a good time on her honeymoon with Rhett, but it's a shame that it couldn't lead to a happily every after. She was just too hung up on Ashley, who was obviously never right to her.

I'm sure Scarlett will always be ok - she is a born survivor. However I wish she would learn to be a bit softer / kinder. You can understand that she pushed to make sure she'd never go hungry again, but she didn't seem to notice that Rhett ultimately was someone that was there to help her and someone she could lean on.

I was left with the feeling of "such a shame" at the end of the book. It's interesting that Rhett Butler is the character to envoke sympathy from the reader at the end of the novel - he who was always such a rogue!