Rhett Butler's People - The Library of the Uncommons

English language

ISBN:: 978-0-312-37955-1

(1 review)

Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig is an authorized sequel to the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind. It was published in November 2007. Fully authorized by the Margaret Mitchell estate, Rhett Butler’s People is a novel that parallels Gone with the Wind from Rhett Butler's perspective. The book was unveiled on November 3, 2007, after several years of setbacks and two previous authors. Both Emma Tennant and Pat Conroy had previously been commissioned by the estate to produce the book.McCaig chose to disregard the 1991 novel Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley. He does not acknowledge its existence in the canon of Gone with the Wind, nor does his novel incorporate any of its characters. McCaig's impression was that the Margaret Mitchell estate was "thoroughly embarrassed" by Ripley's novel.

4 editions

The Unseen Nook&Canny reviewed Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig (Gone with the Wind, #3)

The biggest love story written by a man

4 stars

Content warning Spoiler about the end of the book.

My hope to learn more about Rhett's side of the story was only half fulfilled. Donald McGaig is a wonderful story teller and very knowledgeable when it comes to the civil war. If you are interested it lots of facts about the time, almost listed facts with many names dropped you've found the right novel to learn while reading. The first half was strenuous to read since there were so many names, people, places and constellations to consider. What I missed the most was that the author didn't succeed in creating a story where you bond with at least one the protagonists. In the end it was Belle Watling's death what moved me the most. For me it was a bit disappointing that Rhett himself didn't play the big role I thought he would in this story. However, the extended part of the story, the part after "..and I don't give a damn" propitiated me after reading the ordinary "Rosamunde Pilcher"-like story "Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley.