A follow-up

So, I finished it. Gone With the Wind. What a great read! After the initial shock of the juxtaposition between integration and the antithesis of integration (plantations, slavery, and racial slurs, oh my), the story was delightful. And I think what I enjoyed about it more than anything else is that I had the opportunity to enjoy an iconic story with no idea how it ended. Sure, Gone With the Wind was immortalized by Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in the 30's, and sure there are countless pop culture references to this epic novel (now I can understand and appreciate the hilarity behind Carol Burnett's use of curtains for elegant eveningwear), but somehow, against all odds, I maintained innocence in regard to Scarlett O'hara's outcome.

I was reminded how fantastically fun it is to read a well-written, well-known, well-crafted story and enjoy the unraveling and discovery of the characters a page at a time.

I feel so sad for the generation of kiddos that will never experience the magic of reading Harry Potter...discovering the loyalties of the characters from one book to another. Movies hand it to you...in an hour and a half to two hours.

Books slow me down. They remind me that taking time to discover is okay. It took me two months and a smidgeon to finish Gone With the Wind (I'm in school, you know...). I had to waylay the discovery of the end for two months (and a smidgeon).

It was way worth it. :-)