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Gone with the Wind
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 47 hrs and 11 mins
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Gone with the Wind
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Summary
When Gone with the Wind appeared in 1936, it became on overnight sensation. Nothing like it in American literature had ever been seen. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and become one of the most celebrated films of all time. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and been translated into 27 languages.
Gone with the Wind is both an historical novel and an examination of the bewildering changes that swept Georgia in the 1860s. The novel begins just before the Civil War opens and ends in 1871. During those intervening years Mitchell’s novel illustrates the struggles of the Georgians who lived through the Civil War and Reconstruction eras.
Here are the most famous characters in American literature: handsome, controversial Rhett Butler; spoiled, flirtatious Scarlett O'Hara; aristocratic gentleman Ashley Wilkes; and saintly Melanie Hamilton. As the lives of these and other equally fascinating characters play out against the chaotic background of war and Reconstruction, Gone with the Wind scales heights of human drama that have rarely been reached.
Critic reviews
“The narrative is excruciatingly vivid. For days after reading Gone with the Wind, the reader lives the experiences of the characters Margaret Mitchell has given the world.” (London Times)
“No reader can come away without a sense of the tragedy that overcame the planting families in 1865 and without a better understanding of the background of present-day Southern life.” (The New York Times)
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What listeners say about Gone with the Wind
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Julie P
- 11-01-20
Awful narration
This is a classic, wonderful book, so my comments are only about the narrator. There is a lot of dialogue in this book, and the narration is appalling. His falsetto when reading female voices is laughable - it sounds like a poorly edited comedy. But worse than that are his attempts to reproduce a southern American accent. Each sentence has a mixture of upper class English and some kind of American drawl, it’s quite bizarre. I can’t listen to any more of it, so for the first time I am returning this audiobook for a refund.
21 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Timothy Heath
- 06-01-21
I was wrong!
With thousands of brilliant, unemployed actors, all eager and ready for a chance to show off their talents, how the hell did someone think it a good idea to use this awful narrator? I can only imagine he must have been someone’s friend. Perhaps he offered to do the job extremely cheaply? I mean, seriously - did they not bother to audition him first? If they did, surely they must have heard how awful he sounded. It’s like listening to a slightly drunk old man who has never before narrated a single page. I’ve loved this book for decades. When I found it on Audible, I was so excited. My excitement was short lived, however. What a disappointing and dispiriting experience it turned out to be. He singlehandedly ruined it. I persevered, but after a few chapters, this super-irritating, monotonic narrator became so annoying, I could listen no more. Yeah, shame. Big shame.
EDIT: Something strange. I listened to a few more chapters. Little by little the narrator’s voice grew less and less annoying. A few more hours in, and I actually don’t mind how he’s reading. He’s no Stephen Fry, but . . .
Perhaps in my earlier review I was a little too hash. We’ll see. I’ve at least 30 hours to go yet.
Edit 2: How weird. I began by slating the narrator. I’d have given him 1/10. By the end of the book I’d happily score him 9/10. It’s a pretty massive undertaking, and he did it - he pulled it off!
18 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Barbara Moffatt
- 02-04-20
Dreadful narration
This is a favourite book and I was thrilled when it became available on audible. However, after 40 minutes I could bear it no longer. The narration is appalling. It is my belief that it should be read by a female who is able to produce a competent southern American accent. The artificial falsetto voice used my this narrator is extremely irritating and the rest of his narration ponderous. I rarely return a book but I will be doing so with this travesty.
17 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Ketland
- 27-09-20
Excellent audio
I’ve not read the book in 20 years and would never find the time now so listening to the story has brought it all back.
You get used to the different voices very quickly and I would absolutely recommend this audio
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Julie M.
- 14-01-20
Gone with the wind
Beautifully read once I had become used to the voices
Enjoyed it very much. Not disappointed.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel White
- 07-10-20
It’s like running a marathon,...
Delighted when it’s done, having taken in some wonderful scenery but exhausted and in need of a rest. Charlton Griffin absolutely brings all the characters alive in his skilful narration. It’s a classic I’m glad I’ve listened to. I enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised to learn what a decent guy Rhett is when all I knew was ‘my dear, I don’t give a damn!!’
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter Wilkes
- 29-09-20
Superb 47 hours of listening
This was one of the best performances from Audible I have had. The reading greatly enhanced the interpretation of this novel for me . I had read the novel and seen the film many decades ago but was able to enjoy new insights and relevance to a contemporary world.
I felt bereft when the novel ended.
I am sure Margaret Mitchell would have approved of this enhancement of the novel.
Congratulations and thanks to all involved in
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlotte Vertigen
- 17-01-20
Deliciously raucous feast for the ears
I very rarely write reviews but felt compelled in this instance. I wasn’t sure if I could stomach the racist language, it was a stab each time the word was spoken but had to keep reminding myself it was of the time and country - not that I’m in anyway excusing it of course.
The narrator was spectacular and nailed every accent and did them justice. He’s genius and felt he was done an injustice with an earlier review. He brought the characters to life with such vivid colour in a way I wasn’t expecting. He didn’t just read the book, he was the book!
The story itself is possibly one of the best I’ve ever heard. Compelling, intriguing, interesting and beautiful. A must read/listen, I feel richer for having heard it and felt very sad when it ended. Thank goodness for Lincoln, shame he isn’t around today 😉
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lucy
- 15-04-20
Loved it
Long read but so worth it, I listened to it while I went on walks, cleaned, organised. The story is incredible.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- lottie
- 04-12-20
Such a skilled narrator
Worth every penny and hour to listen to this book, that l had read long ago.
5 stars all round and very highly recommended.
The Narrator did an amazing job and l shall miss this book very much.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Holly C. Porter
- 20-06-20
What a tragic story and life.
The reader of this novel was not enjoyable to listen to. He made the womens' voices sound horrible and ignorant.
What an awful story of love and loss. It is rare for one growing up in a ranching community in Montana to grasp the need and reliance the southern farmers had for slaves. I have always wondered why they couldn't do the work themselves as us Northern farmer/ranchers do. However, after reading Gone With the Wind, I do have a better for understanding for the plantation owners.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Victor Bellino
- 14-05-20
Amazing book and the best narrator ever!
This is a great book and Charlton Griffin is the perfect narrator. He brings the characters to life in a way that is unimaginable. He completely immerses you in this world and his narration make me cherish this book. Thank you Mr. Griffin.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- HKJ
- 24-02-20
Hated for the Book to End
I was truly sad for this book to end and 47 hours was taunting to think of listening!!!!!I have to admit I was skeptical at first of hearing any other voice but Clark Gable but Charlton Griffin did a beauty job with all characters. He brought new life to my very favorite movie and book.. Thank you!!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-08-22
Review after reading gone with the wind
I liked this book especially because it showed about The civil War and of the lives of a southerners before the war and after the war.
The main character, Scarlett was a girl and didn’t know anything about the worlds harshness and bitterness. but after the war scarlett became a woman who knew the worst that can happen to her,
Who had nothing except the motherlike red land.
And who had all the burden in her shoulders.
I think i have learned a lot by reading this book.
It showed me a girl who was growing by the war, policy,love,and bitterness.
I recommend this book to people who wants to read long classic novel.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Julian
- 07-08-21
They sure lost a war
Shelby Foote's immortal line about the Confederacy acts as a kind of epigraph to this epic. It would be interesting to compare and contrast GWTW with its Union-side counterpart, Little Women, in a study of what it means for a nation, and particularly a nation's women, to "sure lose a war", as opposed to "win" one. (As severe as the privations were for the former Confederates, they were as nothing compared to those of other war-losing aristocracies such as those of Russia and Germany.) I naturally took an interest in this political side of the novel, but (for those unaware, pardon my spoiler) it does have a romantic side, too. Scarlett O'Hara is an American original, ruthless and opportunistic as any pioneer in a wilderness, Her marital machinations make sense for a 19th century woman determined to claw her way out of poverty, and her secret devotion to Ashley is the one exception to her self-absorption that proves the rule. Scarlett's thoroughly modern relationship to Rhett, the prototype for a thousand Mills and Boon heroes and the stand-in for modern sensibility, is satisfyingly convoluted. The postwar period dragged a little... the novel could easily have been reduced by 25% without sacrificing its impact. Charlton Griffin's reading is first rate, astonishingly convincing on the many female voices that are so integral to the novel while losing none of its resonant masculinity on the narrative passages. Overall I found it well worth the time spent. A word of warning: be prepared to hear in your mind's ear behind the entire narration a randomly alternating medley of the sweeping theme from the movie adaptation, and the Beach Boys' cheesy rendition of "Them Old Cotton Fields Back Home".
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Seasoned Greetings
- 08-03-21
Awful narration
This novel is a favorite of mine, read many times over the years. The audible narrator butchers it; I couldn’t finish it. Horrible.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sean
- 12-11-20
Wow! What a book!
This easily has to be one of the best books of all time, making it easy to understand why it led to the most popular movie of all time. The careful wording, the vivid poetic descriptions and the crystal clear characterizations were amazing. And this narrator was amazingly talented. He did all the male, female, negro, gentry, and cracker voices all with distinction and genuinely sounded like different people with different accents.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hemali Tanna
- 06-11-20
Breathtaking!
The book is ofcourse a timeless classic. The narration is outstanding - but I wish Scarlett's voice was done a bit differently.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Skuam
- 26-10-20
A classic
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was not a big fan of the female voices though.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brenda Pilot
- 17-08-20
Tara
one of my very favorite reads. it is so much better than the movie. thankd