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Rhett Butler's People
Margaret Mitchell's story of Scarlett O'Hara's and Rhett Butler's beguiling, twisted love for each other, set against the gruesome background of a nation torn apart by war, is by all accounts epic--so much so that it feels untouchable. Yet McCaig's take on what many would consider a sacred cow of 20th-century American literature is a worthy suitor for Mitchell's many ardent fans, for reasons that may not be altogether obvious. It would be easy to look at Gone With the Wind and Rhett Butler's People side by side and catalog what is accurate and what isn't and tally up the score. In doing so, however, the fan is apt to miss out on the best part of this whole book: Rhett Butler himself. McCaig's Rhett is thoroughly modern, both a product of his Charleston plantation and an emphatic rejection of it. He is filled with romance and ingenuity, grit and wit, and a toughness matched only by a sense of humility that evokes so gracefully the hardship and heartbreak of a society falling apart. It's not hard to love Rhett in his weakness for Scarlett's love, but it is entirely amazing to love him as he rescues Belle Watling, mentors her bright young son Tazewell, adores his sister Rosemary, dotes on dear Bonnie Blue, and defends his best friend Tunis Bonneau to the very end.
To pluck a character from a beloved book and recalibrate the story's point-of-view isn't an easy thing to do. Ultimately, the new must ring true with the old, and this is where Rhett Butler's People succeeds beyond measure. In the spirit of Mitchell's masterpiece, McCaig never questions that love--of family, lover, land, or country--is the tie that binds these characters to life, for better or worse. --Anne Bartholomew
910 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Donald McCaig
38 books133 followersDonald McCaig was the award-winning author of Jacob’s Ladder, designated “the best civil war novel ever written” by The Virginia Quarterly. People magazine raved “Think Gone With the Wind, think Cold Mountain.” It won the Michael Sharra Award for Civil War Fiction and the Library of Virginia Award for Fiction.
Donald McCaig wrote about rural American life, sheepdogs, and the Civil War. He also wrote poetry and wrote under various pseudonyms.
Donald McCaig wrote about rural American life, sheepdogs, and the Civil War. He also wrote poetry and wrote under various pseudonyms.
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January 12, 2022
Can you picture Miss Melly as a gossiping complainer? Rosemary Butler marrying Ashley Wilkes? Scarlett and Belle Watling friends? Rhett mooning over a woman?
I love Gone With the Wind, hell–I even loved Scarlett; and that was considered a travesty against GWTW, but this book ruins Margaret Mitchell’s well crafted world and makes kittens cry! I am not sure how a person can spend 12 years working on a novel that is supposed to be an accompaniment to one of the best loved books of all time and have it seem like he never even read the original. The glaring inconsistencies (McCaig had Rhett’s mother dying before Bonnie-Blue and GWTW cleary states that the “stately Mrs. Butler” was present; Ashley ended up with brown eyes, Scarlett had a 15 inch waist, she sold her mills to Ashley long before his doomed birthday party, Charles and Melanie are buried in Twelve Oak’s burial ground (instead of Atlanta) and Twelve Oaks never went for taxes–I could go on, but I won’t) in themselves make it nearly unreadable but the way the character’s themselves are written makes it sacrilege. McCraig seems like he is attempting to make Scarlett in to a gentile southern woman with no gumption or brain (having her forget her vow to “never go hungry again” and then investing all her money on the stock market and losing it, effectively putting her back in the fields at Tara ) and Rhett is a morose, depressing man with none of the wit or ravishing charm that Mitchell wrote him with.
And then to cap it all off…the idiot burns Tara down. A building which withstood the ravages of war and still stood proudly in that red Georgia ground…and he has a mad old man torch it.
Please, for the love of all that is good –if you loved Gone with the Wind stay far, far away from this monstrosity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2007
Dear Estate of Margaret Mitchell:
I'm writing to request that you stop authorizing crappy prequels and sequels to Ms. Mitchell's book. Those of us who have a special fondness for the characters of Gone With the Wind find ourselves compelled to read them because of our interest in these well-developed and complex personalities. We then find ourselves appalled at how modern authors take liberties to turn her story into an implausible, uncharacteristic mess, and invariably try and put a smiley face on a novel that really ended the way it should have.
The latest version, Rhett Butler's People, tries to cast Rhett in the role of a misunderstood saint, when really the most interesting thing about him in Gone With the Wind is his mystery. The "people" Mr. McCaig has decided to surround Rhett with are stereotypical and predictable, and in case their motives weren't obvious enough, they feel compelled to write near-constant letters to each other expressing their every thought, so at no point is there any doubt about how they're feeling. Illustrative of my complaints (the implausibility, the destruction of characters, and the constant reiteration of the characters' obvious feeling) is a 6 page letter Melanie Wilkes writes to Rhett's sister Rosemary, telling her how badly she wants to have marital relations with her husband. I nearly threw the book down in disgust.
I understand that the royalties from Gone with the Wind are not what they once were. Heck, the copyright's probably running out soon if it hasn't already. But please, for all of our sake, I implore you to think twice before attempting to make a penny by throwing Gone with the Wind to the dogs again.
I'm writing to request that you stop authorizing crappy prequels and sequels to Ms. Mitchell's book. Those of us who have a special fondness for the characters of Gone With the Wind find ourselves compelled to read them because of our interest in these well-developed and complex personalities. We then find ourselves appalled at how modern authors take liberties to turn her story into an implausible, uncharacteristic mess, and invariably try and put a smiley face on a novel that really ended the way it should have.
The latest version, Rhett Butler's People, tries to cast Rhett in the role of a misunderstood saint, when really the most interesting thing about him in Gone With the Wind is his mystery. The "people" Mr. McCaig has decided to surround Rhett with are stereotypical and predictable, and in case their motives weren't obvious enough, they feel compelled to write near-constant letters to each other expressing their every thought, so at no point is there any doubt about how they're feeling. Illustrative of my complaints (the implausibility, the destruction of characters, and the constant reiteration of the characters' obvious feeling) is a 6 page letter Melanie Wilkes writes to Rhett's sister Rosemary, telling her how badly she wants to have marital relations with her husband. I nearly threw the book down in disgust.
I understand that the royalties from Gone with the Wind are not what they once were. Heck, the copyright's probably running out soon if it hasn't already. But please, for all of our sake, I implore you to think twice before attempting to make a penny by throwing Gone with the Wind to the dogs again.
January 13, 2008
So, I finished Rhett Butler's People last night.
I'd seen a lot of negative reviews while I was reading but I vowed to keep an open mind, and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. It's one of the better ones I've read in awhile and one I know I will read again someday.
It's NOT Gone With the Wind; there will never be another. It's not even the same caliber as GWTW. I think a lot of people went into reading it expecting and hoping it would be and came out sorely disappointed on the other end.
My personal expectation was that it was going to be more about Rhett, and it was, in a sense; but it was about the people that made up his life (hence the title), some of which that are mentioned only rarely - or not at all - in GWTW. People he grew up with, his sister Rosemary. A look at his parents. A mistress he had in New Orleans before he met Scarlett. There was more of Belle in this book, and her son.
I wish there had been more Scarlett.
The author could have done so much with exploring Rhett's feelings; scenes standing out in my mind are when Bonnie Blue died and Scarlett fell down the stairs and miscarried, but instead he basically did nothing, only using a letter from Melanie to Rosemary to reference Bonnie's death and completely not mentioning Scarlett's fall. I was really disappointed that he didn't go there.
Even though I found it lacking, it was a good read. It was well-written, interesting, and nice to have new material on one of my most favorite books ever.
I'd seen a lot of negative reviews while I was reading but I vowed to keep an open mind, and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this book. It's one of the better ones I've read in awhile and one I know I will read again someday.
It's NOT Gone With the Wind; there will never be another. It's not even the same caliber as GWTW. I think a lot of people went into reading it expecting and hoping it would be and came out sorely disappointed on the other end.
My personal expectation was that it was going to be more about Rhett, and it was, in a sense; but it was about the people that made up his life (hence the title), some of which that are mentioned only rarely - or not at all - in GWTW. People he grew up with, his sister Rosemary. A look at his parents. A mistress he had in New Orleans before he met Scarlett. There was more of Belle in this book, and her son.
I wish there had been more Scarlett.
The author could have done so much with exploring Rhett's feelings; scenes standing out in my mind are when Bonnie Blue died and Scarlett fell down the stairs and miscarried, but instead he basically did nothing, only using a letter from Melanie to Rosemary to reference Bonnie's death and completely not mentioning Scarlett's fall. I was really disappointed that he didn't go there.
Even though I found it lacking, it was a good read. It was well-written, interesting, and nice to have new material on one of my most favorite books ever.
February 1, 2008
What was the last book that brought tears to your eyes as you finished the last page? Not due to the hero/heroine’s tragic death, but simply because you have finished the story? That’s how I felt after finishing Rhett Butler’s People tonight.
Rhett Butler’s People is set “around” Margaret Mitchell’s classic novel. You meet Rhett before that fateful meeting at a Twelve Oaks picnic and the book continues to weave in and out of the well known events of GWTW. The author then takes you beyond Rhett’s dramatic exit and continues the story. Granted, he continues it for all of 90 pages, but it just feels *right* where the story goes after. Yes, I’ve read Scarlett, but I prefer Mr. McCaig’s version of the events. I will also admit that there were a few places in the story that I would have loved to smack Ms. O’Hara and that I can’t recall having that urge in “her” story.
Rhett Butler’s People is true to the original novel. Scarlett has three children, Suellen marries after the War and other characters left out of the movie are here. That’s definitely a plus for me
Rhett Butler’s People is set “around” Margaret Mitchell’s classic novel. You meet Rhett before that fateful meeting at a Twelve Oaks picnic and the book continues to weave in and out of the well known events of GWTW. The author then takes you beyond Rhett’s dramatic exit and continues the story. Granted, he continues it for all of 90 pages, but it just feels *right* where the story goes after. Yes, I’ve read Scarlett, but I prefer Mr. McCaig’s version of the events. I will also admit that there were a few places in the story that I would have loved to smack Ms. O’Hara and that I can’t recall having that urge in “her” story.
Rhett Butler’s People is true to the original novel. Scarlett has three children, Suellen marries after the War and other characters left out of the movie are here. That’s definitely a plus for me
June 27, 2019
Takes Gone with the Wind and poops on it.
Rhett Butler is one of the best romantic heroes, both in literature and cinema. He deserves a good companion novel or sequel or prequel told from his point of view. This aint it.
Mr. Darcy has a kazillion books recently, and I hope Rhetty gets another shot.
This book sucks. For reals.
Rhett Butler is one of the best romantic heroes, both in literature and cinema. He deserves a good companion novel or sequel or prequel told from his point of view. This aint it.
Mr. Darcy has a kazillion books recently, and I hope Rhetty gets another shot.
This book sucks. For reals.
February 29, 2008
I really enjoyed Gone With the Wind so when I heard of this new take on my beloved story I figured I'd take a shot and read it. Unlike most people, I didn't hate Scarlett so I was hoping to like this one as well. However I was very dissapointed.
The novel begins and you feel like you've been dropped into some odd fan fiction creation. There is barely any lead up to the story and where you are. Suddenly you are on the field with Rhett and that's that. The story more or less moves along in a chronological order from before Rhett met Scarlett to about a year or so after he leaves her in GWTW. The story is told from various point of views and I think that's the ultimate downfall of this novel. The readers already know what Scarlett thought and did - why did we have to revisit her pov? I would have rather stayed mainly with Rhett and perhaps two other vital people. I did enjoy having Melanie's pov however I feel that this author did a disservice to her character towards the end.
The other downfall in this novel is the fact that it completely skips over major storylines from GWTW. The most glaring would be Bonnie Blue's death. Her death and Rhett's sorrow is mentioned in passing in a letter from Melanie to Rhett's sister Rosemary but that's about it. That is a huge turning point for Rhett in GWTW and his character and I can't imagine why this author felt that it didn't need to be explored from Rhett's eyes.
Finally the fluidity in this novel is just not there. There are so many fits and starts to this novel it will make your head spin. There's not much of a rhyme or reason to a lot that is going on.
For the avid GWTW fan this is sure to dissapoint, even more than Scarlett. I don't really see much of a reason for any fan to read this novel I am sorry to say.
The novel begins and you feel like you've been dropped into some odd fan fiction creation. There is barely any lead up to the story and where you are. Suddenly you are on the field with Rhett and that's that. The story more or less moves along in a chronological order from before Rhett met Scarlett to about a year or so after he leaves her in GWTW. The story is told from various point of views and I think that's the ultimate downfall of this novel. The readers already know what Scarlett thought and did - why did we have to revisit her pov? I would have rather stayed mainly with Rhett and perhaps two other vital people. I did enjoy having Melanie's pov however I feel that this author did a disservice to her character towards the end.
The other downfall in this novel is the fact that it completely skips over major storylines from GWTW. The most glaring would be Bonnie Blue's death. Her death and Rhett's sorrow is mentioned in passing in a letter from Melanie to Rhett's sister Rosemary but that's about it. That is a huge turning point for Rhett in GWTW and his character and I can't imagine why this author felt that it didn't need to be explored from Rhett's eyes.
Finally the fluidity in this novel is just not there. There are so many fits and starts to this novel it will make your head spin. There's not much of a rhyme or reason to a lot that is going on.
For the avid GWTW fan this is sure to dissapoint, even more than Scarlett. I don't really see much of a reason for any fan to read this novel I am sorry to say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2017
I first heard about RBP by browsing through this site, and I was very excited to find a copy. My excitement started to fizzle as soon as I began reading it.
McCaig spent 12 years writing this authorized prequel, but chose time and again to alter (or blatantly ignore) key events from not only GWTW, but also from the (also authorized) sequel Scarlett. Apparently, he felt that disregarding Scarlett was prefectly acceptable, stating that "I think [the trust:] wanted to expunge Scarlett - they were genuinely embarrassed by it," says McCaig. Be that as it may, it was authorized and part of the GWTW canon, whether the Mitchell Estate (or fans) were pleased with it or not, and should not have been disregarded.
A great deal of the story is wasted fleshing out characters connected to Rhett that were previously unknown, that (in my opinion) readers were better off not knowing in the first place. His childhood friends were uninteresting for the most part, as were most details about his relationships with his parents. The one interesting new character was that of Tazewell Watling, son of the notorious Belle and (presumably, by all who know him) Rhett. I was bored senseless through it 99% of it, and hoped the story would be greatly improved once Scarlett, Ashley, Melanie, et al. entered the story. But that didn't happen.
Instead, I was horrified to see beloved characters acting completely unlike themselves. Melanie eavesdropping and finding out Scarlett didn't love Charles? Ashley actually loving Scarlett? Melanie always being aware of how Scarlett and Ashley felt about each other, and expecting them to have an affair, ultimately seducing her own husband for fear that their forced celibacy would send him into Scarlett's arms? (Not to mention writing letters to Rosemary (Butler) Ravanel detailing how much she hated the celibacy. As if Melanie, proper Southern lady that she was, would ever put such a thing in writing? Pffft.) And since when is Ella epileptic?
The one thing that might have redeemed this atrocity somewhat would have been knowing Rhett's private thoughts about Scarlett's miscarriage and the death of Bonnie. The miscarriage was ignored as though it never happened. Bonnie's death and the days following it were not told from Rhett's perspective at all, but Melanie's via a letter to Rosemary. Two of the most wrenching moments in Rhett's married life, and we are given nothing from Rhett's point of view? Both played a major role in his later decision to leave Scarlett, so why are we not privy to his feelings about these events?
The story continues past GWTW's ending. Rhett digs Melanie's grave at Twelve Oaks (wasn't that lost due to unpaid taxes?) and rides away immediately after. Scarlett and the children (including Beau) come home to Tara, along with Rosemary and her son Louis Valentine. (Ridiculous name.) Ashley sells the sawmills, and moves back to the ruins of Twelve Oaks. Vandals strike Tara. Scarlett's home in Atlanta is burned by an arsonist. Even though they are paid well, field workers refuse to come to Tara, leaving the family to manage on their own, and once again Scarlett (who now has no money) must struggle to keep Tara and feed her family. (So much for "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again", eh?) Finally, in desperation, Scarlett telegraphs Rhett and asks him to come home, and he does.
And where has Rhett been? London. Paris. Still not giving a damn about anything, much less himself, trying his best to forget Scarlett. Seeing the dashing Rhett Butler reduced to a lovelorn man who doesn't care if he lives or dies is... well, disgusting. Yes, love hurts sometimes, and the pain of loss can be overwhelming. Still, it seems implausible that Rhett would allow himself to wallow in grief or self-pity for very long. I also find it unfathomable that he would come home the instant he is beckoned. Grieving and unhappy as he may be, you would think there would be a small spark of his former self intact that would not allow him to come running the moment Scarlett crooked her finger at him.
As Rhett makes his journey home, Belle Watling alerts Scarlett and Rosemary that her father (Isaiah, the former overseer of the Butler plantation) along with two others have been terrorizing Tara, hoping for Scarlett to send for Rhett so that Isaiah could kill him in retaliation for the death of his son, killed in a duel with Rhett (when Rhett was assumed to have fathered her baby). The women devise a plan to put an end to things and save Rhett from being killed, but Ashley and Will Benteen (Sue Ellen's husband) intervene, resulting in the death of Will. (Ashley as the dashing hero out to save the day was humorous, to say the least.)
Rhett returns (safely), pays off all the debts, and things are looking bright for the couple. A much-wanted reconciliation is taking place between the couple, and a happy ending is in sight when a grand barbeque takes place at Tara.
But now we come to the final disgrace of this ill-written thing. Isaiah Watling returns and sets fire to Tara. If I hadn't been so angry, I might have wept. Throughout everything Scarlett went through in her life, Tara was the one mainstay in her life, her one safe haven. I suppose it wasn't enough to ruin the characters and have them do things they would never have done, or to completely ignore details both big and small in the writing of this shameful travesty. In order to put the final nail in the coffin of all the beloved aspects of GWTW, he had to get rid of Tara, too.
Rather than enhancing the classic novel, RBP all but destroys all the things readers held dear about Mitchell's wonderfully complex group of characters. Alexandra Ripley's Scarlett did not, in my opinion, keep these characters true to form throughout that novel either, but the majority of it was enjoyable to read, and the writing style much more in line with Mitchell's than McCaig's managed to be. I can't understand why he was chosen to write this... I guess my first clue that this was to be a bad book should have been the fact that I've never heard of him.
What a terrible, terrible disappointment this book turned out to be.
McCaig spent 12 years writing this authorized prequel, but chose time and again to alter (or blatantly ignore) key events from not only GWTW, but also from the (also authorized) sequel Scarlett. Apparently, he felt that disregarding Scarlett was prefectly acceptable, stating that "I think [the trust:] wanted to expunge Scarlett - they were genuinely embarrassed by it," says McCaig. Be that as it may, it was authorized and part of the GWTW canon, whether the Mitchell Estate (or fans) were pleased with it or not, and should not have been disregarded.
A great deal of the story is wasted fleshing out characters connected to Rhett that were previously unknown, that (in my opinion) readers were better off not knowing in the first place. His childhood friends were uninteresting for the most part, as were most details about his relationships with his parents. The one interesting new character was that of Tazewell Watling, son of the notorious Belle and (presumably, by all who know him) Rhett. I was bored senseless through it 99% of it, and hoped the story would be greatly improved once Scarlett, Ashley, Melanie, et al. entered the story. But that didn't happen.
Instead, I was horrified to see beloved characters acting completely unlike themselves. Melanie eavesdropping and finding out Scarlett didn't love Charles? Ashley actually loving Scarlett? Melanie always being aware of how Scarlett and Ashley felt about each other, and expecting them to have an affair, ultimately seducing her own husband for fear that their forced celibacy would send him into Scarlett's arms? (Not to mention writing letters to Rosemary (Butler) Ravanel detailing how much she hated the celibacy. As if Melanie, proper Southern lady that she was, would ever put such a thing in writing? Pffft.) And since when is Ella epileptic?
The one thing that might have redeemed this atrocity somewhat would have been knowing Rhett's private thoughts about Scarlett's miscarriage and the death of Bonnie. The miscarriage was ignored as though it never happened. Bonnie's death and the days following it were not told from Rhett's perspective at all, but Melanie's via a letter to Rosemary. Two of the most wrenching moments in Rhett's married life, and we are given nothing from Rhett's point of view? Both played a major role in his later decision to leave Scarlett, so why are we not privy to his feelings about these events?
The story continues past GWTW's ending. Rhett digs Melanie's grave at Twelve Oaks (wasn't that lost due to unpaid taxes?) and rides away immediately after. Scarlett and the children (including Beau) come home to Tara, along with Rosemary and her son Louis Valentine. (Ridiculous name.) Ashley sells the sawmills, and moves back to the ruins of Twelve Oaks. Vandals strike Tara. Scarlett's home in Atlanta is burned by an arsonist. Even though they are paid well, field workers refuse to come to Tara, leaving the family to manage on their own, and once again Scarlett (who now has no money) must struggle to keep Tara and feed her family. (So much for "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again", eh?) Finally, in desperation, Scarlett telegraphs Rhett and asks him to come home, and he does.
And where has Rhett been? London. Paris. Still not giving a damn about anything, much less himself, trying his best to forget Scarlett. Seeing the dashing Rhett Butler reduced to a lovelorn man who doesn't care if he lives or dies is... well, disgusting. Yes, love hurts sometimes, and the pain of loss can be overwhelming. Still, it seems implausible that Rhett would allow himself to wallow in grief or self-pity for very long. I also find it unfathomable that he would come home the instant he is beckoned. Grieving and unhappy as he may be, you would think there would be a small spark of his former self intact that would not allow him to come running the moment Scarlett crooked her finger at him.
As Rhett makes his journey home, Belle Watling alerts Scarlett and Rosemary that her father (Isaiah, the former overseer of the Butler plantation) along with two others have been terrorizing Tara, hoping for Scarlett to send for Rhett so that Isaiah could kill him in retaliation for the death of his son, killed in a duel with Rhett (when Rhett was assumed to have fathered her baby). The women devise a plan to put an end to things and save Rhett from being killed, but Ashley and Will Benteen (Sue Ellen's husband) intervene, resulting in the death of Will. (Ashley as the dashing hero out to save the day was humorous, to say the least.)
Rhett returns (safely), pays off all the debts, and things are looking bright for the couple. A much-wanted reconciliation is taking place between the couple, and a happy ending is in sight when a grand barbeque takes place at Tara.
But now we come to the final disgrace of this ill-written thing. Isaiah Watling returns and sets fire to Tara. If I hadn't been so angry, I might have wept. Throughout everything Scarlett went through in her life, Tara was the one mainstay in her life, her one safe haven. I suppose it wasn't enough to ruin the characters and have them do things they would never have done, or to completely ignore details both big and small in the writing of this shameful travesty. In order to put the final nail in the coffin of all the beloved aspects of GWTW, he had to get rid of Tara, too.
Rather than enhancing the classic novel, RBP all but destroys all the things readers held dear about Mitchell's wonderfully complex group of characters. Alexandra Ripley's Scarlett did not, in my opinion, keep these characters true to form throughout that novel either, but the majority of it was enjoyable to read, and the writing style much more in line with Mitchell's than McCaig's managed to be. I can't understand why he was chosen to write this... I guess my first clue that this was to be a bad book should have been the fact that I've never heard of him.
What a terrible, terrible disappointment this book turned out to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2008
You really need to read "Gone With the Wind" first in order to really appreciate this book. The author was commissioned by the estate of Margaret Mitchell to write this "parallel sequel" to GWTW, and he has kept faithful to her style. In it, we get background about Rhett's youth, his family, and many characters who are just briefly mentioned in GWTW. The story is told through Rhett's eyes. It goes through his youth, his relationship with Scarlett, and takes it past where GWTW ends and on to the conclusion (which I will not give away). I thoroughly enjoyed this book---could not put it down. It was like visiting old friends again. I will read it again and again, just like I have read "Gone With the Wind" so many times.
August 20, 2008
The Margaret Mitchell Estate should have left well enough alone. I'm not even sure where to start in putting my feelings about this book into words. Gone With the Wind is one of my all time favorite books, and Rhett is right up there in my favorite, fascinating male characters in fiction and I was looking forward to a good meaty look into Rhett's life before Scarlett. Boy was I ever wrong. This book is called Rhett Butler's People for a reason - it's not just about Rhett, it's about all the people in his life and there are WAY too many of them.
I totally agree with other reviewers on Amazon US that the story seemed to be told as snapshots in a person's life instead of true story telling, and the way he jumped back and forth from one person's point of view to another was very distracting to this reader, and I admit to giving up at 150 pages and from looking at some of the other one and two star reviews on Amazon US I am very glad I did so. I was quite irritated at the way the author used scenes and characters from the original book and wrote his own version of them, and worse yet worked his new characters into those scenes. This author even managed to ruin Prissy and Aunt Pitty Pat, and from reading the other reviews I see that he managed to rewrite "history" as Ashley, Melanie and even Scarlett are not what they were in GWTW.
For me, the mistake made was telling the story of Rhett and his "people". Rhett is a fascinating character who had a colorful past before he met Scarlett. He traveled to burgeoning San Francisco and the California Gold fields - a colorful period in U.S. history - and it's barely touched upon and only via letters Rhett wrote to his sister. Letters, I might add that were destroyed by their father so she never read them, yet they are recreated in the book as if they were? What's up with that? I think if the MM Estate and taken the tact of writing Rhett's story totally from his viewpoint and given me a good strong meaty story about Rhett and his life before Scarlett, and not rewritten moments from GWTW they might have had a winner here instead of a bomb.
IMO, this book is not worth wasting time or money on, there are too many good books to be read and too little time in this world. If you're dead set on reading the rest of the story, get it from the library and then if you love it, buy it.
I totally agree with other reviewers on Amazon US that the story seemed to be told as snapshots in a person's life instead of true story telling, and the way he jumped back and forth from one person's point of view to another was very distracting to this reader, and I admit to giving up at 150 pages and from looking at some of the other one and two star reviews on Amazon US I am very glad I did so. I was quite irritated at the way the author used scenes and characters from the original book and wrote his own version of them, and worse yet worked his new characters into those scenes. This author even managed to ruin Prissy and Aunt Pitty Pat, and from reading the other reviews I see that he managed to rewrite "history" as Ashley, Melanie and even Scarlett are not what they were in GWTW.
For me, the mistake made was telling the story of Rhett and his "people". Rhett is a fascinating character who had a colorful past before he met Scarlett. He traveled to burgeoning San Francisco and the California Gold fields - a colorful period in U.S. history - and it's barely touched upon and only via letters Rhett wrote to his sister. Letters, I might add that were destroyed by their father so she never read them, yet they are recreated in the book as if they were? What's up with that? I think if the MM Estate and taken the tact of writing Rhett's story totally from his viewpoint and given me a good strong meaty story about Rhett and his life before Scarlett, and not rewritten moments from GWTW they might have had a winner here instead of a bomb.
IMO, this book is not worth wasting time or money on, there are too many good books to be read and too little time in this world. If you're dead set on reading the rest of the story, get it from the library and then if you love it, buy it.
February 5, 2008
I am embarrassed to include this as my first book of 2008, but there it is. The fact that it took me six weeks to finish tells you how interesting it was.
The plot was okay; I'm almost always okay with reworkings of classic plots from the viewpoint of a different character. But the writing was unbearably poor. If I hadn't cared very, very deeply about the characters -- a legacy entirely of Margaret Mitchell and having nothing to do with this book -- I would have been unable to finish it.
By comparison, I liked _Scarlett_ very much. As a purist I'm not sure I can ever accept it as canon, and Scarlett's running around with a proto-IRA is a bit silly. But that book I couldn't put down and read cover to cover in 24 hours. Again, I was invested because of my obsession with the original _GWTW_, but at least _Scarlett_ kept me entertained while it twisted characters all out of sorts. This one? Skip it.
The plot was okay; I'm almost always okay with reworkings of classic plots from the viewpoint of a different character. But the writing was unbearably poor. If I hadn't cared very, very deeply about the characters -- a legacy entirely of Margaret Mitchell and having nothing to do with this book -- I would have been unable to finish it.
By comparison, I liked _Scarlett_ very much. As a purist I'm not sure I can ever accept it as canon, and Scarlett's running around with a proto-IRA is a bit silly. But that book I couldn't put down and read cover to cover in 24 hours. Again, I was invested because of my obsession with the original _GWTW_, but at least _Scarlett_ kept me entertained while it twisted characters all out of sorts. This one? Skip it.
January 27, 2026
Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCaig is historical fiction set in the American South, mainly Georgia and Charleston, during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. The novel retells Gone with the Wind from Rhett Butler’s perspective, filling in gaps about his past and motivations. It started out slow, but about a quarter of the way through it really picked up and became much more engaging. Once it found its footing, the added depth to Rhett’s character and the historical detail made it a worthwhile read, especially if you’re already familiar with the original story.
December 5, 2015
For fans of GONE WITH THE WIND this might be the book for you as this covers the life of Rhett Butler before he meets Scarlett and during the time they're together though it does not follow the movie so much as the novel.
There's a lot more sub stories taking place than I expected especially focused upon Rhett's siblings.
Readers sensitive to the horrors of American slavery may want to skip this one as there are graphic details.
OVERALL GRADE: B minus.
There's a lot more sub stories taking place than I expected especially focused upon Rhett's siblings.
Readers sensitive to the horrors of American slavery may want to skip this one as there are graphic details.
OVERALL GRADE: B minus.
May 23, 2011
Several years ago, a movie came out about the assassination of Bobby Kennedy called, plainly, Bobby. The twist, however, was that the audience never saw Bobby; the movie instead revolved around all of the people in the hotel potentially affected by RFK's assassination. Despite the title, Bobby was rather insignificant. Rhett Butler's People takes the same strategy.
I decided to read this since I was in need of a GWTW fix and the idea of learning Rhett's side of the story sounded interesting. I assumed Rhett would be the main character; not so. Most of the novel is about Rhett's family--mostly his sister--and other characters from GWTW. I think we see more of Rosemary Butler and Belle Watling than Rhett! I felt very cheated by this approach. Moreover, there are some very important events in which reading Rhett's perspective would have been fascinating, but, no, we get someone else's. The worst has to be Bonnie's death, which McCaig just has Melanie mention in a letter. We NEVER hear Rhett's side, and she was HIS daughter! There are countless examples of this lazy storytelling, but I'm too busy to write all of them--and too tired.
Additionally, Rhett does not resemble the Rhett Butler we all know. I think it's safe to say most people like Rhett because he ignores convention, he's a scoundrel, he kicks ass and takes names. Well, the Rhett in Rhett Butler's People is a whining, weepy pansy. He seems to have a heart of gold and never, never does anything to challenge oppressive standards. Everything that made Rhett a bad ass in GWTW is, well, gone with the wind.
Donald McCaig also did not read the original text--something I gathered from reading other reviews here. You would think he could at least watch the movie! The characters are so distorted they do not resemble the ones we know. Melanie is a conniving bitch; Ashley is an idiot who seems to have an appreciation for ghosts and superstition by the end; Scarlett has no temper; Rhett is a boy scout; Mammy is barely there; Bonnie is always happy and craves no attention; Belle doesn't own a whore house. Um, what novel is he trying to compose? Who the hell is this about?
The thing I hated most, though, was the ending. Scarlett and Rosemary are confronting the Watlings for destroying her property--yes, the fool has Scarlett and Rhett's Atlanta townhouse burn down--among other things, but Ashley and Will sweep in to try to save the day. Ashley, a former OFFICER in the Confederate army, mind you, trips when trying to use his sword, and Will dies saving him. Now, I've always found Ashley to be an equally sympathetic and infuriating character. He was weak emotionally, but the guy served in war! Come on! Why would he suddenly trip? This only makes Ashley appear to be the ultimate feckless dumbass.
I have a lot of issues with Will dying. First, I don't like how McCaig leaves Suellen completely alone and homeless--and destroys whatever progress she and Scarlett have made in their relationship (however minor). I also don't see the rationale in killing off one of the most likable characters in the whole story. What's the point?
Similarly, Belle Watling dies from being shot by her own father--while Tara burns to the ground! Yes, that's right, the idiot burns down Tara, freakin' Tara. And its destruction is supposed to be some kind of triumphant ending, leading to a rebuilding of Scarlett and Rhett's life together Phoenix-style. I was really speechless when reading it.
The only thing that saved this novel from a one-star rating was the way it was written. The language and style were effective, and, had this been a novel on its own rather than a revision of GWTW, I probably would have liked it more. But it isn't, and that's the point.
Scarlett is considered an abomination by GWTW fans, but I have to confess I prefer it to Rhett Butler's People. At least Alexandra Ripley tried to follow GWTW and still had Rhett act like the bad ass he is supposed to be. But this, I...
I decided to read this since I was in need of a GWTW fix and the idea of learning Rhett's side of the story sounded interesting. I assumed Rhett would be the main character; not so. Most of the novel is about Rhett's family--mostly his sister--and other characters from GWTW. I think we see more of Rosemary Butler and Belle Watling than Rhett! I felt very cheated by this approach. Moreover, there are some very important events in which reading Rhett's perspective would have been fascinating, but, no, we get someone else's. The worst has to be Bonnie's death, which McCaig just has Melanie mention in a letter. We NEVER hear Rhett's side, and she was HIS daughter! There are countless examples of this lazy storytelling, but I'm too busy to write all of them--and too tired.
Additionally, Rhett does not resemble the Rhett Butler we all know. I think it's safe to say most people like Rhett because he ignores convention, he's a scoundrel, he kicks ass and takes names. Well, the Rhett in Rhett Butler's People is a whining, weepy pansy. He seems to have a heart of gold and never, never does anything to challenge oppressive standards. Everything that made Rhett a bad ass in GWTW is, well, gone with the wind.
Donald McCaig also did not read the original text--something I gathered from reading other reviews here. You would think he could at least watch the movie! The characters are so distorted they do not resemble the ones we know. Melanie is a conniving bitch; Ashley is an idiot who seems to have an appreciation for ghosts and superstition by the end; Scarlett has no temper; Rhett is a boy scout; Mammy is barely there; Bonnie is always happy and craves no attention; Belle doesn't own a whore house. Um, what novel is he trying to compose? Who the hell is this about?
The thing I hated most, though, was the ending. Scarlett and Rosemary are confronting the Watlings for destroying her property--yes, the fool has Scarlett and Rhett's Atlanta townhouse burn down--among other things, but Ashley and Will sweep in to try to save the day. Ashley, a former OFFICER in the Confederate army, mind you, trips when trying to use his sword, and Will dies saving him. Now, I've always found Ashley to be an equally sympathetic and infuriating character. He was weak emotionally, but the guy served in war! Come on! Why would he suddenly trip? This only makes Ashley appear to be the ultimate feckless dumbass.
I have a lot of issues with Will dying. First, I don't like how McCaig leaves Suellen completely alone and homeless--and destroys whatever progress she and Scarlett have made in their relationship (however minor). I also don't see the rationale in killing off one of the most likable characters in the whole story. What's the point?
Similarly, Belle Watling dies from being shot by her own father--while Tara burns to the ground! Yes, that's right, the idiot burns down Tara, freakin' Tara. And its destruction is supposed to be some kind of triumphant ending, leading to a rebuilding of Scarlett and Rhett's life together Phoenix-style. I was really speechless when reading it.
The only thing that saved this novel from a one-star rating was the way it was written. The language and style were effective, and, had this been a novel on its own rather than a revision of GWTW, I probably would have liked it more. But it isn't, and that's the point.
Scarlett is considered an abomination by GWTW fans, but I have to confess I prefer it to Rhett Butler's People. At least Alexandra Ripley tried to follow GWTW and still had Rhett act like the bad ass he is supposed to be. But this, I...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2013
As a borderline psychotic fan of Gone with the Wind and even the trashy sequel Scarlett, my heart was open to liking this book. Sigh. I was not happy. The title is apt; there are so many "people" in this book that it made my brain hurt. Just when I would start to get the characters straight, the author would just start killing them off. There's more blood in this thing than Saw II. This is also the kind of book where characters do things that real people never do, such as put a finger to someone else's mouth to shush them (I swear this happens every other page). The only reason to suffer such foolishness is to see Rhett and Scarlett live happily ever after. Fear not--of course they do, but only after every other person in the universe is dead. OH! And the author completely ignores the existence of that other sequel and creates a brand new version of events, which sort of gets my goat. Who does he think he is? The best part of this book is its fill-in-the-blank approach to the story. What was Rhett's childhood like? Why was he really in jail when Scarlett came to visit with her curtain-dress? What is his history with Belle Watling? What did Rhett and Scarlett, um, do on their honeymoon? Where did Rhett go after leaving Scarlett at the end of GWTW? You too can know the answers to these questions if you really give a damn.
March 2, 2008
I admit I had mixed feelings about this book. I recall too vividly my disappointment in "Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley, which was also billed as a sequel to "Gone with the Wind." I absolutely hated that book! It took a bit to get past the frequent use of "the N-word," (by the way - I hate that phrase! We give the word so much more negative impact by refusing to say the word... sort of like "He who must not be named" in the Harry Potter novels.) Anyway, the use of the word is compatible with the time frame of the novel. After the first chapter or so, I found this book hard to put down. It does correspond nicely with "Gone with the Wind" and the main characters were fleshed out well. Some of the peripheral characters could have used more of a fleshing out, but the length of the novel probably prevented that. Overall, "Rhett Butler's People" gives a much more satisfactory ending than either Margaret Mitchell's classic novel or "Scarlett".
December 16, 2007
So, in middle school I read Gone with the Wind and Scarlett and fell in love with the books - well, mostly Gone with the Wind. I will admit, I have a problem...if I like a book and there is a sequel, I will read it. Even if it's horrible.
That said, this book I thought was really good. The author does a really good job with Rhett's role, it really felt much the same as Gone with the Wind. It made me want to read it all over again. He does add a new character who is really central to Rhett's life, which changes the plot from what occurred in Gone with the Wind, but surprisingly, I was okay with that. His sister Rosemary adds an interesting perspective. I really liked how he explained Rhett's relationship with Belle Watling as well. Made her so much more likable, even though I liked her the first time.
That said, this book I thought was really good. The author does a really good job with Rhett's role, it really felt much the same as Gone with the Wind. It made me want to read it all over again. He does add a new character who is really central to Rhett's life, which changes the plot from what occurred in Gone with the Wind, but surprisingly, I was okay with that. His sister Rosemary adds an interesting perspective. I really liked how he explained Rhett's relationship with Belle Watling as well. Made her so much more likable, even though I liked her the first time.
January 5, 2014
Solo para fans incondicionales de Lo que el viento se llevó... me gustó bastante más que Scarlett....
July 15, 2016
Not wasting my time on this. What was I thinking? Abandon ship, I'm jumping overboard!
March 31, 2015
I enjoyed Rhett Butler's People so much that I was disappointed when it ended. The author was commissioned by the estate of Margaret Mitchell to write this "parallel sequel" to Gone With The Wind, and he has kept faithful to her style and to the story and details of Mitchell's original classic. This gives an account of Rhett's life prior to meeting Scarlett and describes the lives of his friends and family. In doing so, it gives a well-researched look into life in Charleston Atlanta just prior to and during the civil war.
Certainly, there are a million possibilities for his story, but I enjoyed this take. I really enjoyed Gone With the Wind, but Rhett was my favorite character and there were so many unanswered questions about him. They are answered in this fleshed out sequel/addition, which helps the reader to understand and appreciate his character all the more.
I think the author did a wonderful job of tying the stories together and maintaining the characters and setting. He had to satisfy two audiences - Margaret Mitchell fans and Civil War buffs. That he was able to offer such a satisfying read, while tying in small tidbits from the original story (e.g. how Scarlett came to be in possession of the yellow scarf she gave to Ashley is particularly clever), is impressive indeed.
Certainly, there are a million possibilities for his story, but I enjoyed this take. I really enjoyed Gone With the Wind, but Rhett was my favorite character and there were so many unanswered questions about him. They are answered in this fleshed out sequel/addition, which helps the reader to understand and appreciate his character all the more.
I think the author did a wonderful job of tying the stories together and maintaining the characters and setting. He had to satisfy two audiences - Margaret Mitchell fans and Civil War buffs. That he was able to offer such a satisfying read, while tying in small tidbits from the original story (e.g. how Scarlett came to be in possession of the yellow scarf she gave to Ashley is particularly clever), is impressive indeed.
September 7, 2014
I should start by saying that am a raving fan of Gone With the Wind. I loved Rhett Butlers People for a lot of the same reasons that I like GWTW; it is very well written, has an epic story with graceful flow, history and depth, and it is a continuation of characters that are extremely well developed. One if my favorite additions were the exploration of Belle Watling and the nature of her relationship with Rhett; something GWTW leaves mysterious. I will say that the author wrote a very masculine book as compared to the feminine outlook in GWTW--but I think that was the point...and I liked it!
February 16, 2019
Ein Stern ist noch zu gut für dieses sehr freie, aber in erster Linie schrecklich politisch korrekte Phantasie über Motive und Gestalten aus Vom Winde verweht. In der Hauptrolle ein Rhett Buttler, der als geborener Märtyrer für die Political Correctness mehr oder weniger vom Himmel in die Südstaaten des 19. Jahrhunderts gefallen scheint. Ein Rhett, der sich regelmäßig von seinem Papa den Hintern dafür versohlen lässt, weil er so gerne mit seinen schwarzen Freunden spielt, ein Rhett, der sich einfach so unter die Reisnigger stecken lässt, weil er nicht zum Gentleman taugt, ein Rhett, der sich ein Kind unterschieben lässt und dafür zum Duell gefordert wird. Als Folge dieses Zweikampfs mit der Pistole wird am Ende Tara abgefackelt, unmittelbar davor haben sich Rhett und Scarlett wieder versöhnt.
Negativer Gegenentwurf zu Rhett ist der tollkühne Andrew Ravanel, ein Weiberheld, der für den Bastard verantwortlich ist, der zu besagtem Duell führt, Anführer eines Saboteurtrupps, der auf dem Territorium der Union Angst und Schrecken verbreitet. Der spätetere Ku-Kluxer und zeitweilige Ehemann von Rhetts Schwester bekommt von ihr einen Tritt, als die Gemahlin für einen Klan-Kumpel eine Kutte nähen soll. Als gute Brieffreundin von Melanie Wilkes darf sie am Ende den armen Witwer Ashley heiraten, so dass Twelve Oaks wieder gedeiht.
Die Erben von Margaret Mitchell müssen die Rassismusvorwürfe gegen den Klassiker und der Ärger über das von ihnen genehmigte Gänschenbuch Scarlett vollkommen um den Verstand gebracht haben, dass sie diesem Werk einer absoluten literarischen Unbegabung ihren Segen gegeben haben. Das einzige, was für Douglas McCaig spricht, ist seine Anekdotenkenntnis über den alten Süden, dafür muss seine letzten Lektüre von Vom Winde verweht wohl in frühesten Jugendtagen erfolgt sein, so viele Fehler und Inkonsistenzen sind ihm beim Umgang mit Informationen aus der Quelle unterlaufen.
Keineswegs nur beim Duell, für das es in der Vorlage ja keinen (und schon gar keinen biologischen) Grund gibt. Scarlett ist bei DM ein halbes Jahr mit Charles Hamilton verheiratet und nicht zwei Monate wie bei MM, dergleichen häuft sich derart, dass ich am Ende zu dem Fazit komme:
Donald McCaig kann nicht schreiben und anscheinend auch nicht lesen, man könnte meinen, er hätte seine Phantasie über Rhett Buttler und seine Angehörigen nach einem Durchgang mit dem dreistündigen Film diktiert, statt 12 Jahre daran zu schreiben, wie es der Klappentext behauptet. Wenn überhaupt handelt es sich bei diesem Werk um geballte Hirnfürze aus 12 Jahren, bei denen gelegentlich nicht mal sicher ist, ob Vom Winde verweht und das Personal des Klassikers überhaupt die Verursacher der wahllos ausgebreiteten Erzählfäden sind oder der Name nur nachträglich eingefügt wurde, um diesen Müll, der allenfalls als Anhängsel zu einem Klassiker verwertbar ist, ein breites Lesepublikum zu verpassen.
Negativer Gegenentwurf zu Rhett ist der tollkühne Andrew Ravanel, ein Weiberheld, der für den Bastard verantwortlich ist, der zu besagtem Duell führt, Anführer eines Saboteurtrupps, der auf dem Territorium der Union Angst und Schrecken verbreitet. Der spätetere Ku-Kluxer und zeitweilige Ehemann von Rhetts Schwester bekommt von ihr einen Tritt, als die Gemahlin für einen Klan-Kumpel eine Kutte nähen soll. Als gute Brieffreundin von Melanie Wilkes darf sie am Ende den armen Witwer Ashley heiraten, so dass Twelve Oaks wieder gedeiht.
Die Erben von Margaret Mitchell müssen die Rassismusvorwürfe gegen den Klassiker und der Ärger über das von ihnen genehmigte Gänschenbuch Scarlett vollkommen um den Verstand gebracht haben, dass sie diesem Werk einer absoluten literarischen Unbegabung ihren Segen gegeben haben. Das einzige, was für Douglas McCaig spricht, ist seine Anekdotenkenntnis über den alten Süden, dafür muss seine letzten Lektüre von Vom Winde verweht wohl in frühesten Jugendtagen erfolgt sein, so viele Fehler und Inkonsistenzen sind ihm beim Umgang mit Informationen aus der Quelle unterlaufen.
Keineswegs nur beim Duell, für das es in der Vorlage ja keinen (und schon gar keinen biologischen) Grund gibt. Scarlett ist bei DM ein halbes Jahr mit Charles Hamilton verheiratet und nicht zwei Monate wie bei MM, dergleichen häuft sich derart, dass ich am Ende zu dem Fazit komme:
Donald McCaig kann nicht schreiben und anscheinend auch nicht lesen, man könnte meinen, er hätte seine Phantasie über Rhett Buttler und seine Angehörigen nach einem Durchgang mit dem dreistündigen Film diktiert, statt 12 Jahre daran zu schreiben, wie es der Klappentext behauptet. Wenn überhaupt handelt es sich bei diesem Werk um geballte Hirnfürze aus 12 Jahren, bei denen gelegentlich nicht mal sicher ist, ob Vom Winde verweht und das Personal des Klassikers überhaupt die Verursacher der wahllos ausgebreiteten Erzählfäden sind oder der Name nur nachträglich eingefügt wurde, um diesen Müll, der allenfalls als Anhängsel zu einem Klassiker verwertbar ist, ein breites Lesepublikum zu verpassen.
April 28, 2013
This book is not poorly written, I suppose, but to consider it a prequel of Gone With the Wind is absurd. It's written in a completely different style and changed many of the characters nonsensically. It's like McCaig is trying to apologize for anything offensive in Gone With the Wind by making a book diametrically opposed to it. This is obviously a problem for any fans of the original novel. Complain what you will about Ripley's Scarlett, but that novel seemed more like a better attempt to be true to Mitchell's characters. The fact that both were authorized by the Mitchell estate makes it confounding that Rhett Butler's People pretends as if that novel does not exist. I didn't realize this would be the case and I was completely confused. I thought this novel was going to be the story from Rhett's point of view, not revisionist history. I wanted to enjoy it, yet I was angry after finishing it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
January 25, 2008
I am very excited about this book- although the "sequel" to GWTW was disappointing(but admittedly, entertaining in a cheesy way). Don MacCaig is a well known writer in my border collie world- he wrote one of my favorite books "Nop's Trials" and some excelllent non-fiction as well. He is an incredibly talented writer who can move a story well and with beautiful language. I don't think they could have picked a better author to tackle Rhett's story.
Ok.. finished it...
I was very satisfied with it- would recommend to GWTW fans- probably couldn't stand on its own but is a good companion to the original. I enjoyed Belle Watling's backstory, the explanation of Rhett's "ward" and the Butler/O'Hara marriage. Some actions/storylines seemed to come out of nowhere but overall I enjoyed it as an entertaining read.
Ok.. finished it...
I was very satisfied with it- would recommend to GWTW fans- probably couldn't stand on its own but is a good companion to the original. I enjoyed Belle Watling's backstory, the explanation of Rhett's "ward" and the Butler/O'Hara marriage. Some actions/storylines seemed to come out of nowhere but overall I enjoyed it as an entertaining read.
January 3, 2008
Do not read any further if you don't want any spoilers and I apologize for the rant that follows...
Yes, I actually bought the book @ Costco because I couldn't wait for a library copy. So around the last third of the book, when the author described Ashley's eyes as brown I wanted my money back. Ashley's eyes are a drowsy gray I believe, not brown! Also can any true fan of GWTW imagine Belle Watling staying at Tara as an invited guest? I read Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley (and learned to live with parts of it) and with this book the ending is completely different than that book and Rhett's sister Rosemary has been completely rewritten. I thought this was going to be a prequel of sorts, with Rhett's background and his point of view of the storyline of GWTW. I can't believe this was authorized.
Yes, I actually bought the book @ Costco because I couldn't wait for a library copy. So around the last third of the book, when the author described Ashley's eyes as brown I wanted my money back. Ashley's eyes are a drowsy gray I believe, not brown! Also can any true fan of GWTW imagine Belle Watling staying at Tara as an invited guest? I read Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley (and learned to live with parts of it) and with this book the ending is completely different than that book and Rhett's sister Rosemary has been completely rewritten. I thought this was going to be a prequel of sorts, with Rhett's background and his point of view of the storyline of GWTW. I can't believe this was authorized.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2012
Basically the storyline of the novel is Gone With the Wind from Rhett Butler's point of view and it was a bit of a disappointment really. Gone With the Wind is one of my favourite novels and I found all the characters in RBP, even the major ones of Rhett and Scarlett, are out of character. There is also a lot of errors that contradict the original, characters dying when they lived in GWTW and vice versa, Melanie knowing about Scarlet being in love with her husband, etc. As a standalone historical fiction novel, Rhett Butler's People is okay but as a complement to Gone With the Wind it sucks!
September 26, 2012
This novel is atrocious. The only thing about this novel that I enjoyed was the fact that I decided to borrow it from the library and not buy it. I could barely read pass the first chapter, it was so horrendous.
None of characters in this novel stay true to the original ones, the writing style is irritating and not at all like GWTW, and it was painful to read at all. I cannot fathom the fact that someone actually finished this novel.
If you love GWTW, STAY AWAY FROM THIS BOOK. It ruins it. I'd suggest Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley if you're looking for a GWTW sequel.
None of characters in this novel stay true to the original ones, the writing style is irritating and not at all like GWTW, and it was painful to read at all. I cannot fathom the fact that someone actually finished this novel.
If you love GWTW, STAY AWAY FROM THIS BOOK. It ruins it. I'd suggest Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley if you're looking for a GWTW sequel.
January 19, 2008
I know some of the reviews for this book haven't been great but I personally really liked this story. True, it isn't the same as GWTW but I loved all the background on Rhett. I thought the way Rhett's story and things we know from GWTW were woven together was really neat. Seeing Scarlett and some of the other characters in a different light was very interesting.
I also thought this sequel was better than Scarlett. Though I did enjoy both.
I think I would have given this 5 stars except for the ending. I loved all of the story up until where GWTW leaves off and I think this book handled the after parts better than Scarlett but I still don't know that it could compete with the way I had imagined the story to end. I don't think the ending was bad, it just wasn't how I had always imagined it would be.
I also thought this sequel was better than Scarlett. Though I did enjoy both.
I think I would have given this 5 stars except for the ending. I loved all of the story up until where GWTW leaves off and I think this book handled the after parts better than Scarlett but I still don't know that it could compete with the way I had imagined the story to end. I don't think the ending was bad, it just wasn't how I had always imagined it would be.
November 1, 2015
Hilarious! It's like alternate universe GWTW. The author could not have read the original book . . .
October 8, 2017
There are few books that I read that pull me in and keep me a willing prisoner. Few books can make me laugh and cry in equal measure, encouraging me to succumb to emotions I’m not typically comfortable with.
There are even fewer books that I’ve read that have strong male characters that I’d love to get to know in real life. Love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with, to pick their brain and become enamored with in person. Men like Jamie Fraser of Outlander. Gino Santangelo of the Chances series. Matthew Clairmont of the All Souls Trilogy. Monsieur Perdu, curator of books and emotional librarian, of The Little Paris Bookshop.
And Mr. Rhett Butler.
Rhett Butler’s People ended up being one of those books, with one of those characters, that I just could hardly bear to put down. I was hoping to learn more about the man who has charmed women with smiles and witty comments, with unexpected chivalry and undeniable criminality, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.
There are few heroes who can make the transition from literature to the silver screen and back again, procuring and then keeping a captivating hold on an audience of millions for generations to come. Unfortunately many a man has been written to perfection in a book or a short story, but has lost his charm and sparkle once his character hits a television set. The same can be said vice versa.
However, Rhett Butler is not one of those men.
Mr. Butler captured the hearts of a nation in a book that at the time and for decades to come, was and has been considered a scandalous and racially charged masterpiece. Soon after his famous introduction via a heated exchange in a Southern belle’s plantation library, the rakish rogue with devastatingly good looks and insurmountable wit was brought to the theater, portrayed by the handsome Clark Gable. It was a casting of roles that could not have been better. Women around the globe swooned at his devilish charm while men admired his spirit and “don’t give a damn” attitude. Gone With the Wind was an instant classic.
But where did Rhett come from? How did he become such a cad in a world full of Charlestonian gentlemen? Where did he go after he abandoned Scarlett on her journey back to Tara, with a gravely ill Melanie Wilkes and baby hunkered down in the back of her wagon and a trail of fire skimming at their feet? What made Rhett think he could behave the way he did – his flashy style and devil-may-care attitude? Why was his best friend a self proclaimed “fallen woman”; one Belle Watling, owner of a whore house? Where was his family?
If you’ve read Gone With the Wind or seen the film version, then you know what the story is about. A Southern Belle in times of war and it’s aftermath. Love and hate, slaves and freed men. It can produce images that are painful and difficult to read and watch, especially as a white woman. No one likes to speak of slavery. In Rhett Butler’s People, a different perspective is readily given. Whilst Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled and beautiful child of an Irish immigrant cotton farmer, expects African Americans to do her bidding and blatantly believes them to be below her, Rhett Butler’s views are different. He grew up on a rice plantation that owned slaves, but the oldest son of the Butler household believed the black man to be his equal, even from a young age. In fact, he preferred the slaves to his own family, finding solace, unconditional love, and in one case a father figure in the men of the different race.
The story is told in the perspective of several different people, all of whom are close to Rhett and could be considered part of his lifeline, his own heart’s blood.
They are his people:
Rosemary Butler is his baby sister, the one family member he has and will always have affection for no matter what mistakes she makes as she grows into a belle herself. We follow Rosemary’s life from childhood to late adulthood, weeping alongside her as she suffers great losses during the war and as she learns lessons the hard way. Readers witness a transformation come about in her that is awe-inspiring and graceful.
Andrew Ravenel is one of Rhett’s childhood friends. The son of a gambling plantation owner who eventually loses everything worth anything, Andrew is constantly trying to find his place in the world and to make a name for himself – whatever the cost.
Scarlett O’Hara is the love of Rhett’s life, but she is in love with another.
Melanie Wilkes, a genteel and steadfastly loyal woman who is as respectable as they come. She considers Mr. Butler her friend and that is an honor taken very seriously by the other women of the Southern order.
Tunis Bonneau, a freed black man who dances the dangerous dance of the blockades.
Will Benteen is the wife of Scarlett’s sister and chief officer at Tara after the war. His guidance is helping to turn the plantation around, but he is met at every corner with a mysterious and nefarious display of sabotage. He is trying to keep everything moving for the people he shares his life with; women and children and a mentally crippled Ashley Wilkes.
Tazewell Watling is the presumed bastard son of Rhett Butler and he has a bone to pick, to say the least. Readers share his chronicled journey from an orphanage in New Orleans to boarding school in England, back to a masked ball in the Crescent City and an eventual trip over the pond to help heal the wounded heart of his caretaker.
And lastly, Ms. Belle Watling, the overseer’s daughter, business owner and partner, mother to Taz and Rhett’s best friend. This relationship was the most significant to me, as a reader of both Gone With the Wind and this book. She was a woman I did not like, when told from Scarlett’s perspective, but came to admire and respect greatly in this book.
The war is coming and there’s no stopping it. The South has their beliefs, as does newly elected President Abraham Lincoln. Rhett Butler doesn’t know any other way to shield those he loves from this excess of greed, destruction, devastation, and senseless pride than to try and make as much money as he can, as quickly as he can, so he can provide for their futures – if they have end up having one. Luckily for Rhett, that while he was kicked out of West Point, he still has common sense and ingenuity on his side.
But before he strikes out for California in search of gold, gambles for a living in New Orleans, and has miscellaneous adventures in Cuba and the Caribbean, he is invited to a barbecue on an old plantation called Twelve Oaks, courtesy of a young businessman named Frank Kennedy. It is there that he is to meet the one and only woman who will ever be able to hold him. The woman who will be in control of his heart for the rest of his life, whether he likes it or not. They are fated, Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. And it is a fate met in tragedy time and time again.
Much like it’s predecessor, Rhett Butler’s People isn’t all about romance. It’s not even mostly about romance. It’s about the people in Rhett’s life who make him who he is and who he becomes. It is a story of the decisions and hard choices he must make on behalf of those people and the paths that he is subsequently put down because of them. Many, many blanks are filled in for the fans who always asked themselves –“What happened to him? Where was he? Why is he like this?”
Instead of witnessing the evolution of a boy into a man during difficult times, we see that Rhett was always Rhett. He was always true to himself and what he believed. Even if it was the unpopular opinion. Even if it meant being stricken from the family Bible.
I loved this book. I can’t believe I let it sit on my shelf for as long as I did. I picked it up for $2 in the clearance section of my local bookstore more than a year ago and always meant to get around to it, but got involved in several other series and just didn’t have the time. I urge any fan of Gone With the Wind – whether literary or through film – to read this book. It is not an overly descriptive tome when it comes to the war; the author does not get bogged down the way some can when speaking on battles. It flows naturally and fluidly. And actually, so does Gone With the Wind. I know some people shy away from it because it’s a large book, but it’s not as difficult to read as one might think. I don’t recommend reading Rhett Butler’s People unless you’ve either read Gone With the Wind or seen the movie – or else you’ll find yourself asking what the hell he saw in that spoiled brat Southern belle, anyway.
Some of the language is not for the faint of heart. Due to the subject matter – the reasons for war and the spirit of the South – certain words that are not acceptable in today’s society are thrown around loosely and easily. It makes one uncomfortable. But I think that’s important. I think it’s meant to make us uncomfortable.
If you’ve read Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett, you will be confused and/or surprised at the last part of this book. It is written as if the book Scarlett was never in existence. There is zero bridge between these books other than the fact that it has some of the same characters. According to some research I did, the estate of Margaret Mitchell believed Scarlett to be a bit of an embarrassment and Rhett Butler’s People was meant to take the place of it. I didn’t much care for Scarlett and so I was thrilled to have this book replace it in my mind as to the proper ending for two people such as Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler.
I give this book five out of five stars and urge you to drop whatever you’re doing and read it! And if you don’t, well then frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.
There are even fewer books that I’ve read that have strong male characters that I’d love to get to know in real life. Love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with, to pick their brain and become enamored with in person. Men like Jamie Fraser of Outlander. Gino Santangelo of the Chances series. Matthew Clairmont of the All Souls Trilogy. Monsieur Perdu, curator of books and emotional librarian, of The Little Paris Bookshop.
And Mr. Rhett Butler.
Rhett Butler’s People ended up being one of those books, with one of those characters, that I just could hardly bear to put down. I was hoping to learn more about the man who has charmed women with smiles and witty comments, with unexpected chivalry and undeniable criminality, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.
There are few heroes who can make the transition from literature to the silver screen and back again, procuring and then keeping a captivating hold on an audience of millions for generations to come. Unfortunately many a man has been written to perfection in a book or a short story, but has lost his charm and sparkle once his character hits a television set. The same can be said vice versa.
However, Rhett Butler is not one of those men.
Mr. Butler captured the hearts of a nation in a book that at the time and for decades to come, was and has been considered a scandalous and racially charged masterpiece. Soon after his famous introduction via a heated exchange in a Southern belle’s plantation library, the rakish rogue with devastatingly good looks and insurmountable wit was brought to the theater, portrayed by the handsome Clark Gable. It was a casting of roles that could not have been better. Women around the globe swooned at his devilish charm while men admired his spirit and “don’t give a damn” attitude. Gone With the Wind was an instant classic.
But where did Rhett come from? How did he become such a cad in a world full of Charlestonian gentlemen? Where did he go after he abandoned Scarlett on her journey back to Tara, with a gravely ill Melanie Wilkes and baby hunkered down in the back of her wagon and a trail of fire skimming at their feet? What made Rhett think he could behave the way he did – his flashy style and devil-may-care attitude? Why was his best friend a self proclaimed “fallen woman”; one Belle Watling, owner of a whore house? Where was his family?
If you’ve read Gone With the Wind or seen the film version, then you know what the story is about. A Southern Belle in times of war and it’s aftermath. Love and hate, slaves and freed men. It can produce images that are painful and difficult to read and watch, especially as a white woman. No one likes to speak of slavery. In Rhett Butler’s People, a different perspective is readily given. Whilst Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled and beautiful child of an Irish immigrant cotton farmer, expects African Americans to do her bidding and blatantly believes them to be below her, Rhett Butler’s views are different. He grew up on a rice plantation that owned slaves, but the oldest son of the Butler household believed the black man to be his equal, even from a young age. In fact, he preferred the slaves to his own family, finding solace, unconditional love, and in one case a father figure in the men of the different race.
The story is told in the perspective of several different people, all of whom are close to Rhett and could be considered part of his lifeline, his own heart’s blood.
They are his people:
Rosemary Butler is his baby sister, the one family member he has and will always have affection for no matter what mistakes she makes as she grows into a belle herself. We follow Rosemary’s life from childhood to late adulthood, weeping alongside her as she suffers great losses during the war and as she learns lessons the hard way. Readers witness a transformation come about in her that is awe-inspiring and graceful.
Andrew Ravenel is one of Rhett’s childhood friends. The son of a gambling plantation owner who eventually loses everything worth anything, Andrew is constantly trying to find his place in the world and to make a name for himself – whatever the cost.
Scarlett O’Hara is the love of Rhett’s life, but she is in love with another.
Melanie Wilkes, a genteel and steadfastly loyal woman who is as respectable as they come. She considers Mr. Butler her friend and that is an honor taken very seriously by the other women of the Southern order.
Tunis Bonneau, a freed black man who dances the dangerous dance of the blockades.
Will Benteen is the wife of Scarlett’s sister and chief officer at Tara after the war. His guidance is helping to turn the plantation around, but he is met at every corner with a mysterious and nefarious display of sabotage. He is trying to keep everything moving for the people he shares his life with; women and children and a mentally crippled Ashley Wilkes.
Tazewell Watling is the presumed bastard son of Rhett Butler and he has a bone to pick, to say the least. Readers share his chronicled journey from an orphanage in New Orleans to boarding school in England, back to a masked ball in the Crescent City and an eventual trip over the pond to help heal the wounded heart of his caretaker.
And lastly, Ms. Belle Watling, the overseer’s daughter, business owner and partner, mother to Taz and Rhett’s best friend. This relationship was the most significant to me, as a reader of both Gone With the Wind and this book. She was a woman I did not like, when told from Scarlett’s perspective, but came to admire and respect greatly in this book.
The war is coming and there’s no stopping it. The South has their beliefs, as does newly elected President Abraham Lincoln. Rhett Butler doesn’t know any other way to shield those he loves from this excess of greed, destruction, devastation, and senseless pride than to try and make as much money as he can, as quickly as he can, so he can provide for their futures – if they have end up having one. Luckily for Rhett, that while he was kicked out of West Point, he still has common sense and ingenuity on his side.
But before he strikes out for California in search of gold, gambles for a living in New Orleans, and has miscellaneous adventures in Cuba and the Caribbean, he is invited to a barbecue on an old plantation called Twelve Oaks, courtesy of a young businessman named Frank Kennedy. It is there that he is to meet the one and only woman who will ever be able to hold him. The woman who will be in control of his heart for the rest of his life, whether he likes it or not. They are fated, Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. And it is a fate met in tragedy time and time again.
Much like it’s predecessor, Rhett Butler’s People isn’t all about romance. It’s not even mostly about romance. It’s about the people in Rhett’s life who make him who he is and who he becomes. It is a story of the decisions and hard choices he must make on behalf of those people and the paths that he is subsequently put down because of them. Many, many blanks are filled in for the fans who always asked themselves –“What happened to him? Where was he? Why is he like this?”
Instead of witnessing the evolution of a boy into a man during difficult times, we see that Rhett was always Rhett. He was always true to himself and what he believed. Even if it was the unpopular opinion. Even if it meant being stricken from the family Bible.
I loved this book. I can’t believe I let it sit on my shelf for as long as I did. I picked it up for $2 in the clearance section of my local bookstore more than a year ago and always meant to get around to it, but got involved in several other series and just didn’t have the time. I urge any fan of Gone With the Wind – whether literary or through film – to read this book. It is not an overly descriptive tome when it comes to the war; the author does not get bogged down the way some can when speaking on battles. It flows naturally and fluidly. And actually, so does Gone With the Wind. I know some people shy away from it because it’s a large book, but it’s not as difficult to read as one might think. I don’t recommend reading Rhett Butler’s People unless you’ve either read Gone With the Wind or seen the movie – or else you’ll find yourself asking what the hell he saw in that spoiled brat Southern belle, anyway.
Some of the language is not for the faint of heart. Due to the subject matter – the reasons for war and the spirit of the South – certain words that are not acceptable in today’s society are thrown around loosely and easily. It makes one uncomfortable. But I think that’s important. I think it’s meant to make us uncomfortable.
If you’ve read Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett, you will be confused and/or surprised at the last part of this book. It is written as if the book Scarlett was never in existence. There is zero bridge between these books other than the fact that it has some of the same characters. According to some research I did, the estate of Margaret Mitchell believed Scarlett to be a bit of an embarrassment and Rhett Butler’s People was meant to take the place of it. I didn’t much care for Scarlett and so I was thrilled to have this book replace it in my mind as to the proper ending for two people such as Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler.
I give this book five out of five stars and urge you to drop whatever you’re doing and read it! And if you don’t, well then frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.
March 11, 2008
There will never be another GWTW but:
I always like historical fiction, especially when it’s fairly accurate and helps me learn more about “common people” of an era.” McCaig gave me a good picture of life in Charleston and Atlanta just before, during and after the Civil War.
The story is really not well related to the tale of GWTW because the author spins a tale of a man’s journey before and after the Civil War. But, it is helpful to have read GWTW before reading RBP since the reader is familiar with some of the names, places, and problems in the story. This read was from a man’s point of view so I appreciated the lack of constant dwelling on the emotional love and war story and reading about Rhett’s success in “a man’s world” where he believed he had more control of his destiny.
During GWTW, Rhett was such a mysterious character to Scarlett, always coming and going, and her being the self-centered Southern Bell, I enjoyed hearing Rhett’s version. I find it fascinating that McCaig painted Rhett as coming from a dysfunctional family and weaves his coping mechanisms into the manner in which he deals with spoiled, self-centered Scarlett. I also liked being “in” on the relationship between Belle and Rhett. Even though duels were outlawed by then, it’s an appealing way to integrate a family feud into the plot line.
There were some deviations from GWTW but, after all, this is another version of the Scarlett era.
I’m hoping for a sequel from Mammy’s or Porgy’s point of view and then no more sequels because they will never measure up the summer of my teen years when I read GWTW 7 times, cover to cover and had a prom dress made from the descriptions of Scarlett’s ball gowns. Fiddle-dee-dee
I always like historical fiction, especially when it’s fairly accurate and helps me learn more about “common people” of an era.” McCaig gave me a good picture of life in Charleston and Atlanta just before, during and after the Civil War.
The story is really not well related to the tale of GWTW because the author spins a tale of a man’s journey before and after the Civil War. But, it is helpful to have read GWTW before reading RBP since the reader is familiar with some of the names, places, and problems in the story. This read was from a man’s point of view so I appreciated the lack of constant dwelling on the emotional love and war story and reading about Rhett’s success in “a man’s world” where he believed he had more control of his destiny.
During GWTW, Rhett was such a mysterious character to Scarlett, always coming and going, and her being the self-centered Southern Bell, I enjoyed hearing Rhett’s version. I find it fascinating that McCaig painted Rhett as coming from a dysfunctional family and weaves his coping mechanisms into the manner in which he deals with spoiled, self-centered Scarlett. I also liked being “in” on the relationship between Belle and Rhett. Even though duels were outlawed by then, it’s an appealing way to integrate a family feud into the plot line.
There were some deviations from GWTW but, after all, this is another version of the Scarlett era.
I’m hoping for a sequel from Mammy’s or Porgy’s point of view and then no more sequels because they will never measure up the summer of my teen years when I read GWTW 7 times, cover to cover and had a prom dress made from the descriptions of Scarlett’s ball gowns. Fiddle-dee-dee
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