Well, I'm gonna be the rebel reviewer (rebel, get it? Ha...I kill me), that actually liked this book better than I liked GWTW, which I hold almost entirely responsible for the ridiculous nostalgia for the antebellum era. This book purports to tell Rhett's story, and while knowledge of the characters may come from GWTW, I think the book could probably stand on its own in the genre of historical fiction. Unlike GWTW, RBP doesn't portray the Civil War as some chivalric battle...but how the only reason the South was seceding was because of abolitionist laws that were being passed at the federal level. While the South did have her heroes, the entire economy of the South was based on treating humans as commodities. Without slavery the Old South, as it briefly existed, could never have happened. Plantation owners knew good and well that they couldn't lead the lives of Southern Gentlemen if they actually had to pay workers. I liked that the politics of the time played a role in RBP. The abolitionist vibe is very pronounced. A scene with Rhett Butler, his black friend from childhood, and a mob of approaching KKK was heartrending. The KKK was presented in a way one normally doesn't seen in antebellum historical fiction, in that they were not romanticized at all, and members of the KKK are the source of most of the "evil" that happens in the story. I also think that the author did an outstanding job of creating full formed characters out of bit part players from GWTW. Melanie became more real, Belle was wonderful...there are a host of memorable characters in this book that were mere sentences in GWTW. The story of Rhett Butler was great fun. I found the book irresistible; once started, I carried the book around for a day or so until I was finished reading it. Is it a classic? Good lord, no. It's dime-store fiction just like GWTW. Is it worth checking out from the library for some "guilty pleasure" reading...absolutely.
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
What do You think about Rhett Butler's People (2007)?
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!
—Kim
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.
—Tanya
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.
—Stacey
