Madge Alexander Vining of Columbia, an Atlanta native who said she is a distant relative of Margaret Mitchell, thought “Scarlett” was enjoyable and entertaining. Not true to the real world at all, but a wonderful respite from reality.”Ī few readers who liked “Scarlett” had some serious caveats. Rose of Plainville also found “Scarlett” to be wonderful escapist fare: “This was the perfect `fairy tale,’ with the happy ending that I was hoping for. “I still recommend it for pure escapist fun.” Sibille thought “Scarlett” had its drawbacks - that it did not explore racial issues of the period, for one - but believed Ripley fleshed out and matured Scarlett O’Hara into a more likable woman. But I am not a purist,” wrote Hillary Sibille of Bloomfield. “It is … sacrilegious to `GWTW’ purists to even consider another episode in Scarlett’s story. “For every aficionado of `GWTW,’ here’s a chance to get the ending you hoped for and a lot of heartache, frivolity and adventure before you get there.” Most of those who loved the sequel were thrilled (warning, read no further if you don’t want to know how “Scarlett” ends!) that Ripley reunites Scarlett and Rhett in a happy ending. Nearly everyone who wrote identified themselves as big fans of “Gone With the Wind,” and many said it was their favorite book. We heard almost exclusively from women readers (only two men wrote in one liked it, and one didn’t), and our correspondents ranged from several girls in junior high or high school to a couple of ladies in their 80s.

The yeas edged out the nays 36-30, and another handful of letter-writers were ambivalent about the book. 3), and the “loved it/hated it” camps were pretty much neck and neck. 1 best seller for 16 weeks (it is currently No. We gave readers a chance to sound off about Alexandra Ripley’s “Scarlett,” a No. Frankly, my dears, our readers did give a damn about “Scarlett,” the critically lambasted sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” The book’s defenders were stalwart, its critics merciless.

New Orleans Legacy by Alexandra Ripley