Gone with the Wind

Our book club decided to read it this month, and though I knew it was a classic, I was unsure how much I'd actually like it, thinking it might be dull and antiquated. Oh... my... word.... it is a beautiful book. If you have not read, go to the library RIGHT NOW and start reading. I have not enjoyed a book this much in ages.

I started it last Monday and finished all 1,000+ pages by Saturday night. I tend to be a fast reader but that might set a personal record for me. I was up past midnight every night - ending at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday (well, technically Sunday). It was that good!

All well and good, but here is the problem. The author, Margaret Mitchell, did not write a sequel. The ending begs a sequel, so why didn't she write one? She died in 1949 after she was struck by a speeding automobile. But according to extensive internet research (haha), her untimely death was not the reason for no sequel. She refused to write one (though her estate authorized Alexandra Ripley to write the sequel "Scarlett" in 1991). I keep on pondering what Mrs. Mitchell wanted for the characters. Would Scarlett and Rhett eventually get back together? Will Rhett ever recover from the death of their dear daughter? Would Belle play a larger role in their futures? (She would pop into the story here and there but never became as large of a character as I thought she would eventually become.) Will Scarlett ever become a better mother to her children? Is Ashley out of Scarlett's life forever?

I cannot get the story out of my thoughts ...

I do plan on reading the sequel "Scarlett" (my name is on the list for that book at the library in fact), but what I really want is Margaret Mitchell's sequel. I guess this would be called unrequited love because I know my wish will never be fulfilled.