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Title details for Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig - Available

Rhett Butler's People

The Authorized Novel based on Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind

by Donald McCaig
John Bedford Lloyd
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
The bestseller now in trade paperback for the first time to coincide with the publication of the author's new book. Fully authorized by the Margaret Mitchell estate, Rhett Butler's People is the astonishing and long-awaited novel that parallels the Great American Novel, Gone With The Wind. Twelve years in the making, the publication of Rhett Butler's People marks a major and historic cultural event. Through the storytelling mastery of award-winning writer Donald McCaig, the life and times of the dashing Rhett Butler unfolds. Through Rhett's eyes we meet the people who shaped his larger than life personality as it sprang from Margaret Mitchell's unforgettable pages: Langston Butler, Rhett's unyielding father; Rosemary his steadfast sister; Tunis Bonneau, Rhett's best friend and a onetime slave; Belle Watling, the woman for whom Rhett cared long before he met Scarlett O'Hara at Twelve Oaks Plantation, on the fateful eve of the Civil War. Of course there is Scarlett. Katie Scarlett O'Hara, the headstrong, passionate woman whose life is inextricably entwined with Rhett's: more like him than she cares to admit; more in love with him than she'll ever know. Brought to vivid and authentic life by the hand of a master, Rhett Butler's People fulfills the dreams of those whose imaginations have been indelibly marked by Gone With The Wind.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 10, 2018

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781501986277
      • File size: 521340 KB
      • Duration: 18:06:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from December 24, 2007
      Read with eloquence, charisma and a bit of spontaneity tossed in by John Bedford Lloyd, McCaig's interpretation of the classic Margaret Mitchell tale is the perfect platform for narration. Lloyd's reading is well paced, never rushing to cover the abundance of material in the lengthy text. With a cast as large as the sprawling settings and landscapes of the story, the opportunity for improvisation is abundant. Lloyd navigates through the personality stew with an expansive tonal pallet crammed with a variety of accents that range from distressed Southern belle to tough-nosed Confederate major, clearly evoking the grim melancholy and tainted triumph of the legendary tale. Channeling the rugged masculinity of Clark Gable when portraying Butler, Lloyd has fun with the story, creating a memorable experience for the listener. With a profusion of drama, action, romance and tragedy, Lloyd gets it right every time and never fails to convey the underlying tension throughout. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's Press hardcover (reviewed online).

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The characters of Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley, and others are so much a part of American literary and cinematic history that anything that tries to expand on them or their stories might be listened to with skepticism. Rhett's people include his tyrannical father; his loyal sister, Rosemary; his friend, the Confederate hero Andrew Ravenel; and Belle Watling, the Butler overseer's daughter, all of whom are given voices by John Bedford Lloyd. Different points of view (for example, those of Bonnie Blue and Melanie) illuminate familiar scenes. Long after the war is over, old resentments catch up with Rhett and threaten to ruin his newfound happiness with Scarlett, who seems chastened. Lloyd excels at accents and emotions; only the narrative parts seem a bit forced at times. Curiosity alone should recommend this "piggyback" audio. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 31, 2007
      Was it strictly necessary to our understanding of Gone With the Wind
      's dashing hero to flesh out his backstory, replay famous GWTW
      scenes from his perspective, and crank the plot past the original's astringent denouement? Perhaps not, but it's still a fun ride. In this authorized reimagining, Rhett, disowned son of a cruel South Carolina planter, is still a jaunty worldly-wise charmer, roguish but kind; Scarlett is still feisty, manipulative and neurotic; and the air of besieged decorum is slightly racier. (Rhett: “My dear, you have jam at the corner of your mouth.†Scarlett: “Lick it off.â€) But it says much about the author's sure feel for Margaret Mitchell's magnetic protagonists that they still beguile us. McCaig (Jacob's Ladder
      ) broadens the canvas, giving Rhett new dueling and blockade-running adventures, and adding intriguing characters like Confederate cavalier-turned-Klansman Andrew Ravanel, a rancid version of Ashley Wilkes who romances Rhett's sister, Rosemary. He paints a richer, darker panorama of a Civil War–era South, where poor whites seethe with resentment, and slavery and racism are brutal facts of life that an instinctive gentleman like Rhett can work around but not openly challenge. McCaig thus imparts a Faulknerian tone to the saga that sharpens Mitchell's critique of Southern nostalgia without losing the epic sweep and romantic pathos. The result is an engrossing update of GWTW
      that fans of the original will definitely give a damn about.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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