He may indeed have returned from Belle’s establishment rather late the next moring, rather hung over and not cognizant of his behavior that evening.
“I said what?”
You might enjoy Rhett Butler’s People, by Donald McCaig
It falls apart in the last third or so, but it is worth a read if you are a Gone With the Wind Fan.
“Rhett Butler’s People fulfills the dreams of those whose imaginations have been indelibly marked by America’s greatest novel, Gone With The Wind. Here you’ll meet Rhett as a boy, a free spirit who loved the marshes and tidewaters of the Low Country, and learn of the ruthlessness of Rhett’s father, whose desire for control resulted in unspeakable. Through Rhett’s eyes, you’ll encounter those who shaped him in other ways: the Overseer’s daughter, Belle Watling; Rosemary, Rhett’s brave and determined sister; Tunis Bonneau, the son of freed slaves who understood the young Rhett like no one else; and Jack Ravanel, whose name became inextricably linked to heartbreak. And then there’s Katie Scarlett O’Hara herself—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 either of them will ever know…”
It’s interesting to remember how young Scarlett is at the end of the book: she’s only 28. Rhett was born the same year as her mother and is 44; he’s not old but he’s tired of games and he’s had enough adventure to last him quite a while.
Scarlett, while totally selfish, is also suffering from PTSD as much as most soldiers are. This is the most pitiable thing about her to me; there was no treatment then.
I did read that, and was not impressed.
The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall is essentially a remake of Gone With The Wind. It retells the events of Mitchell’s novel but from the point of view of Cynara, who is a slave at Tara and Scarlett’s half-sister.
I loved that book, despite the title.
Well, I loathed “The Wind Done Gone” to the point of calling it an abomination.
I read in a psychology book that Scarlett’s character fit under the ‘narcissic’ or ‘histrionic’ personality disorders. It’s there from the beginning, self-centered, no empathy for others, entitled behavior…no wonder she didn’t ‘fit in’ as a proper Southern lady.