Scarlett (novel)
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 Early edition cover |
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| Author | Alexandra Ripley |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical, Romance, Novel |
| Publisher | Warner Books |
| Released | September 1991 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-446-51507-8 (first edition, hardback) |
Scarlett is a novel written in 1991 by Alexandra Ripley as a sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. It was adapted as a television mini-series of the same title in 1994 starring Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler and Joanne Whalley-Kilmer as Scarlett O'Hara.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
[edit] Return to Tara
The book picks up right where Gone with the Wind left off, with Scarlett of French-Irish ancestry attending the funeral of her ex-sister-in-law and rival for Ashley Wilkes' affection, Melanie Wilkes, at which her estranged husband, Rhett Butler is not present. Scarlett, heartbroken and aggravated that Rhett has left her completely, sets out for Tara and is saddened when she learns that Mammy, one of their only remaining freed slaves, is dying. When she arrives at Tara, she sends off a telegram to notify Rhett about Mammy under the name of Will Benteen because she knows that Rhett won't come if he suspects Scarlett is there. After Mammy passes away, Rhett and Scarlett have another snipe-filled encounter, which culminates in Rhett leaving and Scarlett returning to the Atlanta house, determined to win Rhett back.
[edit] Going to Charleston
Scarlett, in her haste to win Rhett back, travels to Charleston to visit Rhett's family and tries to corner him by winning his mother's affection. He instead secludes himself in the family's old plantation on the river. Scarlett convinces Rhett to take her for a sail on the harbour, where their boat capsizes during a terrible storm. They share a night together while shipwrecked. Once safely back in Charleston Rhett leaves Scarlett near death at his mother's house, telling her that he's finished playing her games.
[edit] Savannah
After Scarlett has regained her strength, she leaves Charleston with her two aunts, Pauline and Eulalie, to attend her maternal grandfather's birthday celebration in Savannah. Her grandfather, a cranky old man, treats her aunts horribly and offers Scarlett his entire inheritance if she will remain with him in Savannah until his death. Scarlett refuses the old man and storms out of the house, furious at his heartlessness for cutting out his own daughters. She happens to meet her paternal cousin, Colum, from Ireland and later agrees to travel to Ireland with him, tired of her grandfather's hospitality. By this time Scarlett has realized that she is pregnant with Rhett's child, but because she wants him to take her back for herself and not for the child, she keeps her pregnancy hidden.
[edit] Ireland
In Ireland, Scarlett is heartily welcomed by her Irish kin, including her grandmother, Old Katie Scarlett, Gerald's mother. Exploring one day with her cousin Colum, they pass by an old house which the latter explained was called 'Ballyhara' along with the land surrounding it; it was O'Hara land long ago before the English seized it, along with other land from the Irish. Scarlett is mildly interested until she receives a notification of divorce from Rhett. Scarlett makes plans to leave for America at once but is stunned by more news; Rhett is married to another woman, a Charlestonian named Anne Hampton. Heartbroken and full of remorse over her past deeds, Scarlett decides to remain in Ireland to raise her unborn child. She works with lawyers and leaves her two-third share of her father's plantation, Tara, to her son Wade Hamilton (fathered by her first husband, Charles Hamilton, brother of Melanie Wilkes), buys Ballyhara and settles down in Ireland, to her Irish family's delight.
[edit] Katie Colum O'Hara
As Ballyhara is slowly restored, Scarlett eagerly awaits the birth of her child, praying for it to be a girl and vowing to be a good mother. One stormy Halloween night, her water breaks. Her housekeeper, Mrs Fitzpatrick, and the midwife Colum summons are unable to handle the situation and it appears that Scarlett will die. Instead, she is saved by the wise old woman who lives near the haunted tower, who appears suddenly. After a careful operation, she pulls out the womb along with the child, and Scarlett's daughter is born; dark like Rhett, but with rosy cheeks and blue eyes that slowly turn as green as Scarlett's. Full of love and thanksgiving, Scarlett names her Katie Colum O'Hara, 'Cat' for short. However, she is still so furious about what Rhett has done to her that she decides to tell all who ask that she is widowed.
[edit] Lord Fenton
Lord Fenton, one of the wealthiest men in Europe, falls in love with Scarlett and pursues her relentlessly, wanting to marry her. He wants Scarlett to bear his children after seeing Cat's fiery spirit and fearlessness. His plan is to unite their estates, for he owns Adamstown, which is the land adjacent to Scarlett's. The combined estate will go to their son upon their deaths but Cat will bear his name and have the best of everything. Angered by his arrogance, Scarlett refuses and orders him out of her house. He laughs at her and asks her to reconsider before leaving. Scarlett leaves for Dublin and is a great success there, much to the delight of Mrs. Montague. She later decides to accept Lord Fenton when she hears that Anne is pregnant. The news leaks out and Rhett in a drunken state insults her. When she realizes that Anne and Rhett's baby has died she rushes back to Ballyhara to find the English there, murdering Colum, who is the head of the Fenian Brotherhood. Rosaleen Fitzpatrick sets fire to the entire English arsenal to avenge Colum. The villagers, thinking Scarlett to be in league with the English, burn her house down but she is rescued by Rhett. Rhett learns about Cat and is furious with Scarlett. However, in the end he forgives her and they decide to live happily ever after.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
It was adapted as a television mini-series of the same title in 1994 starring Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler and Joanne Whalley-Kilmer as Scarlett O'Hara
