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Frankly, My Dear, It's Difficult To Give A Darn

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By KAREN HAYMON LONG

Published: December 9, 2007

"Rhett Butler's People," by Donald McCaig (St. Martin's Press, $27.95)

Some stories are better told once. Millions of people have read "Gone With the Wind" over the years. More have seen the movie.

Now comes the story of Rhett Butler before he met Scarlett O'Hara, as well as a fleshing out of the story Margaret Mitchell told so well back in 1936.

In some ways, this Rhett is a kinder, gentler sort than the one readers loved. He's a doting brother who tears up on occasion. He thinks so little of his reputation that he lets people think Belle Watling's illegitimate son is his.

In "Gone With the Wind," Butler was mysterious, and that added to his allure. Here, we learn more about his background: about his harsh, unforgiving father; his long-suffering mother; his own wild ways.

But the real problem with this book is that it is not written nearly so well as Mitchell's. Donald McCaig never compels the reader to escape into the 1800s like Mitchell did.

Too often he falls back on cheap tricks to move his story along. The many letters are an example of this. They are often stiff and unnatural, not written as a letter would be, but merely meant to fill in historical gaps in the story.

Readers will recognize Scarlett - she still says "Fiddle dee-dee" even as a grown woman with three children. But she lacks the emotional depth Mitchell gave her. We never really see inside her pretty head or understand what makes her change her mind about Rhett and Ashley Wilkes.

About halfway through, readers are likely to ask themselves: Was this book written just so it will spawn a movie? That only begs the question: Who on Earth could play Rhett and Scarlett? Sadly, no one we can think of.

Karen Haymon Long is the Tribune's book editor.

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