Gone With the Wind vs The Unvanquished: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: United States Civil War, Slavery, War stories, Historical Fiction, History, Fiction

Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell · 1936 ★★★★☆ 4.3 824 pages · ≈ 15 h 16 m · Challenging

“SCARLETT O'HARA was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.”

Margaret Mitchell's monumental epic of the South won a Pulitzer Prize, gave rise to the most popular motion picture of our time, and inspired a sequel that became the fastest selling novel of the century. It is one of…

1 film adaptation

Pulitzer Prize Winner Historia Open_syllabus_project Novela

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The Unvanquished William Faulkner · 1938 ★★★★☆ 3.8 293 pages · ≈ 5 h 26 m · Challenging

Set in Mississippi during the Civil War and Reconstruction, THE UNVANQUISHED focuses on the Sartoris family, who, with their code of personal responsibility and courage, stand for the best of the Old South's traditions.

Civil war African American World War I Fathers and sons

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Gone With the Wind highest: Gone With the Wind 4.3 · The Unvanquished 3.8.
The Unvanquished is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 15 for Gone With the Wind.
Gone With the Wind has the widest readership — 1269875 ratings behind its score.
The Unvanquished runs the darker storyline; Gone With the Wind stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The Unvanquished ≈ 5h vs 15h for Gone With the Wind Want the crowd-tested pick? Gone With the Wind 1269875 ratings vs 6797 for The Unvanquished Just want the better-reviewed one? Gone With the Wind 4.3 vs 3.8 from readers In the mood for something dark? The Unvanquished a darker storyline than Gone With the Wind Want something lighter? Gone With the Wind an easier tone than The Unvanquished

Scores by source

	Gone With the Wind	The Unvanquished
Goodreads	4.3 (1269875)	3.8 (6797)
Hardcover	3.0 (40)	3.8 (7)
Google Books	4.5 (9)	—
Apple Books	5.0 (28)	4.5 (23)

Reception

	Gone With the Wind	The Unvanquished
Ratings	1269875	6797
Editions	362	42
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	952729	6519
Reading it now	—	267
Written reviews	28126	548
Wikipedia attention	25618	1017
Pages	824	293

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Gone With the Wind or The Unvanquished?

Gone With the Wind has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Gone With the Wind 4.3/5, The Unvanquished 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Gone With the Wind or The Unvanquished?

The Unvanquished is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Unvanquished (293 pages, ≈ 5 h 26 m); Gone With the Wind (824 pages, ≈ 15 h 16 m).

Which is harder to read: Gone With the Wind or The Unvanquished?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Gone With the Wind: Challenging; The Unvanquished: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

Gone With the Wind: 1 film adaptation; The Unvanquished: no film adaptation on record.