Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind remains an enduring masterpiece of American literature, captivating readers for decades with its unforgettable characters, epic scope, and tumultuous historical setting. Its power lies in the fusion of a deeply personal story of survival with the grand, sweeping drama of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
At its heart is Scarlett O’Hara, a heroine whose fierce determination, moral complexity, and unwavering will to survive have made her a literary icon.
If you were drawn to the story of a resilient protagonist navigating love and loss against a backdrop of historic upheaval, this list is for you.
The following novels share the core elements that make Gone with the Wind so compelling: sweeping historical sagas, strong and often complicated heroines, epic romances, and the timeless theme of human endurance in the face of monumental change.
This unforgettable family saga, set in the vast Australian outback, chronicles the lives of the Cleary family over 50 years. The narrative centers on the spirited Meggie Cleary and her forbidden, lifelong love for the ambitious priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart.
Like Scarlett O’Hara, Meggie is a passionate and headstrong woman, bound by duty but driven by a love that defies convention. The novel masterfully weaves together themes of sacrifice, ambition, and heartache, creating a powerful portrait of a family’s struggle against a harsh but beautiful landscape.
Often considered a spiritual successor to Gone with the Wind, this novel introduces Amber St. Clare, an astonishingly ambitious and beautiful woman who rises from rural poverty to become a favorite of King Charles II in Restoration England.
Amber is as ruthless, charming, and determined as Scarlett, using her wit and allure to navigate the treacherous political and social landscape of her time.
Set against the backdrop of the Great Plague and the Fire of London, Forever Amber is a lavish, scandalous, and sweeping historical epic that mirrors Scarlett’s relentless drive for survival and status.
In one of the definitive tales of female ambition, Emma Harte rises from poverty as a servant in rural Yorkshire to become the powerful matriarch of a global business empire. Driven by a desire for revenge and an unbreakable will, Emma’s journey through the 20th century is a testament to resilience and fortitude.
Like Scarlett, Emma is a brilliant but flawed protagonist who builds an empire from nothing, all while navigating love, betrayal, and immense personal loss. This is an epic story of one woman’s determination to not just survive, but to triumph against all odds.
This sweeping, multi-generational novel follows a Korean family across eight decades and four generations, beginning with the story of Sunja, a young woman who finds herself pregnant and facing ruin in early 20th-century Korea. Her decision to leave her homeland for Japan sets in motion a saga of identity, prejudice, and survival.
Like Gone with the Wind, Pachinko sets an intimate family drama against the immense backdrop of historical events—in this case, the Japanese occupation of Korea and World War II. It is a profound exploration of endurance, sacrifice, and the search for a place to call home.
Set in 12th-century England, Ken Follett’s epic revolves around the decades-long construction of a magnificent cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. Amid civil war, famine, and religious strife, the lives of its characters—monks, nobles, and artisans—are woven together in a gripping tale of ambition, love, and betrayal.
The formidable Aliena, a dispossessed noblewoman who overcomes immense hardship to reclaim her family's honor, is a character of Scarlett-like strength and resilience. The novel brilliantly grounds personal dramas within a vast, turbulent historical context.
This Nobel Prize-winning masterpiece blends a passionate, tragic romance with the epic upheaval of the Russian Revolution. At its center is Yuri Zhivago, a physician and poet torn between his love for two women and his struggle to maintain his humanity amidst the chaos of war and political turmoil.
Much like Gone with the Wind, this novel powerfully illustrates how monumental historical events irrevocably shape and often shatter individual lives. Yuri’s contemplative nature provides a fascinating contrast to Scarlett’s fierce pragmatism, yet both characters embody the struggle to survive in a world turned upside down.
Returning to the American Civil War, Cold Mountain tells the story from two powerful perspectives. One follows Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier who deserts the army to make a perilous journey home. The other focuses on Ada Monroe, the sheltered, educated woman he loves, who must learn to survive on her own as the war shatters her world.
Ada’s transformation from a helpless gentlewoman into a capable, resilient farmer mirrors Scarlett’s own journey of reinvention. Frazier’s lyrical prose captures both the brutal reality of war and the enduring power of love and hope.
Isabel Allende’s magnificent debut chronicles the lives of the Trueba family through three generations in an unnamed Latin American country undergoing intense political change. The story is driven by its powerful female characters, particularly the clairvoyant Clara and her granddaughter Alba, who navigate love, tragedy, and revolution.
The novel blends the personal and the political in a way that recalls Gone with the Wind, portraying a family saga against a backdrop of social and historical transformation, complete with passion, violence, and touches of magical realism.
The Bronze Horseman is an unforgettable love story set against the devastating Siege of Leningrad during World War II. Tatiana Metanova and a Red Army officer named Alexander fall in love on the eve of Hitler’s invasion of Russia, and their relationship is tested by war, starvation, and secrets.
Their epic struggle to survive and be together echoes the desperate, all-consuming romance of Scarlett and Rhett. Paullina Simons masterfully combines meticulous historical detail with a passionate narrative, immersing readers in one of history’s darkest moments through a love story of incredible courage and sacrifice.
This sprawling epic explores the American Civil War through the lives of two families—the Mains of South Carolina and the Hazards of Pennsylvania. Bound by friendship but divided by ideology, their intertwined stories offer a panoramic view of the conflict.
Like Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Jakes’s trilogy portrays the immense personal and societal costs of the war, exploring themes of loyalty, betrayal, and romance against a backdrop of historical collapse. It provides a comprehensive look at the era, showing the conflict from both Union and Confederate perspectives.
Diana Gabaldon’s beloved series begins when Claire Randall, a British combat nurse from 1945, is mysteriously swept back in time to 18th-century Scotland. Thrust into a world of danger during the Jacobite rising, she is forced to rely on her wit and strength to survive.
Much like Scarlett O’Hara, Claire is a fiercely independent and resourceful woman caught in the crosscurrents of history. Her epic love story with the dashing Highlander Jamie Fraser provides the passionate core for a sprawling saga of war, adventure, and survival.
This Nobel Prize-winning trilogy, set in 14th-century Norway, tells the life story of its fiercely independent heroine, Kristin. From her passionate youth to her tumultuous marriage and devoted motherhood, Kristin consistently challenges the rigid social and religious norms of her time.
Her headstrong nature and determination to follow her own heart, regardless of the consequences, will resonate with admirers of Scarlett O'Hara. Undset’s stunningly detailed portrayal of medieval life provides a rich, immersive backdrop for this powerful and timeless story of one woman’s inner journey.
Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel serves as a powerful and essential counter-narrative to Gone with the Wind. It traces the author's family history from his ancestor, Kunta Kinte, who was captured in Africa and enslaved in America, through generations of struggle, resistance, and survival.
While Mitchell’s novel romanticizes the Old South, Roots provides a searing, deeply human account of the brutal reality of slavery and its enduring legacy. It is an American epic of immense importance, telling a story of family bonds and the unyielding fight for freedom against the same historical backdrop.
Set against 30 years of turbulent Afghan history, this novel tells the unforgettable story of two women, Mariam and Laila, whose lives become intertwined by war, loss, and fate. Forced together into the same household, they forge an unbreakable bond that becomes their greatest source of strength and hope.
Like Gone with the Wind, this novel places resilient female characters at the center of historical upheaval. The friendship and solidarity between Mariam and Laila offer a deeply moving portrait of survival, sacrifice, and the power of love in the face of unimaginable hardship.
Jennifer Donnelly’s The Tea Rose weaves a tale of ambition and romance against the gritty backdrop of Victorian London. After a tragedy shatters her life in the city’s East End, the tenacious Fiona Finnegan is determined to overcome her circumstances and achieve success in the tea trade—a world dominated by men.
Like Scarlett, Fiona is a resourceful and driven heroine who refuses to be defeated by adversity. Donnelly’s vivid prose delivers a rich tapestry of industrial-era struggles, class conflict, and a gripping saga of love, revenge, and redemption.