Scarlett gets better with age

I am about half way through the Civil War in book #100, Gone With the Wind. It is so much easier to relate to a character like Scarlett in my mid 20s that it was in my early teens. I have always loved Scarlett; it's hard not to. But Margaret Mitchell's descriptions of first love, ferocious passion, heartache and "the one that got away" are impossible for a 13 year old to appreciate. Having lived through each of these experiences myself now, Scarlett's determination and grit are all the more impressive. And to think about her doing all that in the stifling Georgia heat piled with petticoats, lace and ribbons. Some days I'm doing good to get my hair out of a ponytail. Final thought: I love my fiance more than words, but I think I would need Aunt Pittypat's smelling salts if Rhett looked at me the way he looks at Scarlett.