Lost Laysen by Margaret Mitchell

Lost Laysen Reviews

• 
  Amanda

  "I love both land and sky for I caught every eye and shocked all the people who were passing by."
  
  I don't know what words to use to describe this story (or the intimate biographical portion at the beginning of the book) other than absolutely riveting, heart-wrenching, and amazing.
  
  I took "Lost Laysen" out of the library this morning, tore through it in only a few hours, and plan to buy it so I can read it again and again. "Gone with the Wind" is my favorite book of all time, and I have felt such confusion and such a void as a reader at finding that there aren't any other books by Margaret Mitchell. How is it possible that the greatest writer of all time only wrote one book?? I was beyond ecstatic to find that this short story existed, and am so grateful that it (and the photos and letters included) was preserved and not destroyed along with everything else of Mitchell's - truly a travesty. The thought of the original "Gone with the Wind" transcript being burned gives me a horribly ill, panicked feeling. She was such an unbelievable writer, and I flew through this book's pages feeling as though I had been starved in the literary sense for a lifetime (or, more precisely, since reading "Gone with the Wind," which I tore through with an equal ferocity - 1,400 pages felt like 14). Mitchell's writing is passionate, emotive, gripping, and simply unparalleled, and reading about her life as it mirrored her characters in this story really hit home for me. Reading literature of this power and quality reminds me why I love reading and writing so much, and why I love language and find the written word to be so powerful, so worth preserving and treasuring. You must read the beginning biography before reading the story in order to truly feel and appreciate its weight and magnitude, though the story packs an unrivaled, pristine literary wallop that would satiate even the most-read academic buff all on its own. I liked the imperfect punctuation (which for me is a big deal) - for some reason it brought to mind old-fashioned speech patterns and gave me a little peek into Mitchell's head as she (I would imagine) feverishly wrote this story in her two little notebooks.
  
  "Lost Laysen" was written over a one-month period when Mitchell was only 16 years old, and the first section of the book prior to the story is filled with photos and letters and detailed information about her personal life and her interactions with close friends and numerous romantic suitors (Henry Angel himself never revealed any information to the public about his relationship with Mitchell, nor told anyone he had such memorabilia in his possession; it was brought to public light by his son, Henry Angel, Jr.). It's unbelievable that someone so young could produce something this precious, deep, and sophisticated, evoking in the reader such powerful images and emotions that are indelibly burned into the reader's mind. When looking at the photos and reading the biographical information included in the book, it's plain to see that Mitchell was anything but ordinary - she had a unique spark, confidence of stature, and depth of character that is brilliantly illuminated and burns passionately through her writing. Reading about her life, seeing her personal photos, and reading letters written in her own handwriting was a touching and intimate experience, and I long to know why she never married Henry Angel (my heart aches for them), and to know more about the rest of her life - about the mysteries and life events that we'll never have any knowledge of. She was complex and daring and feisty and in many ways ahead of her time (though, as the biography and story highlights, very much a part of her time, as is evidenced by the usage of words and expression of prejudiced attitudes that are wrong and offensive today, but were part of the time period and experience back then). I loved everything about this book aside from those areas, and felt absolutely heart-wrenched upon reading the final listing of four short story titles Mitchell scrawled on the inside page of her first "Lost Laysen" notebook - four short stories she presumably wrote and that were presumably destroyed. The titles appear as though they would have given insight -- whether real or fictionalized, we'll never know -- into her friends, her life, her emotions, and her relationships. One title in particular, "Man Who Never Had a Chance," seems the most telling if it had anything at all to do with Mitchell's real-life relationship with Henry Angel. If she penned this title at age 16, it would seem that perhaps she already knew that she and Henry would not be together in the end. I am especially haunted by Henry Angel, Jr.'s recollection at the end of the book of Margaret staring at him during a visit after his father's death, and subsequently telling him how much he resembled him.
  
  I would give anything to read more of Margaret Mitchell's works, but am so thankful to be able to experience the two that do exist. They should be treasured (and read and re-read) forever.
• 
  Griselda

  Reminiscent of The African Queen, but in pale imitation. Margaret Mitchell writes unconvincingly as a first person male narrator, in a clichéd and melodramatic voice. This novella lay undiscovered for many years... and should have stayed that way.
• 
  Jaq

  Margaret Mitchell, e questo l'ho scoperto solo in seguito, avrebbe voluto che tutti i suoi scritti, i racconti e le lettere venissero bruciati alla sua morte, tant'è che questo avvenne per volere testamentale del marito. Quello che non poteva prevedere è che il figlio del suo primo amore, Henry Love Angel, ritrovasse una scatola custodita gelosamente dal padre con le lettere di Margaret, o Peggy come si firmava, e un racconto che aveva scritto a sedici anni e che gli aveva donato.
  Leggere le lettere di Peggy è entrare nei suoi pensieri, leggere il suo racconto è stato come rubare il diario segreto alla propria figlia, e non l'avrei fatto se avessi saputo prima della sua richiesta.
  
  Se a sedici anni - quando io prendevo 4 nei temi - e in un solo mese è riuscita a scrivere un racconto tanto ben fatto, non poteva che essere destinata ad essere la penna di Via col vento.
  
  Alcune foto dal libro, ormai fuori stampa.
  
  
  

  
  
  
• 
  Christopher Hicks

  The first half of this book contains letters and photos that were given to Henry Love Angel by Margaret Mitchell (he was her suitor) she also gave him 2 notebooks that contained the story Lost Laysen a story she wrote in 1916 when they were both 16. It was Margaret Mitchell's request that when she died all her stories, letters, manuscripts etc. be destroyed, when she passed in 1949 her husband and brother honored this request (or so they thought) no one knew of this lost story till years later when Henry Love Angels son found the items. The letters and photos themselves are extremely interesting, giving insight into the early years of Margaret Mitchell. The Novella while about 56 pages long is somewhat entertaining( the blatant racism is a lil hard to read but it was written in the south in 1916) it does seem to be the early thoughts of characters that later become Rhett and Scarlett. It was a fun book to read.
• 
  Michelle Adcock

  This ain't
  gone with the wind. However, there are some very interesting parallels, and overall reading this early work was kinda cool.
• 
  Alita

  Anything from Margaret Mitchell is of interest, so it was a pleasure to read this all those years ago.
• 
  Melissa

  I was one of the first people I know to have to this book. Treasure it for the historical value.
• 
  Marina Schulz

  "Gone With The Wind" is one of my all time favourite books, if not my favourite. I still feel that it was relatively fair for the time period, and I loved how Margaret Mithcell intrinsicly described both the setting and mood in a way that absolutely came to life, and drew up complex, unique, and nuanced characters, both black and white. In sum, when I found out that Lost Laysen existed, I really, really wanted to get my hands on it, but became profundly disapointed, as it is not a good story, profundly racist, and certainly not worth the effort I made to get it.
  
  Lost Laysen is a small book divided in two parts, one with a forty page or so biography of Mitchell, and the remainder being the story itself. Thus, though I enjoyed the first part, I could not help thinking that, had I known that that the novella was of inferior quality, I would have simply bought a full-size book on the author's life.
  
  As a comparison with GWTW in inexcapable, I would say that, as aforementioned, my two favourite parts about it where the mood and setting, as well as the nuanced characters. In Lost Laysen, I felt that both were lacking, although this can, to some degree, though not inexcusebly, be explained by the condensed novella format. While in GWTW you learn to love Scarlett, who may be self-centered, but also has her strenghts, namely being tough as nails and doing everything to provide for her family, Lost Laysen's characters are one-trait only caricatures, and either absolutely good, or absolutely bad, and nothing in between.
  
  Courtneay, the main female character around which the book literally revolves, is but a fraction of Scarlett. She is far less complex, and even though she is described as boyish, unconformist and indepent, the only morsel where you can see these attributes is due to her being a lively chatter and an unmarried female missionary. The only reason these aspects even come through is because the book is written and set in a very strict era, because otherwise she does nothing extraordinary, and, in short, it comes off as Margaret Mitchell telling us her attributes, but not showing them. Furthermore, in classic Mary Sue fashion, it certainly doesn't help that every single male character is immediately infatuated with her.
  
  The plot twist at the end, which I will not reveal, is the one moment where Courtenay actually feels as strong as the male characters set her up as. Nonetheless, I feel that the choice she makes to, after her loved one dies trying to defend the two of them, killing herself to "join him", and to impeded the evildoers (who intend to rape her) to get to her body on time , makes for a nice, but romanticized ending. I feel that Scarlett would have tried her luck at attempting to kill them herself, and making use of the fact that she is a "dainty" woman to take them by surprise. . Though Courtenay is not Scarlett, and clearly has more traditionally "femenine" traits (read= more emotional), I also feel that by GWTW Mitchell had grown not only as a person with more intricate though-processes, but also as a writer with the ability to lay these in paper.
  
  Thus, for these very reasons, and, especially as the narrator of the former's story is a man who is "in love" with her after mere days and who, consequently, has no idea of her deeper thoughts or motivations, I felt that Courtnenay was a far weaker and less well developed character than Scarlett. For example, I found it glaring that Courtenay smiles, blushes, and takes it as a compliment when the men patrionazingly call her "Little Lady" and basically brush her aside from "men's business". GWTW is far more subversive, as the narration would either follow up with inward discomfort on Scarlett's part as to why men view woman as frail and incapable, when she knows she is neither, or would let the reader know that Scarlett is only smilling because it is the easiest method to get whatever she wants.
  
  Lastly, and arguably most importantly, the racism in this book made me feel very unconfortable.
  Despite being against book censorship, as I feel that the best way to fight racism in the long term is by having people conclude by themselves that racism is bad, and not just because it is a mantra, Lost Laysen really made me feel uneasy. I feel that in GWTW, despite the fact that the author very clearly supports the Confederate Dream, she was nonetheless relatively fair for her era in producingd three dimensional (black) characters, with flaws as well as personal worth (for instance Mammy, who is stubborn but smart and loving, or Pork, who commits a crime to help his family - in my opinion, even Prissy's street smarts are relatively redeeming traits).
  
  In sum, GWTW does not read as though the author has inherently negative feelings towards black people. Though of course in GWTW Mitchell glosses over the details of slavery, and supports the KKK, it feels as though her racism there is a mix of patronising behaviour and sheer ignorance (i.e, refusing to believe the realities of slaves more than believing they were inherently nepharious) - going so far as to maintaining that the KKK only acted against the "bad blacks".
  
  This is not the case in Lost Laysen, where it really does feel as though the author has bad feelings towards the Japanese and Chinese, calling them respectively Japs and Chinks, and not giving them the same three-dimensional treatment blacks got in GWTW - they are dehumanized, all of them profiled into a homogenous group that is necessarily evil. Although the back of the book does a fair job of explaining the context of the "yellow menace" in Mitchell's time period, and though I honeslty believe she became more progressive and accepting in her views with age, the blatant descrimination left me shocked and was a big no-no, all the more so given that even the likeable characters take part and believe that their behaviour is justified. Even Courtenay, who is meant to be oh-so-lovable and good, with her missionary work, calls the children she teaches those prejurative names!
  
  As for the main enemy, who presumably wants to "have" Courtenay, sexually, whether she wants to or not (aka, rape), is called a "half-breed", which not only is revolting in itself, but becomes even worse as this desire is linked as inherent to the character's ethnicity and culture.
  
  In sum, while the plot twist in the end was quite interesting and unexpected, this is not a particularly well-written novella, and is so blatantly racist that the only purpose for it that I can see is for historians to study racist bias in the past-times; though for the average reader Lost Laysen is merely a headache for a romance novel.
• 
  Agris Fakingsons

  ..diezgan meistarīgs, īss stāsts no slavenā romāna "Vējiem līdzi" autores. šis viņas pirmais romāna mēģinājums, uzrakstīts vien 16 gadu vecumā. bez tā grāmatā ir arī daudz interesantu aprakstu par autores dzīvi, cilvēkiem ap viņu, vēstules un fotogrāfijas.
• 
  Lisa James

  This novella, written when she was only 16, shows the promise that was to come in her world beloved Gone With the Wind. Her heroine in this is strong willed & believes in her honor over her life, & the 2 men that love her are as different as night & day. There are shades of Rhett Butler in both of these men, & shades of Scarlett in the heroine of this tale. The love story between Margaret & Henry seems to mirror the novella as well...Serendipity was working yesterday when I was at a second hand book store & one of the clerks showed it to me. I knew I had to have it!
• 
  Angela

  Biographical material, letters, and an unpublished manuscript of Margaret Mitchell's.
• 
  Jennifer

  Not too long ago the world had thought that Margaret Mitchell had only 1 story to tell. With the discovery of Henry Love Angel's cache of her letters, pictures and two notebooks we have been given insight into a period of Margaret's life that would shape her future. This book is a collection of those very items.
  
  The letters and pictures have provided us an insight into "Peg's" style, attitude, candor, and writing. The notebooks ended up being a delightful little story called "Lost Laysen" which also contains many similarities to her masterpiece "Gone with the Wind".
  
  Being a huge "GWTW" fan, this was a must read for me and I enjoyed every page. It is sad to think that this story is all that remains of the many that she probably wrote before her one novel, yet it is an enjoyable read from her at the young age of 16. We can only imagine what other tales she had to tell . . .
• 
  Gina

  I have only read the story part of this book for now; I may read the introduction and preface at another time.
  
  While not as epic or fleshed out as Gone with the Wind, this was a nice little tale, if tragic. It could have used more historical context and, if we were meant to be heartbroken by the loss of the island, more time on the island, with its people, learning its history. The plot can be a little convoluted at times, as per usual when a natural disaster pops up in a story, but as a simple tale of a man who loves a woman and loses her, it is touching enough to draw some sorrow.
  
  And who knows, with a little more attention from Ms. Mitchell, maybe Courtenay Ross could have been the next Scarlett O'Hara. But don't tell her I said that.
• 
  Diane Lynn

  Margaret Mitchell wrote this novella when she was all of 15 years old. It tells of a romance set on an island in the South Pacific. The story is really only half of the book, the other half being pictures and letters written by MM to Henry Love Angel. He was one of many young men in her life, and the one she gave "Lost Laysen" to. Angel's son turned all the papers and photographs over to a museum in Atlanta and this book is the result. I enjoyed the story as well as the peek into Atlanta of the early 1920's.
• 
  Lindsay

  I, like other reviewers found the biographical part about Margaret Mitchell much more interesting than the actual short story. The story itself wasn't awful but it isn't that interesting and the characters quite undeveloped, even for a short story. But it is interesting to see that famous authors start somewhere, just like everyone else.
• 
  Heather Lu

  It's no "Gone with the Wind," but it's still good. For a four chapter short story.
• 
  Susan Liston

  I've had this book for ages and ages and never read it for some reason. Half of it is a little bio of Margaret with lots of cute pictures...then the story she wrote when she was 15. Short and written by a 15 year old, albeit a talented 15 year old...85 years ago, so take it with a big grain of salt and it's entertaining.
• 
  Harry Neil

  Reading this reminded me of reading Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman". Not that the stories are similar, but both are almost-lost early works by authors who later produced single monumental novels.
  
  "Lost Laysen" is a brief work, a short story, really. It suffers from the habit that plagues almost all new writers: the urge to use bigger words than necessary. But it has merits. Mitchell shows, at 15, an appreciation of the human heart that I know I did not have, at that age. She is already aware of certain useful literary devices, such as using a narrator.
  
  The plot is simple but absorbing, and it's told well. There is no hint of the greatness to come in Mitchell's incredible "Gone With the Wind," another similarity to "Watchman."
  
  This is not a "must read," but it's worth the hour it takes, if only for the chance to glimpse a storied author before greatness struck.
• 
  Taneil Linschied

  Lost Laysen is the only other known book by Margaret Mitchell. This copy actually is mostly about Margaret's relationship with Henry Love Angel, one of her many suitors, and one she did NOT marry. The biography part of the book was very annoying. Margaret was, personally, not a person I would want to be friends with, and then, she didn't even marry Henry Angel in the end, she married two other guys (Not at the same time, mind!) and then she died. The really sad thing was that Henry stayed faithful almost clear up to the end. He asked Margaret to marry him several times, and each time she said no. Arrg!
  
  The actual story was very interesting. I liked this book, except for the fact that there was definitely a lot of language, and it was rather violent. The end is very sad, yet somewhat noble.
• 
  Michelle

  Basically, I am giving 5 stars to the memory of Margaret Mitchell, not so much this novella. This is the literary equivalent of marshmallow whip, but it was so fun to compare this with
  Gone With the Wind. The biographical info and photos that take up almost half of this book's pages make it all the more worth it.
• 
  Marnae

  I have loved "Gone With the Wind" for years. It has always been thought that Margaret Mitchell only wrote one book before she was killed. Recently a manuscript to this book and some pictures of her and some friends were found. She wrote this book when she was 16 years old and given to a boyfriend who kept them even after she married someone else. It is a very short, quick read.
• 
  Diana

  Il racconto è carino ma non eccelso, cosa comprensibile visto che deve averlo scritto da giovanissima.
  Le tre stelline se le guadagna tutte l'introduzione dove si trovano una raccolta di lettere tra Peggy (Margareth Mitchell) ed un suo spasimante, alcune foto dei suoi mitici anni ruggenti e molti dettagli riguardanti la sua affascinante vita negli anni venti!
  Merita davvero solo per questo.
• 
  Nainika Gupta

  Full disclosure, I haven't yet read Gone With the Wind
  It's on my TBR....wait ok NOW it is :)
  But, this was a really cool glimpse into a side of Margaret Mitchell that I didn't know existed. She loved this man...or more accurately he loved her, and even though they weren't super open about their relationship, this story ... I could feel her love for him.
  
• 
  Monique

  Beautiful little story. Written by a 15 year old Margret Mitchell and, together with Gone by the Wind, the only novel left of her. It hurts to know that so many of her beautiful stories were destroyed.
• 
  rinabeana

  Published in 1996, this is a rare surviving manuscript of Margaret Mitchell's, which she gave to her friend Henry Love Angel. It was a quick read and quite entertaining.
• 
  Jennifer

  such an amazing story how this book was even found. And for Margaret Mitchell fans, it's so fantastic to find another work by MM.
• 
  Micol

  If you love Margaret Mitchell and Gone With The Wind then this will interest you. It has nothing to do with GWTW, but it does tell you a lot about Margaret Mitchell that is worth knowing.