A reader: “You’re thinking of the film. In the book, all married couples share a bed: Scarlett knows her parents do, but is still

shocked when her first husband shows up blushing in a nightshirt. She

and Rhett originally share a bedroom, and only take separate bedrooms as the marriage begins to fall apart. Atlanta is scandalized by the separate bedrooms, and Scarlett herself begins to regret it when there is no longer anyone to comfort her after her recurring nightmares.”

I am frequently dismayed by my poor fiction memory. I read novels; I enjoy them; I forget them. Does anyone share this affliction? I can remember reading GWTW circa 1985 and thinking how much better it was than I had supposed; but it’s the movie that lingers.

Rick Brookhiser is the opposite case. As well as being one of the best-read people I know (chief contender — Roger Kimball), he REMEMBERS EVERY WORD.