"In a lot of ways, The Thorn Birds is like Gone With the Wind, except that when the bygone era of The Thorn Birds passes, it's not with this over-reaching sense of melodrama, but with an acceptance because that's what all life does eventually. Actually, it's not really like GWTW at all, except that there is family drama and a conflicted, all-encompassing love story. But I'm pretty sure Meggie would avoid Scarlett like the plague."