Are we thinking of the same book?

I made it most of the way through this Times article about plans to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Gone With the Wind, but I had to stop when one of the devoted fans described the novel's setting as "a precious time to enjoy being a lady".

Sure, this is a book about war, slavery, poverty, gold-digging, and nearly dying in childbirth... but, hey, it also features coquettishly twirled parasols!