Call number
FIC LIV
Collection
Genres
Publication
Harper Perennial (2012), Edition: Reprint, 480 pages
Description
Overcoming a life of hardship and loneliness, Gemma Hardy, a brilliant and determined young woman, accepts a position as an au pair on the remote Orkney Islands where she faces her biggest challenge yet.
Media reviews
But like a production of “Twelfth Night” where all the characters are played as cowboys or Prohibition-era gangsters, “Gemma Hardy” left me wondering why “Jane Eyre” needs to be resettled in the late 1950s. Livesey makes little of the contrast between the two tales or even the contrast
....When an author dons the mantle of a classic, it’s not unreasonable to expect her to reanimate it in some significant way. There’s nothing jarring or silly about this homage (for that, see Sherri Browning Erwin’s “Jane Slayre” with a werewolf bride in the attic), but for all of Livesey’s intelligent and graceful storytelling, she keeps Gemma Hardy’s flight too close to the ground.
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between the two eras. Indeed, Gemma’s life in these small, remote towns seems so much closer to the early 19th century than the mid-20th that I was always startled when an automobile intruded on the scene.
....When an author dons the mantle of a classic, it’s not unreasonable to expect her to reanimate it in some significant way. There’s nothing jarring or silly about this homage (for that, see Sherri Browning Erwin’s “Jane Slayre” with a werewolf bride in the attic), but for all of Livesey’s intelligent and graceful storytelling, she keeps Gemma Hardy’s flight too close to the ground.
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Library Journal
"This original slant on a classic story line captures the reader's interest and sustains it to the end. Fans of modern interpretations of the classics will particularly enjoy."
. “The Flight of Gemma Hardy,” Livesey’s appealing new novel, is, as she has explained, a kind of continued conversation, a “recasting” of both “Jane Eyre” and Livesey’s own childhood. Set mostly in Scotland in the late 1950s and ’60s, the narrative follows the fortunes of a young
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girl, Gemma Hardy, who is beset by bad luck. ...Livesey is a lovely, fluid writer. There’s much pleasure to be had in her descriptions of neolithic sites in Orkney and, most of all, her abiding affinity for the natural world: “the limpet’s frill of muscle” found while the young Gemma pulls shells off the rocks in a windswept cove, the “gleaming scar” on a beech tree that has lost the branch where a rope swing once hung, the experience of “retrieving two warm eggs from a drowsy red hen.”
It isn’t, however, until the final third of the novel, when Gemma, risking her own life, is forced to leave what she loves and act independently, that “The Flight of Gemma Hardy” becomes its most satisfying self. Show Less
How do you recast a classic? Follow Margot Livesey's lead in The Flight of Gemma Hardy, a riveting retelling of Jane Eyre that puts the familiar feminist heroine in the pre-feminist world of early 1960s Scotland. The result is distinct and even daring — and far from derivative.
It's a tricky
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prospect, paying (nearly) modern homage to a piece of literature that was done so right the first time, but from the first few pages, Flight soars on its own writerly wings. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cariola
(If you've never read Jane Eyre and might want to some day, you should probably skip this review as it may have some plot spoilers.) I really wanted to like this book. But while I admire Livesey's style, I was quite disappointed in the overall story. The novel's publishers describe it as a
OK, STOP IT ALREADY!!!! I'm sure you get the picture. In the final section, Livesey finally starts to write a story of her own. But as others have pointed out, Gemma becomes extremely unlikeable at this point. She decides to seek out any living relatives of her dead parents--in Iceland, her father's home country, the place where they lived as a family for a few short years. (Let me interject here that when Andrew asked, "Would you go to Iceland with me as my wife?", Gemma was so eager to get there that she said yes without hearing the last three words . . . ) Since she won't, after stringing him and everyone else along for weeks, marry Andrew (she's still in love with Mr. Sinclair, who really seemed to me to have no personality at all), how will she get to Iceland? Easy: she steals from the kindly grandmother who has hired her to help watch their grandson while she visits her hospitalized and obviously dying husband! Oh, but Gemma leaves a note of apology in the drawer where the money had been, promising to pay it back when she can. Nice girl. And of course, Iceland is perfect. Everybody knows everybody, and everybody loves everybody else. So it doesn't take long for Gemma, now called Fjola, to find her aunt and cousin. As she says goodbye to Iceland, she hears a voice calling to her over the ocean. Of course, it is Mr. Sinclair (tick). And here we go again.
I did like Livesey's writing style and will probably look for more of her novels. But this one, as you can see, was a real disappointment.
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"modern-day Jane Eyre," and therein, for me, lies the problem. I rather enjoy spinoffs or re-visions of classic novels if the writer is both true to the feel of the original and creates something believable but new. Here, however, Livesey sticks too close to Bronte. Instead of becoming engrossed in the novel, I felt like I was ticking off a series of similarities between the two. Gemma has a hateful aunt and three hateful cousins (tick). Gemma is blamed for a fight her cousin started and gets locked into "the sewing room" (tick) where she has some kind of cryptic vision that sets her into hysterics (tick). There's a kindly servant who tries to comfort Gemma (tick). The doctor recommends that Gemma be sent to boarding school as a "working student" (tick) where she makes friends with a sickly girl who later dies in Gemma's arms (tick). The cruel owner/headmistress extends a little kindness (tick) when she finally leaves for a new job as governess (tick) to an eight-year old girl (tick) in a remote, gloomy location (tick). She befriends the housekeeper, who seems to keep some secrets about the mysterious owner, Mr. Sinclair (tick). Her brother, a taciturn and creepy farmer, keeps hinting that he knows some secrets and that something untoward happened to the love of his life, little Nell's mother (tick--he's the Grace Poole character). Mr. Sinclair, a rather brooding, older man, appears to have the hots for a lovely socialite named Coco (tick), but he discovers an affinity with Gemma (tick) which leads to a proposal (tick). When his big secret (which isn't as awful as Mr. Rochester's) is revealed at the church on their wedding day (tick), Gemma flees (tick). She collapses by the side of the road in a strange town but is rescued by a scholarly young man (tick) who takes her to his sister's home where she and her girlfriend nurse her back to health (tick). The brother later assumes that Gemma has accepted his proposal; he doesn't love her but figures they can study Latin together (tick).OK, STOP IT ALREADY!!!! I'm sure you get the picture. In the final section, Livesey finally starts to write a story of her own. But as others have pointed out, Gemma becomes extremely unlikeable at this point. She decides to seek out any living relatives of her dead parents--in Iceland, her father's home country, the place where they lived as a family for a few short years. (Let me interject here that when Andrew asked, "Would you go to Iceland with me as my wife?", Gemma was so eager to get there that she said yes without hearing the last three words . . . ) Since she won't, after stringing him and everyone else along for weeks, marry Andrew (she's still in love with Mr. Sinclair, who really seemed to me to have no personality at all), how will she get to Iceland? Easy: she steals from the kindly grandmother who has hired her to help watch their grandson while she visits her hospitalized and obviously dying husband! Oh, but Gemma leaves a note of apology in the drawer where the money had been, promising to pay it back when she can. Nice girl. And of course, Iceland is perfect. Everybody knows everybody, and everybody loves everybody else. So it doesn't take long for Gemma, now called Fjola, to find her aunt and cousin. As she says goodbye to Iceland, she hears a voice calling to her over the ocean. Of course, it is Mr. Sinclair (tick). And here we go again.
I did like Livesey's writing style and will probably look for more of her novels. But this one, as you can see, was a real disappointment.
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LibraryThing member lycomayflower
(For the most part, if you know the plot of Jane Eyre, you know the plot of The Flight of Gemma Hardy, but I get a bit spoilery in my fourth paragraph for events specific to Gemma Hardy. The whole review will completely spoil Jane Eyre for you if you do not know it.)
I'm afraid that this retelling
Jane's transition to Gemma encounters other obstacles as well. Mr Sinclair, the employer with whom Gemma falls in love, contains none of the mysteriousness of Mr Rochester, none of the sense of danger and intrigue wrapped up in enigmatic moods and veiled personal history. Blackbird Hall and the Orkney islands do not ooze with atmosphere and gloom as Thornfield Hall and the moors do. Mr Sinclair's secret is not terribly damning, and while it is believable that its revelation would make Gemma think twice about marrying him, her flight from him comes over as foolish and over-dramatic; Jane's flight from Mr Rochester and his attempt to commit bigotry through deceit (and the subsequent effect Jane may well have thought this would have on her soul) seems almost rational in comparison. This difficulty with suspension of disbelief is not helped by the fact that Gemma and Sinclair's love for one another reads like a result of the novel's paralleling Jane Eyre rather than a natural development springing from these characters themselves.
In fact, much of The Flight of Gemma Hardy appears to exist because it must do so in order to stay true to the source to which it is indebted. Reading the novel was a bit like going down a Jane Eyre plot point checklist. Confrontation with bratty older cousin? Check. Locked in a frightening room? Check. Sent off to a miserable boarding school? Check. Make friends with a doomed pupil? Check. Get job teaching the ward of a rich, absentee landowner? Check. Unwittingly help employer on the road when he returns unexpectedly? Check. And so on. While Livesey does infuse her telling with new elements, while she does, in many ways, make the story her own, her changes and updates to the tale often feel uninspired; they rarely made me think about Jane Eyre in new ways or provided much insight into how the story of a girl growing up with this particular set of disadvantages changed in one hundred years. I thought for a while that perhaps that sense of things not having changed much was the point of the novel, but if so the illustration of that fact falls flat. Having dismissed that notion, I considered the possibility that the novel was meant to illustrate how Jane Eyre, when looked at from a distance, becomes rather silly, how it might have seemed so to its contemporary readers, just as some of its plot elements seem unbelievable when placed in a (roughly) contemporary setting today. But, no, the book does not suggest to me, in its enfolding, in it careful retracing of the plot of Jane Eyre, any sort of critique of the original novel.
Except, perhaps, in the end. Finally, finally, in the last fifty-or-so pages, The Flight of Gemma Hardy departs from its strict adherence to the plot of Jane Eyre. Upon discovering that she may have family on her father's side still living, and in the aftermath of refusing a perhaps practical but certainly passionless proposal of marriage, Gemma (unlike Jane) goes in search of that family. And here are some of my favorite parts of the book. Gemma finds living relatives in Iceland and learns (as Jane does not), a fair amount about her childhood before coming to live with her aunt and uncle, about her family, about, as a result, herself. And Mr Sinclair comes to find her, rather than her going back to him. And they do not get married (though there's a strong intimation that they will, once Gemma comes to understand herself a little better). This is the sort of thing I was hoping the whole book would do--put a spin on the familiar story, show how Jane Eyre would be if she'd been born in the aftermath of World War II. And in some ways I suppose it does do that, but I never really felt that the novel was fully reimagining the original story.
I did so want to love The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite novels, and I thought a retelling of it had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Livesey doesn't quite tap into that potential--I spent much of the novel wishing she (or someone) had reimagined Jane Eyre in its original setting, taking up the story from some crucial point in the original and exploring what might have happened if Jane had made different choices. Alas. But I do give made props to Livesey for trying, and on the strength of her prose, I will be looking out for some of her previous novels.
I'm afraid that this retelling
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of Jane Eyre just doesn't quite work. Livesey's sentence-level writing is clean and impressive, and she has a knack for writing the kind of crisp prose that can effortlessly pull a reader along. And taken alone, Gemma's story serves as a decent character study. The problem is that Gemma's story cannot be taken alone. This is Jane Eyre, moved to Scotland in the 50s and 60s, and given some minor make-overs to make the plot plausible in the mid-twentieth century (Gemma's employer with whom she falls in love has a secret, but it does not involve a mad women stashed away in an attic--who would believe such a thing of a businessman in the late sixties? Or if one did believe it, the whole thing could not help to be a great deal more inescapably, irrevocably dark and sinister.) But transplanted to a world that is familiar to the modern reader, much of the plot of Jane Eyre becomes incredible. It is hard to imagine an aunt suddenly treating her niece as less than a servant among automobiles, telephones, jumpers, and boyhood dreams of playing soccer for England. It is difficult to see how a school could treat its pupils so poorly in days so close to our own. It is entirely possible that such things might have happened in this setting (the nineteenth century did not have a monopoly on cruelty, after all), but fiction does not hinge on what might be possible in the real world, but on what has been made to seem possible on the page. And Livesey fails to overcome her source material in making these Gothic-infused plot elements seem possible in the pages of her fictional world. Jane's transition to Gemma encounters other obstacles as well. Mr Sinclair, the employer with whom Gemma falls in love, contains none of the mysteriousness of Mr Rochester, none of the sense of danger and intrigue wrapped up in enigmatic moods and veiled personal history. Blackbird Hall and the Orkney islands do not ooze with atmosphere and gloom as Thornfield Hall and the moors do. Mr Sinclair's secret is not terribly damning, and while it is believable that its revelation would make Gemma think twice about marrying him, her flight from him comes over as foolish and over-dramatic; Jane's flight from Mr Rochester and his attempt to commit bigotry through deceit (and the subsequent effect Jane may well have thought this would have on her soul) seems almost rational in comparison. This difficulty with suspension of disbelief is not helped by the fact that Gemma and Sinclair's love for one another reads like a result of the novel's paralleling Jane Eyre rather than a natural development springing from these characters themselves.
In fact, much of The Flight of Gemma Hardy appears to exist because it must do so in order to stay true to the source to which it is indebted. Reading the novel was a bit like going down a Jane Eyre plot point checklist. Confrontation with bratty older cousin? Check. Locked in a frightening room? Check. Sent off to a miserable boarding school? Check. Make friends with a doomed pupil? Check. Get job teaching the ward of a rich, absentee landowner? Check. Unwittingly help employer on the road when he returns unexpectedly? Check. And so on. While Livesey does infuse her telling with new elements, while she does, in many ways, make the story her own, her changes and updates to the tale often feel uninspired; they rarely made me think about Jane Eyre in new ways or provided much insight into how the story of a girl growing up with this particular set of disadvantages changed in one hundred years. I thought for a while that perhaps that sense of things not having changed much was the point of the novel, but if so the illustration of that fact falls flat. Having dismissed that notion, I considered the possibility that the novel was meant to illustrate how Jane Eyre, when looked at from a distance, becomes rather silly, how it might have seemed so to its contemporary readers, just as some of its plot elements seem unbelievable when placed in a (roughly) contemporary setting today. But, no, the book does not suggest to me, in its enfolding, in it careful retracing of the plot of Jane Eyre, any sort of critique of the original novel.
Except, perhaps, in the end. Finally, finally, in the last fifty-or-so pages, The Flight of Gemma Hardy departs from its strict adherence to the plot of Jane Eyre. Upon discovering that she may have family on her father's side still living, and in the aftermath of refusing a perhaps practical but certainly passionless proposal of marriage, Gemma (unlike Jane) goes in search of that family. And here are some of my favorite parts of the book. Gemma finds living relatives in Iceland and learns (as Jane does not), a fair amount about her childhood before coming to live with her aunt and uncle, about her family, about, as a result, herself. And Mr Sinclair comes to find her, rather than her going back to him. And they do not get married (though there's a strong intimation that they will, once Gemma comes to understand herself a little better). This is the sort of thing I was hoping the whole book would do--put a spin on the familiar story, show how Jane Eyre would be if she'd been born in the aftermath of World War II. And in some ways I suppose it does do that, but I never really felt that the novel was fully reimagining the original story.
I did so want to love The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite novels, and I thought a retelling of it had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Livesey doesn't quite tap into that potential--I spent much of the novel wishing she (or someone) had reimagined Jane Eyre in its original setting, taking up the story from some crucial point in the original and exploring what might have happened if Jane had made different choices. Alas. But I do give made props to Livesey for trying, and on the strength of her prose, I will be looking out for some of her previous novels.
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LibraryThing member ijustgetbored
Want an unimaginative rewrite of Jane Eyre with none of the charm and no added freshness? Then this is your book. Livesey pretty much literally rewrites Bronte's book-- in a very rote fashion. If you know Eyre, then you know the plot of this book, point for point; there are no surprises. This was
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particularly disappointing to me in that it's set in 1950s-60s Scotland; one would think that Livesey would have seized on the opportunity to work in aspects of a rapidly changing culture, but this hardly seems to touch her characters at all: they could be living in any time period (well, one that has electricity and running water). There's simply nothing inventive here when the possibilites to have done something really creative were so manifold; it feels like a real waste of an idea. Add to that the fact that Gemma isn't particularly likeable herself, and there's very little little, apart from an accomplished writing style, to rescue this novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member easefulreader
This got terrific reviews and I could hardly wait to read it: a contemporary reworking of "Jane Eyre" told by a master novelist. What could be better? Well, I wanted to like this, I really did. But by tale's end I had thoroughly lost patience with Gemma/Jane and wanted to shake her. The early
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chapters were almost as compelling as the Bronte original, the orphan cousin resented, neglected, and finally abused by her dead uncle's wife and children, sent off to a terrible boarding school, and finally taking steps to make it on her own providing childcare to a needy and neglected child called Nell. I didn't have as much trouble with Gemma running off leaving 'Mr. Sinclair' as I did her leaving Nell. Get a grip, girl! I did like the setting, in Scotland and then Iceland. Interesting. It's just hard to mess with a beloved classic: how could it ever measure up, truly? Show Less
LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
In retrospect I probably shouldn't have re-read Jane Eyre so close to my reading of The Flight of Gemma Hardy. I think I would've enjoyed the latter much more if it had been further in proximity from the former.
Ms. Livesey can write, and I'm definitely curious about trying some of her other books,
The characters are, of course, based on the original yet they seem more muted somehow - drained of the passion and dramatic turmoil and melodrama that make Jane Eyre fun. All of this changes in the last third of the book when Gemma Hardy finally takes flight into her very own conclusion.
Read this, just not in close proximity with the original.
Ms. Livesey can write, and I'm definitely curious about trying some of her other books,
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but most of this book doesn't work as well for me. Rather than being a book based on and containing elements of Jane Eyre (like Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier), this book is based on and follows Jane Eyre too closely. It focuses the eye away from the new story and to a game of How Many Things from Jane Eyre Can You Recognize." It's very distracting and definitely detracts from what seems like a good story in the moments I could pay attention to it.The characters are, of course, based on the original yet they seem more muted somehow - drained of the passion and dramatic turmoil and melodrama that make Jane Eyre fun. All of this changes in the last third of the book when Gemma Hardy finally takes flight into her very own conclusion.
Read this, just not in close proximity with the original.
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LibraryThing member porch_reader
A retelling of one of my favorite books, Jane Eyre. Livesey does an excellent job telling the story of Gemma Hardy, an orphan who faces many hardships, but gradually finds her place in the world. The story is similar enough to Jane Eyre that it invoked happy memories of reading that book, but Gemma
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Hardy also stands on her own two feet. Nicely done! Show Less
LibraryThing member julie10reads
Overcoming a life of hardship and loneliness, Gemma Hardy, a brilliant and determined young woman, accepts a position as an au pair on the remote Orkney Islands where she faces her biggest challenge yet. Summary BPL
There should be a banner across the front of this book announcing: INSPIRED BY THE
I was unaware of this when I began reading but about a quarter of the way through, the part about Gemma’s hardships as a working girl at a boarding school and her sole friend there who suffered from serious asthma, I began to wonder what Ms Livesey was doing. Later, when Gemma becomes a nanny and falls for the attractive,mercurial owner of Blackbird Hall, I couldn’t put the book down—I had to throw it down! I mean, who re-writes Jane Eyre?! WHY re-write Jane Eyre?! Updating it to 1960s Scotland makes it read, in my opinion, little better than a Harlequin Romance.
Don’t know how to rate this one….
There should be a banner across the front of this book announcing: INSPIRED BY THE
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CLASSIC, JANE EYRE! Ms Livesey, in her acknowledgments, simply and briefly states: My literary debt is obvious. Hmm…. I was unaware of this when I began reading but about a quarter of the way through, the part about Gemma’s hardships as a working girl at a boarding school and her sole friend there who suffered from serious asthma, I began to wonder what Ms Livesey was doing. Later, when Gemma becomes a nanny and falls for the attractive,mercurial owner of Blackbird Hall, I couldn’t put the book down—I had to throw it down! I mean, who re-writes Jane Eyre?! WHY re-write Jane Eyre?! Updating it to 1960s Scotland makes it read, in my opinion, little better than a Harlequin Romance.
Don’t know how to rate this one….
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LibraryThing member bell7
Growing up an orphan in Scotland in the 1960s, Gemma Hardy is sent by her aunt to a rotten school, where this bright orphan holds her own until she gets a job as a governess for a young charge.
If you think that sounds awfully like Jane Eyre, you would be right - the author makes no bones about her
If you think that sounds awfully like Jane Eyre, you would be right - the author makes no bones about her
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literary debt, but modernizes and explores the tale in an interesting way. Even better, The Flight of Gemma Hardy stands well on its own as a good story, even if a reader is unfamiliar with the original classic. Gemma is determined and smart and holds her own, so I generally rooted for her even when I did not like her or some of her decisions. She's also self-absorbed and hypocritical, you see, expecting a lot more from others than she expects from herself. And because we're getting her first-person account of her life, we're seeing everyone else's actions through her biases. Though I don't like Gemma Hardy as much as its literary parent, there is enough meat to the story - themes of friendship and connection, for example, and the symbolism of islands and birds - to make readers have plenty to think and talk about after the last page is turned. Show Less
LibraryThing member Beamis12
I wanted to like this more than I did, and for more than the first half I did. Her writing is wonderful, her descriptions of the birds and scenery was wonderful. Parallels to Jane Eyre, especially in the beginning were certainly there, though the atmosphere was not quite as dark. She loses me when
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on the island Gemma, leaves Mr. Sinclair before marrying him, for a rather what I thought was really nothing, anyway I couldn't get over that, it made me not take the rest of the book as seriously as I would have. Show Less
LibraryThing member mckait
Nothing here that would force you to think to much, just a nice
and rich story about an orphan in dire straits and how she tried
to find her way in life.
The usual suspects were here.. the good and bad and the ugly
and the little girl who was just a little too judgmental for her own good.
She lives and
heart warming and heart rending by turn and I felt that the characters were wll
drawn and interesting.
Recommended for a nice afternoon in front of the fire.
and rich story about an orphan in dire straits and how she tried
to find her way in life.
The usual suspects were here.. the good and bad and the ugly
and the little girl who was just a little too judgmental for her own good.
She lives and
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learns and the story about her journey is worth reading. It is heart warming and heart rending by turn and I felt that the characters were wll
drawn and interesting.
Recommended for a nice afternoon in front of the fire.
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LibraryThing member jaaron
Very interesting and engrossing at first, when Gemma has to endure the hardships of living with her horrible aunt and cousins, and is sent to boarding school as a worker/student. A good read all the way through her journey to the Orkneys, where she works as an au pair. Book starts to fall apart
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when romantic plot kicks in. Gemma's reaction to news about her love interest is not at all proportionate to the news itself. Improves a bit, then spirals down to the most annoying resolution. Could barely read the ending. Completely changed my assessment of the book. The opposite trajectory of Eva Moves the Furniture, a much better book. Show Less
LibraryThing member gmcluckie
I read this because the heroine has my name -- Gemma -- and like me, was 10 years old in 1958. I'm not a devotee of Bronte so the failure to closely mimic the original was not an issue. I did at times get lost -- for instance, Gemma's school seemed to be Victorian not in the '50s to '60s era. But
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then, I remembered the recent case of the orphans in Ireland who were so badly treated. I was bothered by some loose ends -- why would Nell adjust so easily when Gemma leaves? Why was Gemma so overcome by Mr. Sinclair's secret? The others involved certainly didn't seem bothered until later tragedy changed their lives. Oh, well. Good read anyway. Show Less
LibraryThing member bearette24
This was a modern-day retelling of Jane Eyre, set in Scotland and Iceland. It lacked the beauty and power of the original, but it was interesting to see the characters and plot re-imagined.
LibraryThing member queencersei
The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a re-imaging of the classic novel Jane Eyre. Gemma is an orphan taken into the home of her doting uncle who's sudden death leaves her at the mercy of her unloving aunt and cruel cousin. Sent away to school, Gemma becomes a 'working student' who has to earn her keep at
I really wanted to like this book and give it a higher rating. However the novel had too many jarring moments for it to really come together. Mr. Sinclaire's secret was a huge let down. There is no mad women in the attic, no wife, no mistress, no illegitimate child. In fact the only thing childish in Mr. Sinclaire's revelation is Gemma's cold response and flight.
Gemma's behavior after leaving Mr. Sinclaire was also hugely disappointing. She immediately lies begins to lie about her name, presumably so that Mr. Sinclaire cannot find her. But this excuse quickly wears thin. Her behavior towards the people who saved and befriended her is appalling. She continues to lie about her past and then enters into a quasi engagement with a man who she does not love and knows does not love her. But instead of putting an immediate stop to this, she just lets things go on for a bit. Then in her quest to return to her birth home in Iceland and learn more about her past, she steals airfare money from her kindly employers. Jane Eyre's time in the wilderness served to finish rounding her out and matured her. With Gemma, it just makes her seem self-absorbed and unlikable.
Another issue is the time setting. The book beings in 1958 and closes towards the end of the 60's. This time of social upheaval is only given glancing acknowledgement with the closing of her school and a few trite phrases about who people no longer feel young girls should be pushed 'into service'. Otherwise the events of the 1960's pass by with no acknowledgement. Granted the story is set well outside of London, but Gemma's old-fashionedness seems jarring set against this backdrop. It would have made more sense to set the entire story in the 1950's.
While not a terrible re-imagining, The Flight of Gemma Hardy seems a hollow copy of its immortal predecessor.
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the age of ten. Despite being nearly friendless and extremely overworked, Gemma is a naturally intelligent, driven girl who manages to flourish despite her oppressive life. Upon the closing of her school Gemma accepts a position as an Au Pair in the Orkney Islands to teach a young girl, Nell, and it is there that she meets and falls in love with Nell's uncle, Hugh Sinclaire. Despite coming to love him fiercely, Gemma finally learns Mr. Sinclaire's secret, which causes her to flee him on their wedding day. Trials and tribulations follow until Gemma finally makes her way back to Mr. Sinclaire. I really wanted to like this book and give it a higher rating. However the novel had too many jarring moments for it to really come together. Mr. Sinclaire's secret was a huge let down. There is no mad women in the attic, no wife, no mistress, no illegitimate child. In fact the only thing childish in Mr. Sinclaire's revelation is Gemma's cold response and flight.
Gemma's behavior after leaving Mr. Sinclaire was also hugely disappointing. She immediately lies begins to lie about her name, presumably so that Mr. Sinclaire cannot find her. But this excuse quickly wears thin. Her behavior towards the people who saved and befriended her is appalling. She continues to lie about her past and then enters into a quasi engagement with a man who she does not love and knows does not love her. But instead of putting an immediate stop to this, she just lets things go on for a bit. Then in her quest to return to her birth home in Iceland and learn more about her past, she steals airfare money from her kindly employers. Jane Eyre's time in the wilderness served to finish rounding her out and matured her. With Gemma, it just makes her seem self-absorbed and unlikable.
Another issue is the time setting. The book beings in 1958 and closes towards the end of the 60's. This time of social upheaval is only given glancing acknowledgement with the closing of her school and a few trite phrases about who people no longer feel young girls should be pushed 'into service'. Otherwise the events of the 1960's pass by with no acknowledgement. Granted the story is set well outside of London, but Gemma's old-fashionedness seems jarring set against this backdrop. It would have made more sense to set the entire story in the 1950's.
While not a terrible re-imagining, The Flight of Gemma Hardy seems a hollow copy of its immortal predecessor.
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LibraryThing member bookmagic
I don't normally like books inspired by classics because I have read too many horrible Jane Austen knock-offs. But I was interested in reading a Jane Eyre inspired novel.
The story stays fairly true to the original, while not always in the plot, at least in the spirit. But I have to admit I'm a bit
Gemma is a strong girl, who once her uncle dies, is left to the cruelty of her aunt. Gemma becomes the help instead of part of the family. The family doctor feels for her and mentions a boarding school where she might be happier. Gemma is able to get a scholarship and is excited to go though her teacher states that scholarship girls are not treated well. But Gemma is determined to get out of her aunt's house.
The story takes place in the 1950's and 60's. Boarding schools like Gemma's go out of fashion and her's is shut down before she can graduate. She has to take a job and decides to become a nanny rather than work in a hotel.
Gemma takes a job at a remote island off the Scottish coast, as a nanny to Mr. Sinclair's niece. But like Mr. Rochester, he is rarely in residence.
Well, you know most of the rest. I will tell you there is no mad woman in the attic. The only weak point is the story used to replace that. I think it is a poor catalyst but the rest of the novel makes up for it.
Despite this being a modern variation of the classic, it still felt timeless as most of the story takes place in remote villages in Scotland and there are few references to remind the reader of the time period.
I really enjoyed this novel and appreciate the author's ability to update while keeping the spirit of the original story. You won't be disappointed.
my rating 4.5
The story stays fairly true to the original, while not always in the plot, at least in the spirit. But I have to admit I'm a bit
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rusty in remembering all of Eyre.Gemma is a strong girl, who once her uncle dies, is left to the cruelty of her aunt. Gemma becomes the help instead of part of the family. The family doctor feels for her and mentions a boarding school where she might be happier. Gemma is able to get a scholarship and is excited to go though her teacher states that scholarship girls are not treated well. But Gemma is determined to get out of her aunt's house.
The story takes place in the 1950's and 60's. Boarding schools like Gemma's go out of fashion and her's is shut down before she can graduate. She has to take a job and decides to become a nanny rather than work in a hotel.
Gemma takes a job at a remote island off the Scottish coast, as a nanny to Mr. Sinclair's niece. But like Mr. Rochester, he is rarely in residence.
Well, you know most of the rest. I will tell you there is no mad woman in the attic. The only weak point is the story used to replace that. I think it is a poor catalyst but the rest of the novel makes up for it.
Despite this being a modern variation of the classic, it still felt timeless as most of the story takes place in remote villages in Scotland and there are few references to remind the reader of the time period.
I really enjoyed this novel and appreciate the author's ability to update while keeping the spirit of the original story. You won't be disappointed.
my rating 4.5
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LibraryThing member ReviewsbyMolly
So. I've NEVER read Jane Eyre. I know, I know. What planet am I from to have NEVER read Bronte's novel? Surprisingly enough, I'm from here on planet Earth. I've been in the dark ages when it comes to some of Bronte's work, but no longer! I LOVED Jane Eyre. Bronte's work is splendid and captivating
Now, on to Margot Livesey's The Flight Of Gemma Hardy. A Jane Eyre retelling, definitely. Just a good as Ms. Bronte's skills, Ms. Livesey sweeps the reader into a world of greatness as she portrays life through the eyes of Gemma Hardy. Swept away once again, I had this book finished in less than 3 days. Gemma's story transformed me, as I took flight among the characters. Gemma and Sinclair are very much like Jane and Rochester. Like Eyre, Hardy was filled with emotions and twists that left in awe through out the story. After reading Eyre, it was hard to think that someone could create a story as wonderful as it, but Livesey has done it. Her skills are as masterful as Bronte's and I loved the portrayal of Gemma. Gemma is orphaned much like Jane was, but with Gemma, she spreads her wings, and takes flight in a whole new way. I loved it.
I don't want to spoil the story for everyone, so I won't go much further. Watching Gemma going from being an orphan to accepting her life and making friendships, really opened my eyes. I loved watching Gemma blossom and mature.
If you love Bronte's work, then this is no doubt a book that you will want to add to your collection. If you've never read Charlotte Bronte's work before, then take flight with Gemma Hardy and dive into the works of a wonderfully talented, incredibly skilled author. You'll love Ms. Livesey's work and make her book a part of your forever collection. I am now a fan of Ms. Livesey and I hope to see more modern day portrayals of famous novels from this masterful author!
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and swept me away instantly! As big as the novel is, I thought it would take me weeks to get it read. Nope. TWO days. I was that engrossed in the story. I stayed up until 2 or 3 am reading it, and before I knew it, I was finished. Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester, and even Eyre's crotchety old aunt are amazing characters! Each one was filled with complexity and blew me away! I could feel myself transform into Jane Eyre. I felt all her troubles and her emotions as if they were mine. P-O-W-E-R-F-U-L!!! I am going back and seeking out ALL of Ms. Bronte's work to add to my forever collection. Now, on to Margot Livesey's The Flight Of Gemma Hardy. A Jane Eyre retelling, definitely. Just a good as Ms. Bronte's skills, Ms. Livesey sweeps the reader into a world of greatness as she portrays life through the eyes of Gemma Hardy. Swept away once again, I had this book finished in less than 3 days. Gemma's story transformed me, as I took flight among the characters. Gemma and Sinclair are very much like Jane and Rochester. Like Eyre, Hardy was filled with emotions and twists that left in awe through out the story. After reading Eyre, it was hard to think that someone could create a story as wonderful as it, but Livesey has done it. Her skills are as masterful as Bronte's and I loved the portrayal of Gemma. Gemma is orphaned much like Jane was, but with Gemma, she spreads her wings, and takes flight in a whole new way. I loved it.
I don't want to spoil the story for everyone, so I won't go much further. Watching Gemma going from being an orphan to accepting her life and making friendships, really opened my eyes. I loved watching Gemma blossom and mature.
If you love Bronte's work, then this is no doubt a book that you will want to add to your collection. If you've never read Charlotte Bronte's work before, then take flight with Gemma Hardy and dive into the works of a wonderfully talented, incredibly skilled author. You'll love Ms. Livesey's work and make her book a part of your forever collection. I am now a fan of Ms. Livesey and I hope to see more modern day portrayals of famous novels from this masterful author!
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LibraryThing member booklove2
'The Flight of Gemma Hardy' is a retelling of Charlotte Bronte's eternal classic 'Jane Eyre', which I believe will live infinitely. In this reincarnation, Set in the Gemma Hardy is originally from Iceland, but moves to Scotland when her parents die. This isn't the only detail skewed from the
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original story. Gemma faces many challenges in life, often escaping many of them by running away or changing her circumstances. I'm not sure that one of my personal favorites had to rewritten. I think comparing Gemma to Jane can work for and against Margot Livesey's book. For: many more people will pick up a book because it is based off an old favorite. Against: Any pedestal is a bit too high, no matter how amazing the retelling may be, it may be diminished anyway. I feel like Gemma might be a bit snide and snarky (though eventually she does have some realizations about the way she thinks). Jane would stand up for herself when necessary, because no one else would. Maybe it's simply a change of the times. The theme just had more meaning in the 19th century: a woman being independent and fighting for herself, keeping with her integrity, even if it brings her suffering. But I think Gemma The original is so beloved to me. I think 'Jane Eyre' will be read until there aren't any people left to read it. The mood, the characters, the language... and to think it was one of the books I thought I would never be interested in enough to pick up. The only reason I read 'Jane Eyre' was because I knew it had something to do with Jasper Fforde's 'The Eyre Affair' (you know, being in the title and all.) Yet somehow 'Jane Eyre' became one of my favorites and I learned a lesson: you might love the books you might not even feel like reading. I'm now willing to read any of the older books still being re-published, since they have stood the test of time for a reason. (And really, I love reading older books for the writing style, so that helps too.) Out of anyone rewriting 'Jane Eyre', I think Margot Livesey is the most suited for it. But I think 'The Flight of Gemma Hardy' would have done well enough on its own. Show Less
LibraryThing member LauraT81
To start, I have mixed feelings about The Flight of Gemma Hardy. I do enjoy reading books inspired by classic literature, and Gemma Hardy is well written. However, to call this novel a homage to Jane Eyre is an understatement. It follows the plot of the classic almost to the letter with only a
*Spoiler *
no crazy wife hidden in the attic.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but the second half just ruined it for me and left me thinking, "What was the point in that?". I'm no expert, but I think a good 100 pages or so could have been cut from this novel to make it a better read.
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change to detail and a different time period, but with less passion and with *Spoiler *
no crazy wife hidden in the attic.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but the second half just ruined it for me and left me thinking, "What was the point in that?". I'm no expert, but I think a good 100 pages or so could have been cut from this novel to make it a better read.
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LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
Born an orphan, she soon begins to feel that everyone she loves soon dies and leaves her all alone. She has an awfully selfish aunt and cruel cousins, but the uncle who had taken her from Iceland to Scotland after both her parents died, was very loving and kind. Sadly, he soon dies as well.
Her
Gemma is young and her decisions are noteworthy for their immaturity and selfishness. She runs away, leaving her fiancé at the altar, ostensibly because she believes he lied to her. She then proceeds to leave the people who employ her in the lurch, disappears into the ether, and commits the sins for which she condemns others, in addition to some which may be judged far worse. We could explain away her impetuous behavior if it only happened once, but the pattern was repetitious. She should have learned from her mistakes, even at her young age, and she should have had more compassion for those she left behind. She was so lonely and sad most of her life, felt abandoned and lost, and yet, she abandoned others with alarming frequency. She never seems to face the consequences of her own mistakes head on, and therefore, she fails to anticipate them or to correct them. However, somehow serendipitously, things always seem to work out. Although there are hints of the supernatural and of spirits, this theme is not well developed.
By some, it has been called a sort of modern day Jane Eyre; I do not agree. The story of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", stayed with me for my entire life. In this book, I neither loved Gemma nor many of the other characters. I think the original was far better than the impersonator.
Her
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heritage is largely unknown to her and she yearns for a family and a home. She was only the tender age of 7 when she was ripped from her life in Iceland and moved far away to begin a new and, ultimately, dreadful life. After the death of her uncle, she is sent away to a school as a “working girl”. Her evil aunt has told the headmistress that she is ill behaved and a liar. She is none of those, but she is headstrong and self directed, willing to do what she must to survive and get what she wants out of life. Without those qualities, she would not have survived the ordeals she experienced.Gemma is young and her decisions are noteworthy for their immaturity and selfishness. She runs away, leaving her fiancé at the altar, ostensibly because she believes he lied to her. She then proceeds to leave the people who employ her in the lurch, disappears into the ether, and commits the sins for which she condemns others, in addition to some which may be judged far worse. We could explain away her impetuous behavior if it only happened once, but the pattern was repetitious. She should have learned from her mistakes, even at her young age, and she should have had more compassion for those she left behind. She was so lonely and sad most of her life, felt abandoned and lost, and yet, she abandoned others with alarming frequency. She never seems to face the consequences of her own mistakes head on, and therefore, she fails to anticipate them or to correct them. However, somehow serendipitously, things always seem to work out. Although there are hints of the supernatural and of spirits, this theme is not well developed.
By some, it has been called a sort of modern day Jane Eyre; I do not agree. The story of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", stayed with me for my entire life. In this book, I neither loved Gemma nor many of the other characters. I think the original was far better than the impersonator.
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LibraryThing member tvordj
Gemma Hardy is an orphan brought up in a house with a cold, resentful aunt and older cousins who treat her like the poor relation she is. Her father was Icelandic and mother Scottish. Her recently deceased uncle was kind to her but now he's gone, she's been pushed aside totally. Her aunt takes
Gemma is feisty and unafraid to stand up for herself despite her young age. She wants to know who she is and where she comes from but trying to find a way seems to land her in situations sometimes beyond her control and that's often what sends her on yet another flight. She's spent most of her life friendless and feeling unwanted, groundless and floundering but is determined as well. She's not a weak simpering tragic heroine like Jane Eyre though there are some elements in the book that remind me of that classic. The book takes place mainly between the late 50s and late 60s in Scotland with a sojourn in Iceland to find out more about her past. I liked the book, I liked Gemma though I could probably have done without the cliched happy ending. It would have been better without a romance sub plot i think.
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advantage of a suggestion that she be sent away to school and she's enrolled as a working student at a school where she's treated like a servant. She makes one friend but, much like Jane Eyre, that friend dies of an illness. Gemma grows up and later takes flight, over and over again, from one situation to another, flight from somewhere or someone, always looking for her past. Gemma is feisty and unafraid to stand up for herself despite her young age. She wants to know who she is and where she comes from but trying to find a way seems to land her in situations sometimes beyond her control and that's often what sends her on yet another flight. She's spent most of her life friendless and feeling unwanted, groundless and floundering but is determined as well. She's not a weak simpering tragic heroine like Jane Eyre though there are some elements in the book that remind me of that classic. The book takes place mainly between the late 50s and late 60s in Scotland with a sojourn in Iceland to find out more about her past. I liked the book, I liked Gemma though I could probably have done without the cliched happy ending. It would have been better without a romance sub plot i think.
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LibraryThing member brainella
Wow. I think that was one if the dullest books I've ever read. And as dull books go, it was way too long.
LibraryThing member alexann
It's been long enough since my reading of Jane Eyre that I drew few comparisons of The Flight of Gemma Hardy to that acclaimed work, as many of its other reviewers have done. To me, it was the fairly enchanting story of a little girl from Iceland, raised on the sea by her parents they both died,
Livesey's writing is wonderful! Her descriptions of the land are especially lush. As Gemma catches her first glimpse of Iceland when she returns as an adult, "Grey sea, black rocks, and occasional clumps of reddish weeds or shrubs filled my gaze. Of the city there was no sign. On the steps of the plane the wind lifted my hair. I breathed in the smell of hot engines and the perfume of the woman in front." Her characters also came to life for me. Gemma felt real to me, as did many of the people she met on her journeys.
Unfortunately the plot takes a ludicrous turn--it's just so unlikely that this could have really happened, especially in the way it's told. This took it from a 4.5 to a 3 star read for me!
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and her mother's English brother came to take her home with him. Gemma adored her uncle, but her life changed dramatically when he died. Her aunt and cousins had never cared for her, and soon were treating her rather like Cinderella. To get away from them, when Gemma was offered a scholarship at a girls' boarding school, she accepted it with glee, only to discover that "scholarship girls" were treated no better than servants at the school. When her time there was done (or, more accurately, the school closed) Gemma sought a position as a tutor or an au pair. And so her adventures continue. Livesey's writing is wonderful! Her descriptions of the land are especially lush. As Gemma catches her first glimpse of Iceland when she returns as an adult, "Grey sea, black rocks, and occasional clumps of reddish weeds or shrubs filled my gaze. Of the city there was no sign. On the steps of the plane the wind lifted my hair. I breathed in the smell of hot engines and the perfume of the woman in front." Her characters also came to life for me. Gemma felt real to me, as did many of the people she met on her journeys.
Unfortunately the plot takes a ludicrous turn--it's just so unlikely that this could have really happened, especially in the way it's told. This took it from a 4.5 to a 3 star read for me!
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LibraryThing member TheLostEntwife
The Flight of Gemma Hardy was a tricky book for me. I picked it up on a cool evening and settled in to escape into a 1960's Scotland, ready to revisit some of the same elements from Jane Eyre that make the classic a favorite - and within the first few pages I was hooked.
I devoured the story of
Then something happened - and I don't know if it is because it's tied to my least favorite part in Jane Eyre, or whether it was because the writing itself got confusing - but things started going downhill. I struggled to make the more modern connection of just why a marriage between Gemma and Hugh was bad, why there was such an issue with it all. Then came the more fanciful scenes with the running away of the main character and introduction of so many characters it made my head dizzy.
So as much as I enjoyed the first quarter of the book, the final half made my head hurt and every bit of enjoyment I had fled, unfortunately. As much as I was looking forward to a modern re-telling of the classic, there are just so many elements that wouldn't work in a modern-day setting that the result ends up jumbled and messy.
However, the reading was not a total bust- because I did truly love the first part of the book. It was fantastic, and the book is worth the read just for that part.
I devoured the story of
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Gemma as she struggled with her Aunt and cousins and was shipped off to a boarding school. I was hypnotized by the descriptions of school life, working life, and her struggles to find a place for herself. And about 1/4th of the way through the book I put it down to look at my sister and tell her, "This is a great book!"Then something happened - and I don't know if it is because it's tied to my least favorite part in Jane Eyre, or whether it was because the writing itself got confusing - but things started going downhill. I struggled to make the more modern connection of just why a marriage between Gemma and Hugh was bad, why there was such an issue with it all. Then came the more fanciful scenes with the running away of the main character and introduction of so many characters it made my head dizzy.
So as much as I enjoyed the first quarter of the book, the final half made my head hurt and every bit of enjoyment I had fled, unfortunately. As much as I was looking forward to a modern re-telling of the classic, there are just so many elements that wouldn't work in a modern-day setting that the result ends up jumbled and messy.
However, the reading was not a total bust- because I did truly love the first part of the book. It was fantastic, and the book is worth the read just for that part.
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LibraryThing member whitreidtan
I first read Jane Eyre when I was in elementary school. I even still have my copy of it from then, a mass market copy published by Scholastic. I have always loved the story so when I saw that Margot Livesey's novel The Flight of Gemma Hardy was a retelling of Jane Eyre, I was thrilled to get my
Opening with Gemma at her unwelcoming and unpleasant aunt's house, she soon leaves for a girls' boarding school where she is expected to work for her meager education. She has not felt love since her Scottish uncle died so her lonely existence at the school is nothing new for her. But when she makes a friend there, she gives her whole heart, grieving when she loses that friend and wondering what life has in store for her next. With the school closing down, she finds an au pair position at Blackbird Hall on the Orkney Islands working for the moody and yet enticing Mr. Sinclair. As Gemma tames and teaches his niece Nell, she finds herself falling for him as well and he for her until the revelation of his secret pushes her away causing her desperate flight from the Orkneys and Mr. Sinclair and everything he represents. It is only with her departure from Blackbird Hall that Gemma will mature beyond the girl she was and uncover the truth about her Icelandic roots and family. Gemma wants to be well regarded and well loved, a desire that drives the entire second half of the book, at which point the novel moves afield from Jane Eyre's plot and forges its own storyline.
This novel follows the story line from Jane Eyre extremely closely and Gemma and Jane are very clearly parallel characters so that anyone who has read and remembers Jane Eyre will not be surprised by the plot developments that befall Gemma. Those who have not read Jane Eyre will not be at a disadvantage though as no knowledge of that work is necessary to read and enjoy this one. The one disadvantage of the parallel plots is that Mr. Sinclair's "madwoman in the attic" is anemic in comparison with the original and although his secret is necessary to drive Gemma away, it is not so impressive, dramatic, or honestly so believable as the cause of such a great rupture with a young woman who has been so starved for love. Yes, this is a novel about the search for love but not simply of the romantic variety. It is a search for belonging and home and the love that family and friends offer. It is a more modern set coming of age novel draped on the plot of the much loved Jane Eyre. And it works that way. The writing flows smoothly, beautifully and even for a reader like me who knew what was round the bend, it was still enjoyable rounding those bends.
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hands on it.Opening with Gemma at her unwelcoming and unpleasant aunt's house, she soon leaves for a girls' boarding school where she is expected to work for her meager education. She has not felt love since her Scottish uncle died so her lonely existence at the school is nothing new for her. But when she makes a friend there, she gives her whole heart, grieving when she loses that friend and wondering what life has in store for her next. With the school closing down, she finds an au pair position at Blackbird Hall on the Orkney Islands working for the moody and yet enticing Mr. Sinclair. As Gemma tames and teaches his niece Nell, she finds herself falling for him as well and he for her until the revelation of his secret pushes her away causing her desperate flight from the Orkneys and Mr. Sinclair and everything he represents. It is only with her departure from Blackbird Hall that Gemma will mature beyond the girl she was and uncover the truth about her Icelandic roots and family. Gemma wants to be well regarded and well loved, a desire that drives the entire second half of the book, at which point the novel moves afield from Jane Eyre's plot and forges its own storyline.
This novel follows the story line from Jane Eyre extremely closely and Gemma and Jane are very clearly parallel characters so that anyone who has read and remembers Jane Eyre will not be surprised by the plot developments that befall Gemma. Those who have not read Jane Eyre will not be at a disadvantage though as no knowledge of that work is necessary to read and enjoy this one. The one disadvantage of the parallel plots is that Mr. Sinclair's "madwoman in the attic" is anemic in comparison with the original and although his secret is necessary to drive Gemma away, it is not so impressive, dramatic, or honestly so believable as the cause of such a great rupture with a young woman who has been so starved for love. Yes, this is a novel about the search for love but not simply of the romantic variety. It is a search for belonging and home and the love that family and friends offer. It is a more modern set coming of age novel draped on the plot of the much loved Jane Eyre. And it works that way. The writing flows smoothly, beautifully and even for a reader like me who knew what was round the bend, it was still enjoyable rounding those bends.
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LibraryThing member bookchickdi
I first read Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre a few months ago on my Kindle while on the treadmill. I can't believe I had never read it, but better late than never, right? I loved it, and so when I heard that there was a retelling of Jane Eyre titled The Flight of Gemma Hardy, I was excited to read
The story's setting has been moved to Scotland and Iceland in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Gemma is an orphan, whose mother's brother and family took her in when she was a young child after her father died. Her mother died when Gemma was just a toddler.
Gemma's uncle, a minister, loved her and treated her well, but when he died in a tragic accident, his family began to treat Gemma badly. Her aunt and three cousins treated her worse than a servant, because according to them, Gemma was freeloader who contributed nothing to the household.
When Gemma was ten, her evil aunt sent her to a boarding school. It was hard to believe, but school was worse than living with her cruel aunt and cousins. The students beat and stole from her. The head of the school humiliated her in front of everyone. She was a 'scholarship' student, so she earned her keep by working like a dog.
She had only one friend, and studied hard, hoping someday to get a job as a teacher and return to her homeland of Iceland and find her real family. When the school is forced to close, Gemma takes the only job she can get as a tutor for a young girl on an estate on the Orkney Islands in Scotland, owned by the wealthy and mysterious Mr. Sinclair.
So the first part of the novel hews very closely to Jane Eyre; if you read that book, you pretty much knew everything that was going to happen. This puzzled me somewhat, thinking that it isn't difficult to take the plot of a long beloved classic and make a few differences, updating it.
There is a big mystery in Jane Eyre, a big secret that Mr. Rochester kept from Jane that caused her to flee. Mr. Sinclair has a secret in this novel too, and this is where the author diverges from Miss Bronte's book and creates her own story.
Gemma falls in love with Mr. Sinclair, agrees to marry him, but when his secret is revealed, she runs away. I didn't truly understand why Gemma ran away, as Mr. Sinclair did not have a mad wife in the attic, but his dishonesty drove her away nonetheless.
Her troubles begin when she is robbed and has no money or place to go. She, like Jane, is rescued by a mystery man, the local postman. His sister and her friend take Gemma in, and after a while, Gemma feels like she belongs.
She finds a job as a tutor for a young boy, and comes to care for the boy and his family. While Gemma feels that she has found her place in life, she still feels insecure, like it could all be taken away from her in a moment. She longs to go home to Iceland.
Gemma makes a few bad decisions, but ends up discovering her parents' family in Iceland. This part of the book really tugged at me, and the setting in Iceland added a unique aspect to the book. I have never read anything set in Iceland, and it made me curious to learn more about it.
I liked the second half of the book better than the first; Livesey creatively uses the Jane Eyre template to build a new story, with a scrappy young heroine who appeals to the reader. I fell in love with the people of Aberfeldy, the town in which Gemma ends up. And Gemma's reunion with her family is so touching. The ending is familiar to readers of Jane Eyre; how could it be any other?
I loved the unique setting of Scotland and Iceland, although it seemed that the time of the 1950s and '60s was less relevant to the story. The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a terrific companion read to Jane Eyre, and Gemma is a worthy successor to the great 19th century heroines in literature.
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it.The story's setting has been moved to Scotland and Iceland in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Gemma is an orphan, whose mother's brother and family took her in when she was a young child after her father died. Her mother died when Gemma was just a toddler.
Gemma's uncle, a minister, loved her and treated her well, but when he died in a tragic accident, his family began to treat Gemma badly. Her aunt and three cousins treated her worse than a servant, because according to them, Gemma was freeloader who contributed nothing to the household.
When Gemma was ten, her evil aunt sent her to a boarding school. It was hard to believe, but school was worse than living with her cruel aunt and cousins. The students beat and stole from her. The head of the school humiliated her in front of everyone. She was a 'scholarship' student, so she earned her keep by working like a dog.
She had only one friend, and studied hard, hoping someday to get a job as a teacher and return to her homeland of Iceland and find her real family. When the school is forced to close, Gemma takes the only job she can get as a tutor for a young girl on an estate on the Orkney Islands in Scotland, owned by the wealthy and mysterious Mr. Sinclair.
So the first part of the novel hews very closely to Jane Eyre; if you read that book, you pretty much knew everything that was going to happen. This puzzled me somewhat, thinking that it isn't difficult to take the plot of a long beloved classic and make a few differences, updating it.
There is a big mystery in Jane Eyre, a big secret that Mr. Rochester kept from Jane that caused her to flee. Mr. Sinclair has a secret in this novel too, and this is where the author diverges from Miss Bronte's book and creates her own story.
Gemma falls in love with Mr. Sinclair, agrees to marry him, but when his secret is revealed, she runs away. I didn't truly understand why Gemma ran away, as Mr. Sinclair did not have a mad wife in the attic, but his dishonesty drove her away nonetheless.
Her troubles begin when she is robbed and has no money or place to go. She, like Jane, is rescued by a mystery man, the local postman. His sister and her friend take Gemma in, and after a while, Gemma feels like she belongs.
She finds a job as a tutor for a young boy, and comes to care for the boy and his family. While Gemma feels that she has found her place in life, she still feels insecure, like it could all be taken away from her in a moment. She longs to go home to Iceland.
Gemma makes a few bad decisions, but ends up discovering her parents' family in Iceland. This part of the book really tugged at me, and the setting in Iceland added a unique aspect to the book. I have never read anything set in Iceland, and it made me curious to learn more about it.
I liked the second half of the book better than the first; Livesey creatively uses the Jane Eyre template to build a new story, with a scrappy young heroine who appeals to the reader. I fell in love with the people of Aberfeldy, the town in which Gemma ends up. And Gemma's reunion with her family is so touching. The ending is familiar to readers of Jane Eyre; how could it be any other?
I loved the unique setting of Scotland and Iceland, although it seemed that the time of the 1950s and '60s was less relevant to the story. The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a terrific companion read to Jane Eyre, and Gemma is a worthy successor to the great 19th century heroines in literature.
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Pages
480
ISBN
0062064231 / 9780062064233