Staff Pick
Having lost both her parents, and subsequently her beloved uncle, 10-year-old Gemma Hardy is left with her uncle's wife. Her aunt despises Gemma and wastes no time dispatching her off to boarding school, where room and board are exchanged for nonstop backbreaking work. Education is an afterthought, but Gemma is a bright and earnest girl. After eight long years, she has worked hard and begrudgingly earns the respect of the school director. When the school abruptly closes, Gemma realizes she is soon to be homeless and penniless. Answering a desperate ad for a nanny on the isolated Orkney Islands, Gemma hopes to find — finally — the home and security she has never known.
Sound familiar? Livesey does a great job with this homage to Jane Eyre — so much so that I often forgot that Gemma Hardy lived in 1966 and not in 1850, until things like trousers on women, nail polish, and Scrabble intruded. Like Jane, Gemma is a serious and intellectual woman who falls in love with her employer, Hugh Sinclair (Livesey's stand-in for Mr. Rochester). There is no mad woman in the attic, but Gemma does have her own demons who threaten her happiness. Hugh Sinclair also has ghosts from his past, and Gemma finds herself unable to accept them. Taking flight, she disappears — leaving her newfound home, security, and love in her wake. Desperate to find some sense of family and her own history, Gemma realizes she is willing to lie, and worse: take on the exact same characteristics she finds intolerable in Sinclair.
Touching on the histories of both Iceland and Scotland, with charming folktales and sometimes heartbreaking historical stories, Livesey writes a detailed and layered tale of loneliness, determination, self-discovery, and love. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
The resonant story of a young womans struggle to take charge of her own future,
The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a modern take on a classic story—Charlotte Brontës
Jane Eyre—that will fascinate readers of the Gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion. Set in early 1960s Scotland, this breakout novel from award-winning author Margot Livesey is a tale of determination and spirit that, like
The Three Weissmanns of Westport and
A Thousand Acres, spins an unforgettable new story from threads of our shared, still-living literary past.
“Gemma is real—its as simple as that. And through her eyes we see step by step what it means . . . to take possession of ones own life.” —David Wroblewski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Review
"Enchanting, from the first page to the last. Reading The Flight of Gemma Hardy reminded me of that way we fall into certain novels when we're younger, with utter absorption and concentration, the outside world disappearing entirely as the spell of a fictional world takes hold." Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Servants of the Map
Review
"With The Flight of Gemma Hardy, you sense that youo're in the hands of a master storyteller - and that, quite possibly, Brontë herself would have approved." Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times Book Review
Review
“Livesey delivers a suspenseful, curl-up-by-the-fire romance with a willfully determined protagonist whos worthy of her literary role model.” < b=""> < i=""> People <> <>
Review
“Marvelous....Gemma Hardy is one of those page turners in which you occasionally have to wrest yourself away from the plot to admire the language.” < b=""> K < k=""> ristin <> O < k=""> hlson <> <> , < i=""> Cleveland Plain Dealer <>
Review
"Readers...will appreciate Livesey's smooth and lucid prose. She's a fine storyteller who can maintain the antique flavor of her tale with far simpler sentences and an updated vocabulary." Ron Charles, Washington Post Book World
Review
“Livesey has pulled off the near-impossible task that the homage begs an author to do: create an original, fresh work that shines in its own light, while bringing an established, esteemed work to the attention of new readers, and showing off previously unseen facets to its fans….” < b=""> M < k=""> eredith <> M < k=""> aran <> <> , < i=""> Boston Globe <>
Review
“A brilliantly paced contemporary adventure about a headstrong orphans struggle to claim a place for her generous heart in a secret-laden, sometimes loveless world.” < b=""> L < k=""> isa <> S < k=""> hea <> <> , < i=""> Elle <>
Review
“The portrait of a delicate, iron-willed girl, an orphan and a heroine in the grand tradition…. Here as in all of Liveseys novels, the real treasure is her gift for exploring the unreduced human psyche with all its radiant contradictions, mercurial insights, and desperate generosities.” < b=""> D < k=""> avid <> W < k=""> roblewski <> <> , author of < i=""> The Story of Edgar Sawtelle <>
Review
"The fabulous Margot Livesey has written a book steeped in remote landscapes, secret histories, and great love. Orphan Gemma is a modern day Jane Eyre, thoroughly engaging and bracingly unsentimental. The prose is meticulous, the tale transporting. Trust me, you will love this book." Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club and Wit's End
Review
"[An] original slant on a classic story.... Within the classic framework, Livesey molds a thoroughly modern character who learns to expect the best of herself and to forgive the missteps of others. The author has a gift for creating atmosphere." Library Journal
Review
"The talented Livesey updates Jane Eyre...taking care to home in on the elements of this classic story that so resonate with readers.... Despite readers' familiarity with the story line, they will be held rapt.... A sure bet for both book clubs and Bronte fans." Booklist
Review
"Poignantly narrated.... Nicely, touchingly done, and the familiar story exerts its reliably magnetic pull." Kirkus Reviews
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"A novel that transports the reader into a gripping, affecting and ultimately healing world....Livesey has created a story of flight, but in that flight, Gemma not only flees but also eventually soars." Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Review
"Enchanting....the beautifully melancholic and wholly transporting story of one courageous girl searching for her place in a changing world." Amy Scribner, Marie Claire
Review
“Absorbing….Ms. Livesey writes lovely, understated prose…[her] treks through the novels pleasing natural landscapes…are almost as engaging as her navigation of Gemmas restless psyche.” < b=""> S < k=""> am <> S < k=""> acks <> <> , < i=""> Wall Street Journal <>
Review
"Scottish-born author Margot Livesey brings the country of her birth to blazing life in the thoroughly winning The Flight of Gemma Hardy. A delicious updating of Jane Eyre to the mid-20th century..." Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News
Review
“Inspired by Jane Eyre, Livesey (The House on Fortune Street) offers vibrant prose and a feisty heroine in her fascinating sixth novel…. Captivating and moving, this book is a wonderful addition to Liveseys body of work.” < b=""> < i=""> Publishers Weekly, starred review <> <>
Review
"In The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey offers a new telling of Jane Eyre, for which no contemporary writer is better suited. As always, Livesey's prose is a garden of pleasures: precision here, lyricism there, wit and compassionate insight throughout." Amy Bloom, author of < i=""> Away <> and < i=""> Where the God of Love Hangs Out <>
Review
"The Flight of Gemma Hardy is an inventive re-imagining of Jane Eyre; the feisty Gemma is a delightful character in her own right, and it was a pleasure to follow her adventures." Audrey Niffenegger, author of < i=""> The Time Traveller's Wife <> and < i=""> Her Fearful Symmetry <>
Review
"A cunning adaptation." Liza Nelson, O, the Oprah Magazine
Review
"Evocative....Margot Livesey infuses every sentence of her novel not only with Gemma's quite compelling personality, but also with the details of the world she inhabits.....Her sharply observed, firmly grounded narrative transforms a classic tale into a story - and a place - all its own." Norah Piehl, Bookreporter.com
Review
“In this modern day retelling of Jane Eyre - trade horses for private jets - novelist Margot Livesey pays homage to Brontë‘s literary classic.” Marie Claire, "Four New Page-Turners to Keep Bedside"
Review
“A delight....Livesey is a lovely, fluid writer.” < b=""> S < k=""> arah <> T < k=""> owers <> <> , < i=""> New York Times Book Review <>
Review
“Jane Eyre gets a terrific modern makeover….Livesey works some sort of magic in The Flight of Gemma Hardy, which is too entertaining to be superfluous, too wise in its understanding of human nature to be a mere retread.” < b=""> C < k=""> onnie <> O < k=""> gle <> <> , < i=""> Miami Herald <>
Review
“Livesey follows Brontë‘s form, but so convincingly does she create her own characters life and surroundings that the original soon recedes, its story a beloved, familiar body dressed in an entirely new and vibrant wardrobe.” < b=""> < i=""> Atlantic Monthly <> <>
Review
“A cunning adaptation.” < b=""> L < k=""> iza <> N < k=""> elson <> <> , < i=""> O, the Oprah Magazine <>
Review
“A cunning adaptation.” < b=""> L < k=""> iza <> N < k=""> elson <> <> , < i=""> O, the Oprah Magazine <>
Synopsis
New York Times Bestseller
"An exceptionally well-plotted, well-crafted, innovatively interpreted modern twist on a timeless classic, one that's sure to delight the multitudes of Bront fans, and the multitudes of fans that Livesey deserves." --The Boston Globe
"A suspenseful, curl-up-by-the-fire romance with a willfully determined protagonist who's worthy of her literary role model." -- People
The resonant story of a young woman's struggle to take charge of her own future, The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a modern take on a classic story--Charlotte Bront 's Jane Eyre--that will fascinate readers of the Gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion.
Set in early 1960s Scotland, this breakout novel from award-winning author Margot Livesey is a tale of determination and spirit that, like The Three Weissmanns of Westport and A Thousand Acres, spins an unforgettable new story from threads of our shared, still-living literary past.
Synopsis
Taken from her native Iceland to Scotland in the early 1950s when her widower father drowns at sea, young Gemma Hardy comes to live with her kindly uncle and his family. But his death leaves Gemma under the care of her resentful aunt, and she suddenly finds herself an unwelcome guest. Surviving oppressive years at a strict private school, Gemma ultimately finds a job as an au pair to the eight-year-old niece of Mr. Sinclair on the Orkney Islands—and here, at the mysterious and remote Blackbird Hall, Gemma's greatest trial begins.
Synopsis
“There was, on the Hudson, a way of life such as this, and there was a house not unlike Dragonwyck.”In the spring of 1844 the Wells family receives a letter from a distant relative, the wealthy landowner Nicholas Van Ryn. He invites one of their daughters for an extended visit to his Hudson Valley estate, Dragonwyck. Eighteen-year-old Miranda, bored with the local suitors and her commonplace life on the farm, leaps at the chance for escape. She immediately falls under the spell of Nicholas and his mansion, mesmerized by its Gothic towers, flowering gardens, and luxurious lifestyle—unaware of the dark, terrible secrets that await.
Anya Seton masterfully tells the heart-stopping story of a remarkable woman, her extraordinary passions, and the mystery that resides in the magnificent hallways of Dragonwyck.
About the Author
Margot Livesey is the acclaimed author of the novels The House on Fortune Street, Banishing Verona, Eva Moves the Furniture, The Missing World, Criminals, and Homework. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Vogue, and The Atlantic, and she is the recipient of grants from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. The House on Fortune Street won the 2009 L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award. Livesey was born in Scotland and grew up on the edge of the Highlands. She lives in the Boston area and is a Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Emerson College.