Modern-day Jane Eyre

The Flight of Gemma Hardy

by Margot Livesey

Genre: Literary Fiction

Review: Described as a modern-day Jane Eyre, this is the story of Gemma Hardy, an orphan who moved from Iceland to Scotland when her parents died. Her beloved uncle passed away and she was left at the cruel hands of her jealous aunt. Gemma was sent away to a boarding school on scholarship, but she was treated unfairly as an indentured servant. Later she works on the desolate Orkneys as a governess. You keep hoping she will catch a break, but she rarely does, and good things are in disguise. Gemma never gives up and the end was more satisfying than Jane Eyre. 

My advice: Gemma is a modern heroine, so dig in with a plate of shortbread and a cup of piping hot Earl Grey Tea! 

About the Author: A native Scot, the author has lived in the United States and says the book allowed her to reconnect with her past and that the book is: “infused with my memories of the landscapes where I grew up and of a certain longing for those landscapes.” http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/02/06/margot-livesey-gemma  

Song to Read By: "We Move Lightly" by Dustin O'Halloran