Hmmm, what to say about this one? I was intrigued by the book description of a modern day version of Jane Eyre and was, actually, pleased with the first half of the book. But once Gemma left Claypoole, the book started to lose its charm. Mr. Sinclair's "secret" was a disappointment, as was the rest of the book. It was way, way too long and it suffered greatly from comparisans to Jane Eyre, probably one of my favorite books of all time. I hated the ending, and although Ms. Livesey writes very well, I wouldn't recommend.

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One part "Jane Eyre", one part "Rebecca", with a bit of "Smilla's Sense of Snow" thrown in, this 1950's-1960's re-do of "Jane Eyre" is well-written and heartfelt. The description of Gemma's early years at school, where she longs for an education but is stymied by bullies and forced into working as an unpaid scullery maid, are vivid and heartbreaking. Later she journeys to the Orkney Islands to work as an au pair for Hugh Sinclair, a charismatic banker/landowner with his own secrets. Their relationship seems natural and unforced, a mutual attraction between two desperately lonely people. The other characters are not so well drawn, however, and while the addition of a Heathcliff-like estate manager may help along the plot, it adds little to the story in my view. I've always thought "Jane Eyre" was a book about how suffering and being tested crystallizes belief--in oneself, in God, in truth, and finally, in love. "The Flight of Gemma Hardy" is also about a journey to self-understanding, but painted in the more muted colors of a modern era where women have more choice and control over their destinies, and where true love is not the final destination but a stop along the way to self-fulfillment.

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A great story of Gemma Hardy,being orphaned when both parents die, being transported from Iceland to Scotland. Margot Livesay writes descriptively of the rural landscape of Scotland, and of the mystical island of Iceland.
Gemma faces challenging circumstances at boarding school, overcomes obstacles in her life, finding her way,and establishes her place in life. Gemma is an au pair to two
children and experiences two relationships.
I found Livesay to write in a spell-binding fashion.
A great read allowing me to travel, learning about other cultures andlandscapes of both countries.

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It's probably my fault. This is the third or fourth Jane Eyre re-write I've tried to read, and it upsets me every time. I'm not sure why I think that reading a reworked version of my all time favorite book is a good idea, or why I have this denial thing going on: Maybe it will be different this time. Maybe I'll like it. Maybe (and this is probably what I'm really wanting) I'll recapture the magic of reading Jane Eyre for the first time.

This book was, for the 100 pages I read anyway, extremely well-written. It's set in 1950s Scotland (and later, the Ornkey Islands, not that I got that far). The atmosphere, the characters, and the plot are all dead-on Jane Eyre, while the style is more current and readable. In fact, this is probably an excellent book and even a good 'soft version' of the original.

But without a twist (again, at least in the first 100 pages) or anything to differentiate it from the original, I just had to stop reading and pick up my very worn copy of the original instead.

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Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/03/flight-of-gemma-hardy.html

The Flight of Gemma Hardy is billed as an homage to the classic Jane Eyre. I tried, however, to not read it in comparison, but just to enjoy the book for the story it tells.

Gemma is born in Iceland. After the death of her parents, she is taken in by her uncle. Upon her uncle's death, life takes a turn for the worse. Gemma struggles to find her place in the world. She ends up as a caretaker to a child. She falls in love, but learns some truths prior to her marriage that cause her to leave that situation. Ultimately, the book becomes a search for her own identity and a place to belong.

The book does take some elements from Jane Eyre, but then proceeds down a very different path. So, read the book for itself because it will certainly suffer in comparison.

As a story, I loved the first two-thirds of the book. The plight of Gemma as a child is one you hope never to see for a child. The characters, emotions, and situations felt real. Unfortunately, that was the high point of the book. It goes downhill from the point Gemma begins her relationship with Mr. Sinclair.

To me, the "shocking" revelation that causes Gemma to leave her groom seemed a bit of a let down. The book after that point seemed to lose its reality for me. The character of Gemma became less compelling and less likable. The ending seemed improbable and left too many loose ends. Overall, a good beginning but a disappointing end to a book.

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