It seems to me that the flight of gemma hardy is a book that didnt bother to ask these questions. Join facebook to connect with gemma hardy and others you may know. Gemma hardy is an orphan who has been taken in my her uncle and his family. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey book club. The flight of gemma hardy is less a remake of jane eyre than it is a variation on a theme. The flight of gemma hardy is a bildungsroman which transfers janes experiences to the period from the late 50s to 1967. 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. If youve read charlotte brontes jane eyre, are there places in the flight of gemma hardy where you find yourself remembering jane particularly vividly. Livesey purposely follows the plot line of jane eyre quite closely for most of the book, including little details along the way that readers of jane eyre will recognize like beginning the book with a near. The flight of gemma hardy is a more modern but not contemporary retelling of jane eyre, with a slight shift in location to scottish islands and iceland from the usual moors. I remember making connections between bertha and charlotte perkins gilmans story, the yellow wallpaper. Gemma hardy is the new jane, and like her fictional counterpart, gemma is. After the schools closure she moves, now almost 18, to a remote orkney island, to work as an au pair caring for nell, the unruly niece of taciturn banker hugh. Inspired by jane eyre, livesey the house on fortune street offers vibrant prose and a feisty heroine in her fascinating sixth novel, set in.
The flight of gemma hardy made me very much want to go back and read jane eyre again. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey dear author. Columns new paperback releases for reading groups bookpage. Her beloved uncle has died leaving her in the care of an aunt who, she is coming to realize, hates her. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Initially gemma s story closely follows janes in tone and structure. Her first book, a collection of stories called learning by heart, was published by penguin canada in 1986.
Certainly gemma spends more time working than she does studying and even among the other working girls, gemma is unable to make friends. Everyone in the island community, including gemma, is intrigued by the enigmatic hugh, and soon, gemma and hugh begin a complex relationship that will change gemmas life forever. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey by curlygeek04, february 27, 2012 in the world of literary blogging, everyone seems to love jane eyre me. Mar 02, 2012 the flight of gemma hardy, by margot livesey. I admit upfront, jane eyre is one of my favorite books, one firmly grounded in the dickensian triad of bildungsroman, social commentary, and gothicism. The flight of gemma hardy portrays the cultural shift of the 1960s with clear, comfortable prose.
Jan 24, 2012 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 storycharlotte brontes jane eyrethat will fascinate readers of the gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion. Jun 26, 2012 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 storycharlotte brontes jane eyrethat will fascinate readers of the gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion. In the opening of the flight of gemma hardy we meet the orphaned gemma as she is coping with the death of her uncle and the subsequent rejection by her aunt and cousins. Doesnt seem like id enjoy this book any more than you did.
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 charlotte brontes classic, jane eyre. Here are 10 mustread novels coming at you in early 2012. Sounds like a lot of the problems you had with this book are comparable to the ones you had with jane eyre and i feel the same way. Like brontes novel, thee flight of gemma hardy is a kind of bildungsroman, where the protagonist must find her own place in the world. Initially gemmas story closely follows janes in tone and structure. Did the flight of gemma hardy make you think of other orphan stories beyond jane. 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 storycharlotte bronte s jane eyrethat will fascinate readers of the gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion. Her childrens book, the mitten string, is a sydney taylor book award notable. Not surprisingly, gemma is sent away to a nasty school for girls in the borders of scotland. What role do animals and birds play in gemma s life. Nicely, touchingly done, and the familiar story exerts its reliably magnetic pull, but fans of jane eyre will wonder. And like bronte i am, of course, stealing from my own life.
How do those memories impact your reading of gemma. A captivating tale, set in scotland in the early 1960s, that is both an homage to and a modern variation on the enduring classic jane eyre. The flight of gemma hardy, liveseys appealing new novel, is, as she has explained, a kind of continued conversation, a recasting of both jane eyre and liveseys own childhood. Its no wonder that these elements fill the pages since at least on a very broad level the flight of gemma hardy is a retelling of charlotte brontes jane eyre.
In the book description on, the flight of gemma hardy is called a captivating homage to charlotte brontes jane eyre which is. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Margot livesey is the new york times bestselling author of the novels the flight of gemma hardy, the house on fortune street, banishing verona, eva moves the furniture, the missing world, criminals, and homework. Set in early 1960s scotland, this breakout novel from. Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, orphaned gemma is mistreated by her aunt and exploited at the boarding school to which shes sent as a charity case. A realtime account of the events on united flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on september 11th, 2001 that crashed near shanksville, pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot. Flight of gemma hardy, the epb by margot livesey isbn. Pants, airplanes, radio hits, and university entrance exams all illustrate a world that forces gemma to stop falling into the past and instead to look forward. Rather i am writing back to charlotte bronte, recasting janes journey to fit my own courageous heroine and the possibilities of her time and place.
Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the. Margot liveseys the flight of gemma hardy takes jane. Margot livesey audiobook flight of gemma hardy listen to. I have the vague memory that i discussed jane eyre in a college english course, though i cant remember which one. As such, it braves the same dangerous ground as any adaptation.
The flight of gemma hardy, by margot livesey the globe and mail. Set in the 1960s, liveseys updated take on the tale chronicles the life of young gemma hardy, who is orphaned when her fathera widowerdrowns. Gemma hardy is the new jane, and like her fictional counterpart, gemma is a young orphan, taken by her. The flight of gemma hardy margot livesey full stop. A novel, by margot livesey this 1950s version of jane eyre pulls off the feat of reinventing a classic with class and style. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey is a beautiful story that is reminiscent of charlotte brontes classic jane eyre. With a little financial support, she could perhaps achieve her dream of attending university.
In her cunning adaptation, the flight of gemma hardy, margot livesey turns jane into gemma, the 20thcentury version. Margot liveseys the flight of gemma hardy takes jane eyre into the mid20th century, but the passion is missing in this update. Homework, criminals, the missing world, eva moves the furniture, banishing verona, the house on fortune street, and the flight of gemma hardy. Jan 22, 2012 the flight of gemma hardy, liveseys appealing new novel, is, as she has explained, a kind of continued conversation, a recasting of both jane eyre and liveseys own childhood. 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 storycharlotte brontes jane eyrethat will fascinate readers of the gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion. When her widower father drowns at sea, gemma hardy is. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey stephanie february 27, 2012. If you are the publisher or author of this book and.
Jul 25, 2012 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 storycharlotte brontes jane eyrethat will fascinate readers of the gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion. One friend picked this book as her top read of 2015, and when i realized it was a cold weather island book and i had downloaded it on the nook app during a sale, i decided to give it a try. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey the bottle imp. Fiercely intelligent, singularly determined, gemma overcomes each challenge and setback, growing stronger and more certain. The time gemma spends at the girls school is difficult and depressing. Margot liveseys the flight of gemma hardy takes jane eyre. From the first sentence, we did not go for a walk on the first day of the year, a version of brontes brilliant opening, there was no possibility of taking a walk that day, liveseys narrative shadows its. Flight gemma hardy pb 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 storycharlotte bront s jane eyrethat will fascinate readers of the gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion.
The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey publication date. Orphaned by the age of ten, neglected by a bitter and cruel aunt, sent to a boarding school where she was both servant and student, young gemma seemed destined for a life of hardship and loneliness. When the village doctor suggests that perhaps she might be better off at school, she sees this as her chance to escape the increasing misery and grief that seems to be her lot at yew house. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey is a modern rewrite of charlotte brontes jane eyre set in twentieth century scotland. The flight of gemma hardy historical novel society. While living some 140 years in the future, fierce, justicedemanding gemma will be instantly recognizable to brontes readers. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey, paperback. Mar 25, 2012 the flight of gemma hardy made me very much want to go back and read jane eyre again.
It simply regurgitates the original story into a different time period without asking any significant questions either of the narrative or through the narrative. Jane eyre as a character has never inspired me, although ive always blamed the horrible teacher who made the girls in our class read jane eyre while the boys read all quiet on the western front. When gemma hardy is orphaned and left to fend for herself, she moves to the orkney islands, where she is hired as an au pair for the niece of charming london businessman hugh sinclair. While living some 140 years in the future, fierce, justicedemanding gemma will be. A beloved tale reimagined the flight of gemma hardy, margot liveseys ingenious retelling of jane eyre, will delight fans of charlotte brontes novel as well as readers unacquainted with the classic. The flight of gemma hardy by margot livesey goodreads. The flight of gemma hardy large print by margot livesey, 9780062107206, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The resonant story of a young womans struggle to take. The flight of gemma hardy is, in my mind, neither my autobiography nor a retelling of jane eyre. In her seventh novel, the flight of gemma hardy, margot livesey updates charlotte brontes jane eyre so smoothly and skillfully that youd.
With guidance from charlotte bronte, the heroine of margot liveseys novel goes in search of herself. Gemma, however, is an apt pupil, a singular exception to the rule. But if they encounter gemma hardy on her own terms, theyll discover a novel full of merits of its own. The flight of gemma hardy, by margot livesey the globe. Set in early 1960s scotland, this breakout novel from award. 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. In her character gemma hardy, livesy has created an appealing protagonist who battles adversity with grit and courage. Orphaned by the age of ten, neglected by a bitter and cruel aunt, sent to a boarding school where she was both servant and student, young gemma seemed destined for a life of hardship and. Orphaned by the age of ten, neglected by a bitter and cruel aunt, sent to a boarding school where she is both servant and student, young gemma seems destined for a life of hardship and loneliness. A familys quest to hear and be heard, a memoir about raising her deaf daughters in a hearing, speaking world. Sent to horrible claypoole school as a working pupil, gemma becomes a lonely, bullied drudge until befriended by asthmatic miriam, whose sad death gives gemma the power to endure.