Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Flight of Gemma Hardy: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Flight of Gemma Hardy: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Flight of Gemma Hardy: A Novel
    Ebook502 pages8 hours

    The Flight of Gemma Hardy: A Novel

    By Margot Livesey

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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 Brontë 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 Brontë’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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 24, 2012
    ISBN9780062064240
    Unavailable
    The Flight of Gemma Hardy: A Novel
    Author

    Margot Livesey

    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. 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. Born in Scotland, Livesey currently lives in the Boston area and is a professor of fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

    Read more from Margot Livesey

    Related to The Flight of Gemma Hardy

    Related ebooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      When I Say Goodbye

      May 31, 2018

      When I Say Goodbye
      16 min read

    • Article

      Howl Palace

      Sep 15, 2019

      Last week, I finally had to put Howl Palace up for sale. Years of poor financial planning had led to this decision, and I tried to take some comfort in my agent’s belief in a buyer who might show up with an all-cash offer. My agent is a highly organi

      25 min read

    • Article

      January Fiction

      Dec 14, 2021

      The Maid by Nita Prose HarperCollins, £14.99 Molly Gray, the narrator of Nita Prose’s startlingly good debut novel, is a young woman who knows her place—and who rather likes it. For “approximately four years, 13 weeks, and five days” she’s been worki

      2 min read

    • Article

      By Design

      Mar 3, 2020

      Her son and his future wife took Suzanne out to lunch and asked her to do the wedding invitations. Not so long ago, she had been a successful graphic designer. Her own boss. They were anxious to make her feel useful. When the food arrived, it was veg

      14 min read

    • Article

      A Christmas Memory

      Nov 1, 2018

      A Christmas Memory
      18 min read

    • Article

      Fiction

      Jul 9, 2020

      Hilderbrand’s latest novel is perfect for cosy weekend reading. This time she focuses on former lovers who now lead separate lives but share an island idyll once a year. Captivating and bittersweet. (Available Jul. 23) Inseparable twins Stella and

      1 min read

    • Article

      ‘The Guncle’ Proves That Families Come In All Different Shapes

      May 24, 2021

      Following their mother’s death, two children spend the summer with “Gay Uncle Patrick” in this heartfelt and entertaining novel by Steven Rowley.

      3 min read

    • Article

      In A Land ‘Shaped By Water,’ A Family Tale Of Persistence

      Jul 17, 2023

      “The Covenant of Water,” the latest novel from bestselling author Abraham Verghese, delivers a magnificent saga. Bursting with myriad characters, well-braided plotlines, politics, history, faith, and geography, the story centers on a young Christian

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Millions Top Ten: September 2017

      Oct 16, 2017

      This month marks the entrée of two newcomers. The post The Millions Top Ten: September 2017 appeared first on The Millions.

      1 min read

    • Article

      In Summary

      Jul 1, 2021

      There’s some good writing here. This short extract has covered a lot of ground and established that Edwina is a recently widowed woman thanks to the sinking of the Titanic. Her interior voice is skilfully rendered and there are some subtle touches su

      1 min read

    • Article

      Cherie Jones

      Jan 7, 2021

      Cherie Jones
      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘The Librarianist’ Could Stand To Be Stranger

      Aug 21, 2023

      Bookworm protagonists: O, low-hung literary fruit! The post ‘The Librarianist’ Could Stand To Be Stranger appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Book The Good Sister

      Oct 29, 2020

      Laced with her usual quirky humour, sass and darkly charming tone, Australian author Sally Hepworth brings her latest tome – tipped to be her breakout – to shelves. Delivering a knockout novel about the lies that bind two sisters, Hepworth tells the

      1 min read

    • Article

      About Ed

      Jun 14, 2022

      I walk into the orchid show with Ed. As soon as I see the tumultuous hall I know he won’t last long. Ed walks like an old man though he is forty. After ten minutes on his feet, he vomits on some purple phalaenopsis. I get him outside through a fire e

      18 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Steph Opitz

      Dec 17, 2018

      I put down a lot of books that didn’t do it for me, and shuffled and reshuffled my to-be-read pile to my heart’s content. It’s been liberating. The post A Year in Reading: Steph Opitz appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    Reviews for The Flight of Gemma Hardy

    3.5/5

    76 ratings62 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Fabulous writing - great storyline and vivid characters. Gemma has been dealt a rough deck of cards in life. She is resourceful, smart and with a good heart. The Flight of Gemma Hardy takes us from her aunt's home to boarding school, her first job, first love and finding her way back home again.
    • 3/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      OK... so it's Jane Eyre in somewhat modern times, but you will LOVE Gemma Hardy. The characters make the story. Great "views" of Scotland and Iceland. Quick, enjoyable - you'll be cheering for the "one who fights alone".
    • 5/5
      Gemma Hardy is a young girl living in a world changing around her and swirling with secrets. Her parents have died and her kindly uncle has taken her to live with him and his family but now he has died and her aunt treats her like some kind of leech. She is sent off to a boarding school, ostensibly on scholarship but in reality as nothing more than cheap labor for the school. When the school closes due to financial troubles Gemma finds an au pair position for a wild girl in the far off Orkney Islands where all is not as it seems and Gemma learns more about life than she might want to.What a delight of a book! I fell in love with poor little Gemma and all that she represented. Her struggles to define herself as she moved through a life not always in her control made for a fascinating novel. At times I forgot just how young this character was - and how young the children of this era were that were sent into these institutions and into forced labor as depicted in the novel. It was a horrible period in history for orphan children.Gemma is a bright girl and figures a way around the difficulties in her life and Ms. Livesey has a way with words. The tone is set early on and it's almost as if there is a movie playing in your head instead of book in your hand. The combination of her descriptive abilities and the characters just get you lost in the story. I read the book in two bursts over two days. If I had started it earlier on the first day I would have finished it in one. It was only the fact that I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer that made me put it down. The characters are all interesting - even the ones you want to hate. People who only make minor appearances leave an impression because they are well drawn. I just loved everything about the book. It's another one I'll be keeping to read again.
    • 3/5
      Jane Eyre in 1960's Scotland - details shifted around but kept some of the same feel.
    • 4/5
      The reviews for this book are all over the place. Some think it’s a pale, boring retelling of Jane Eyre while other readers loved it. The comparison isn’t only about Gemma and Jane Eyre, our author was also without a mother at age nine and grew up lonely in Scotland, as Gemma did, reading Jane Eyre from her own father’s library. Obviously her experiences were quite different.The old adage imitation is the sincerest form of flattery holds true for me, at least with this book. Wuthering Heights is retold in a contemporary setting in Solsbury Hill by Susan Wyler (very popular modernized version with all the heartache you’d expect) and what about Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres, a modern version of King Lear? Anyway, I very much enjoyed this story. I thought Gemma was an intelligent headstrong girl. Obviously well-educated thanks to her uncle and without formal schooling, she showed remarkable maturity and resilience.Gemma’s life is filled with tragedy. We are introduced to Gemma when she is 10 years old, living in her aunt’s home in Scotland. Although she previously lived in Iceland she was born in Scotland, her mother being Scottish and her father an Icelander. When she is young her mother dies after falling and hitting her head on a rock. A few years later her fisherman father drowns. She is taken in by her Uncle Charles and becomes part of the Hardy household in Scotland. She was only 3 years of age when she moved in with the Hardy family. Then Uncle Charles died and Gemma’s place in the household changed. This is the start of the book, how she went from family member to the status of hired help. She was relegated to the kitchen, removed from the family dinner table, wore old, old clothes and was treated shabbily.When the chance came to send her away to a school her aunt jumped on it. For a smart young lady you would think this would be the ideal escape for Gemma but alas, that was jumping from the pan into the fire. The “working girls” who did not pay tuition were basically slaves. Cleaning, cooking, gardening and their studies came last. It was a horrible situation.It just seemed to be one thing after another for Gemma but she never lost her determination. Rather than rehash this entire book I’ll say that I enjoyed reading how she overcame many obstacles and fretted for her when something overwhelming cropped up. Oh, another thing I liked about Gemma was her quest for knowledge and her love of birds. There was a large book in her beloved uncle’s study called Birds of the World. She loved looking at the photos and learning where they lived in the world. Her only friend at school noted this love of birds and gifted Gemma with a book about Scottish birds. There are references as she points out curlews, lapwings, grebes, blackbird, curlew, jackdaw and puffins when she is working as an au pair and later as a nanny.The setting is mostly in Glasgow, a rural setting of Aberfeldy and the Orkney Islands. As I note foodie items in most books I read I can say there are many mentions of food here yet it’s not a foodie book by any means.This is an author I will most certainly seek out, Margot Livesey can paint a vivid picture.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written retelling of Jane Eyre. I was mesmerized for the first two-thirds or so. The final third falls apart: Gemma's reason for running away really doesn't make as much sense as Jane's, and she makes so many foolish decisions in a row that she lost some of my sympathy. But it's still a great read, as anything by Livesey is.

      Gemma irritated me a little bit in general with her self-effacement, but then Jane herself has always bugged for the same reason, so I suppose I can't complain about that. On the other hand, I thought that the Helen Burns analog was an improvement on the original, and I did like that Gemma hears her aunt's side of the story.

    • 4/5
      This was an enjoyable re-telling of Jane Eyre set in a modern world. Gemma gamely rises to the challenges of childhood and the end is satisfying for her growth.
    • 1/5
      I enjoy Livesey's writing and found Emma to be an interesting and spunky survivor rather than a pain in the neck, But I was put off by the budding romance between the girl and her sophisticated employer. It was just too creepy and not even believable (thank god). Did not finish.
    • 4/5
      Maybe 3.5 — I found the cruelty she experienced in the beginning unconvincing. Or perhaps it was the 9-year-old voice that was unconvincing. But I liked the theme that history, while a powerful influence, isn't destiny. And the scenes in Iceland were lovely.
    • 4/5
      This is Margot Livesey's reimagining of Jane Eyre in 1960s Scotland. Livesey's a good writer and she did a wonderful job of keeping most aspects of the novel, while changing the details to suit the new environment. This was a case of the right book at the right time for me. I enjoyed wondering how Livesey was going to portray the familiar events of one of my favorite novels. For the most part, she remained true to the spirit of the novel, while keeping the story fresh.
    • 4/5
      I'd give it another half star if I could!
    • 3/5
      adult fiction. A complete reimagining of Jane Eyre, in 1950s Scotland/Iceland. Livesey kept the main characters and their general paths, but has skillfully changed many aspects and circumstances, and I think the story is much more realistic for it.
    • 5/5
      This is a wonderful modernized re-telling of Jane Eyre. Margot Livesey does a very nice job creating her own characters. Well done!
    • 3/5
      Enjoyed the first half; then lost interest a bit. . . Didn't end up finishing.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful coming of age story set in 1960s Great Britain. Gemma Hardy, orphaned as a child, is taken in by her mother's brother. When her uncle passes away, she is mistreated by her aunt and cousins, and is eventually sent away to a boarding school at age 10. As a poor, "working girl" at her new school, Gemma is treated like a second class citizen. She does well with her studies but unfortunately the school closes before she is able to graduate. Not welcome back at her aunt's home, Gemma takes a position as a nanny in the Ornkney Islands. At 18, Gemma has weathered many storms and is a fierce survivor. She finally finds love, but not without trials and errors along the way.
    • 4/5
      This novel is a retelling of Jane Eyre largely set in the 1960s Scotland, so of course I loved it. Gemma Hardy starts out as an orphan who is not well liked by her aunt and cousins, is sent away to a boarding school, becomes a nanny to a mysterious family, and promptly falls in love with her handsome employer. Aspects of the tale have been updated - there's no crazy wife in the attic - and other pieces of the story have been moved around, but this novel evokes many of the things I love about the original - a rich atmosphere, a strong female voices, and a fierce determination to make one's own way in the world.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed. Will be curious to see if the book club members liked it.
    • 4/5
      A great retelling of jane eyre, with some nice updates to make it more believable in the 1960s.
    • 5/5
      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 Hardy also stands on her own two feet. Nicely done!
    • 3/5
      Given my deep and abiding love for Jane Eyre, it will surprise approximately no one that I have a lot of feelings and opinions about it. And one of these opinions is that it's not possible to satisfyingly modernize it ala Bridget Jones's Diary. I'm perfectly willing to be proven wrong, but there are so many key characteristics and plot points that just can't be taken out of their 19th-century habitat without becoming implausible or unreasonable. Regarding, for instance, this book's answer to the big mid-book revelation in Jane Eyre, I could not understand why the Jane character was making such a fuss about it. It was a real stretch.

      But my main thought about this enterprise was "why bother?" What is the point of going through the motions, methodically revisiting every event from Jane Eyre in the context of 1960s Scotland? What am I getting out of this that I wouldn't just get from rereading Jane Eyre?

      After finishing the book I couldn't answer those questions to my satisfaction...so 2.5 stars.
    • 3/5
      This was a good read. It was not a great read because one of the main plot points that was changed from the classic [Jane Eyre] that inspired it was completely unbelievable.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this book, which was a homage to Jane Eyre, set in 1950s Scotland and Iceland. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, and the Icelandic parts were interesting because I know so little about that country.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book! First of all the setting was either in Scotland or Iceland. Secondly, it was very well-written, and a nice twisting of details of Jane Eyre to make it thoroughly interesting. I would read this book again, and I rarely read books twice.
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 3/5
      Davina Porter’s narration was as always fabulous, the story however I didn't enjoy as much as I had hoped since Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorites and this story was supposed to be inspired by Jane Eyre but there is a huge difference between inspiration and downright word for word story. And Mr. Sinclair is no Mr. Rochester.I liked the story much better once she got to Iceland, I kind of wish the first half hadn’t been so much like Jane Eyre and had just been Gemma’s story. There were times I didn’t like Gemma much, I understand it was hard for her to trust people because of the way she was treated by people who should have loved her but there were times when people were very, very nice to her and she still couldn’t accept it.This one was just ok for me; maybe if you aren’t as huge a fan of Jane Eyre as I am you may like it more.2 ½ Stars
    • 3/5
      I was so excited to read this book because it is a somewhat modern (set in the 1960s) retelling of Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is my favorite romance and one of my favorite books. The Flight of Gemma Hardy is well-written and enjoyable. I read it straight through. However, the dark Gothic elements that I so love about Jane Eyre, the intense, barely restrained love affair between Jane and Mr. Rochester, and the frightening events surrounding the mad-woman in the tower are either not present in this novel or are diminished in favor of its modern retelling in 1960s Scotland. I also did not love Gemma the way that I loved Jane. Gemma, although very strong-willed like Jane, is less forgiving and humble. Her will sometimes comes across as selfish rather than self-preserving. On the other hand, the childhood of Gemma was well-created, the settings of Scotland and Iceland were fitting and carefully, lovingly drawn, and the story was, if taken on its own merit, well-told. The problem I had was that I absolutely love Jane Eyre and expected to enjoy this retelling nearly as much. I liked it, but I did not love it. If anything, it made me long to go back and read Jane Eyre again.Favorite words:sporranmartinetpunnetschivvyFavorite quote: “Defiance was appealing, but it did not warm my cold room, it did not clothe me, it did not fill the long hours after school and chores” (p. 27).Favorite character description: (Mr. Milne)”…with his large head of grey hair and his round belly, he resembled nothing so much as a garden gnome” (p. 50).Latin phrase:modus vivendi: way of life or way of living
    • 4/5
      A true testament to the strength of the human spirit, Gemma survives multiple disastrous events in her life. A bit of a modern day Jane Eyre overtone.
    • 2/5
      Wow. I think that was one if the dullest books I've ever read. And as dull books go, it was way too long.
    • 5/5
      This book takes place mainly in Scotland and follows Gemma Hardy as she navigates through life as a mostly unwanted orphan. She goes from living with her aunt and cousins (who all seem to hate her), to then being treated as a servant at Claypoole, her school. She finally gets a little bit of luck when Claypoole closes and she becomes the nanny/teacher of Nell. When she starts to have feelings for Nell's Uncle, Mr. Sinclair, her world starts to turn upside-down.This book transported me to Scotland and I lost myself in this book. I found Gemma to be a likeable character whom I began to connect with immediately. I rooted for Gemma all throughout this book as she was being put down by her aunt and being bullied by girls at her school and was glad to see some good things actually happen for her at Blackbird Hall. I loved the passion between Gemma and Mr. Sinclair. I was a little dismayed when Gemma left Blackbird Hall but I enjoyed her going on a journey to find herself and ultimately go to university. I was cheering when she found out that she had some family members in Iceland and couldn't contain my excitement when Mr. Sinclair finally caught up to her on the plane back to Scotland. I loved the ending of this book and loved reading about Gemma. I would definitely recommend this book to others.