Fate has not been kind to Gemma Hardy. 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. Yet her bright spirit burns strong. Fiercely intelligent, singularly determined, Gemma overcomes each challenge and setback, growing stronger and more certain of her path. Now an independent young woman with dreams of the future, she accepts a position as an au pair on the remote and beautiful Orkney Islands. But Gemma's biggest trial is about to begin-a journey of passion and betrayal, secrets and lies, redemption and discovery will lead her to a life she's never dreamed of.
"A brilliantly paced contemporary adventure
about a headstrong orphan's struggle to claim a place for her generous heart in
a secret-laden, sometimes loveless world."
"In this modern day retelling of Jane Eyre-trade horses for private jets-novelist
Margot Livesey pays homage to Brontë's literary classic."
"The portrait of a delicate, iron-willed girl,
an orphan and a heroine in the grand tradition…Here as in all of Livesey's
novels, the real treasure is her gift for exploring the unreduced human psyche
with all its radiant contradictions, mercurial insights, and desperate
generosities."
"Inspired by Jane
Eyre, Livesey offers vibrant prose and a feisty heroine…Captivating and
moving, this book is a wonderful addition to Livesey's body of work."
"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."
"Livesey follows Brontë's form, but so
convincingly does she create her own character's life and surroundings that the
original soon recedes, its story a beloved, familiar body dressed in an
entirely new and vibrant wardrobe."
"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."
"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."
"Livesey delivers a suspenseful, curl-up-by-the-fire
romance with a willfully determined protagonist who's worthy of her literary
role model."
"Absorbing…Ms. Livesey writes lovely,
understated prose…[Her] treks through the novel's pleasing natural
landscapes…are almost as engaging as her navigation of Gemma's restless psyche."
"A cunning adaptation."
"A delight…Livesey is a lovely, fluid writer."
