Happy May! Let's all hope that more folks visit and post on this thread as Summer Reading Lists need to be compiled!
The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
Livesey has taken the classic novel of Jane Eyre and reimagined it in a more contemporary setting. Jane becomes Gemma and the setting is Scotland and Iceland of the 1950’s and 60’s. Written and told in the same precise manner and voice as the original, this is a pleasing read for anyone who likes a sweeping romantic story of plucky heroines and dashing older men.
The story begins w/ Gemma at 10 and follows through her adventures into her next decade. The orphaned Gemma is plucky, honest and real. She leads a lonely life knowing all the while that great things are in store for her somewhere, sometime in the future. This was a very, very good read.
I’ve read Jane Eyre two or three times over the years and have always enjoyed it anew each time. It’s been decades since the last reading – but I still found myself constantly finding parallels between the two novels. So many items of business and plot points were so familiar – yet freshly reinvented. The time period here enables the story to retain a lovely, wonderful innocence due to the lack of technology of computers, cell phones and instant gratification.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by katygirl
.
. For what it's worth, I had no idea what the book was about, just heard it was a popular trilogy and was a "Twilight" for grownups. By the time I realized what it was really about, I was hooked enough in by the characters that I wanted to read more.
