The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey is Jane Eyre, updated, modernized (to the mid-twentieth century), and modified.
The story is best at the beginning where Gemma's mistreatment at the hands of her aunt and cousins is detailed. She recounts how she came to live with them at the age of three because of a promise her uncle made to her mother (his sister).
Her mother died when she was only one and her father died when Gemma was three years old. Arriving at Yew House in England (from Iceland where her father was from and where they lived), she didn't speak English and was terrified.
It was her uncle who calmed her and spent time with her teaching her English. When Gemma was ten, her uncle died and the true nature of her aunt was revealed. Banishing Gemma to the attic where the servants lived, Gemma was no longer treated like family. She was even instructed to call her aunt "ma'am" instead of "aunt" as the servants did.
To get rid of Gemma, her aunt sent her to a boarding school as a "working" girl. Ostensibly, this meant that Gemma would have to do some work while attending as a student to help pay for her tuition and board, but in reality this meant that Gemma was worked from morning to night, and attending classes was less important than keeping house and helping with the cooking for the paying students.
In spite of the hardship and the antipathy of the headmistress and her sister, Gemma made a friend and managed to survive. The years at the school and her bond with her friend are clearly and beautifully described.
It's easy to see how Gemma matured at the school and how her years there and the deprivations she suffered hardened her drive to attend the university and have a career.
However, the school closed and Gemma was forced to find employment. She literally had no place to go since her aunt would not take her back. Gemma accepts the job of nanny to a girl in the wilds of the Orkney Islands.
It is here that the story diverges the most from that of Jane Eyre. Mr. Sinclair has a secret much less dreadful than that of Mr. Rochester, Bronte's character. It is also somewhat difficult to see what exactly it is that Gemma finds appealing in Mr. Sinclair -- the romance does not seem to blossom so much as drop from the sky.
What Livesey does well is describe the setting, and reading about the Orkney Islands and Gemma's trip to Iceland is almost as good as a travelogue.
True Jane Eyre fans know how the story ends, and Livesey does not mess with success.
This review is based on the advance digital edition provided by NetGalley.
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