THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY, Margot Livesey,
I was very resistant to this book. On the face of it, it's Jane Eyre updated to the 1950s and set in Iceland and Scotland instead of England, but somehow seeming much the same. Does life never change in the U.K?
I stuck with it because the writing was so good. I have been a fan of Livesay since EVA MOVES THE FURNITURE. But for a long time, I kept asking myself why
write
a novel so similar to such a famous one. Mistreated orphans, death at a
young age for a companion, finding satisfaction as a job well
done--being a governess, a romantic employer, flight, closure.And I can't tell you why this story eventually won me over. Again, the writing is superb and the blueprint from Charlotte Bronte is a winner. On the jacket, it claims to be an homage. But homages need to take flight on their own.
At some point, this book did and the pages turned faster and faster as I read into the night.
3 comments:
Oh, I've heard of this one, Patti, but not read it. I know what you mean, though, about stories winning you over eventually. Glad you enjoyed this in the end.
I have a weakness for pastiches that THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY skates pretty close to that genre. Good writing will always draw me in. A borrowed plot...I'll accept the "homage" explanation.
I am not even sure I have read Jane Eyre yet. I may have read it as a teen but don't remember it if I did. So I would want to read that first. But I will keep the author in mind because you say the writing is good, and that is important to me. I can put up with a lot if the writing is good.
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