The Flight of Gemma Hardy / Margot Livesey 447 p.

I don't have a lot to add to Linda's post on this novel. I agree with her that the story would almost have worked better as a stand-alone, rather than a re-working of Jane Eyre. (Although it wouldn't have gotten as much press, I bet.) On the one hand, Gemma is more accessible and less masochistic than Jane, which comment I know may upset some Jane Eyre fans at UCPL. On the other, modernizing Rochester into Mr. Sinclair and giving him a believable 20th century secret rather than a madwoman in the attic sort of deflates him. Gemma's story as an individual is great: her search for her parents' history in Iceland, her boarding school experiences, and her love of nature are novel-worthy in their own right.