Book Review: The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

When I heard about Margot Livesey’s new book, The Flight of Gemma Hardy, on Library Journal’s Book Buzz I could hardly contain myself.  Harper Publishers billed it as a modern retelling of Jane Eyre.  I am a Charlotte Bronte addict.  She is one of my favorite writers, surpassed by only a few.  I have had the internal debate about Edward Rochester so many times that I cannot say for sure whether he is a hero, a would-be villain, or both.  The passion and intensity between Edward Fairfax Rochester and his reticent governess, however, cannot be denied.  I hoped for the same from Gemma and her employer, Mr. Sinclair.  Although there are some similarities between the stories, I do not think Ms. Livesey’s book was actually helped by the comparison.   Gemma’s story does have some mystery, but it is not gothic.  There is never a hint that there is danger roaming about.  The narrative never generates a feeling of ominous anticipation. I kept turning the pages in the hope that my craving for intensity would be satisfied.  I kept wondering where it was.  I liked Gemma and I liked Mr. Sinclair.  She overcame hardship and propelled herself to a better position in life as Jane did.  Mr. Sinclair was always kind.  He was very likeable.  I don’t know why this is a bad thing, except that Rochester was not always kind.  He was brusque, rude and temperamental one moment and kind, perceptive and charming the next.  He took Jane on an emotional roller-coaster that was constantly threatening to soar when in reality it was taking a plunge.  There was none of this emotional uncertainty between Mr. Sinclair and the young Miss Hardy.  Mr. Sinclair did have a secret, and when Emma learned it, she fled. But I was not convinced that her flight was actually necessary.  It seemed born of petulance more than of moral necessity.   

I did enjoy the book.  The section prior to Emma going to school is wonderful.  I love the relationship that develops between Emma and her uncle.  Her experience at the school is interesting as well--the characters here are engaging and for the most part, more complete than those that Bronte sketched.  I also loved the exploration of Emma's parents' histories.  Margot Livesey's writing is impeccable as always, but I think the constant comparison to Jane Eyre tainted my enjoyment of it and made it seem lackluster. In my opinion, the relationships here cannot be compared to those in Bronte's novel. Even the relationships Emma forms after leaving Blackbird Hall are not as intense (that is the only word that will fit!) as the connections she makes to her cousins; and St. John Rivers would have looked really good compared to the corresponding character in the modern novel. I would have taken more pleasure in it had it stood on its own merit—except for Gemma’s flight itself; in her flight, she becomes exactly what it is she is fleeing from.  Perhaps that happens with most, if not all, idealists.