Gemma Hardy vs. Jane Eyre

By Kelsey A. Liebenson-Morse
Margot Livesey’s novel, The Flight of Gemma Hardy, is a bold and brave new adaption of Charlotte Bronte’s much beloved Jane Eyre. Being a devoted fan of Jane Eyre, it was with some trepidation I decided to try out Livesey’s novel (fearing the book would do nothing but tamper with my indelible image of Jane and Rochester locked in eternal love), but I was delighted to find the novel immensely readable, versatile, and true to the original, in the ways that matter, while also maintaining its own identity.
Livesey’s novel begins much like Bronte’s: cue in fiery young o...