FefferBooks

I usually detest modernizations and retellings of classic literature, but this one received such high praise that I found myself, with trepidation, checking it out from the library. I am so glad I did. Gemma's tale is beautifully written. It follows the story of Jane Eyre in its main arc, but the details belong firmly to Gemma--enough so, that by the mid-point of the book, I was entirely unsure what would happen next. Even so, Livesey peppers the tale with little nods to Bronte in a way I found delightful. Gemma herself is recognizable as a Jane type: she is brave, fiercely independent, and extraordinarily bright. Livesey's prose is much the same. I was pleased with it all the way through, and will look for more of her writing in the future.