The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

Gemma Hardy is a sort of updated version of Jane Eyre. We have an orphan, a cruel aunt, a grim boarding school, a sickly friend, a job as a  nanny for a rich man with a niece--you get the drift. It moves right along but you can predict a lot of what's going to happen if you've read J.E. I don't mind updating a classic. But I had a hard time remembering that it was supposed to be set in the 1950s and 60s (and not the 1800s), particularly during Gemma's childhood. Every once in a while a comment about space travel or a Herman's Hermits song would pop up and it was kind of jarring. I also had issues with the character of Mr. Sinclair (aka Mr. Rochester). He doesn't spend much time with Gemma before he's inexplicably madly in love with her and trying to rush her into marriage. And when his "big secret" comes out on his wedding day, it doesn't seem like such a game changer (not like having an insane wife in the attic), so Gemma's decision to flee seems a little extreme. While it's not a bad book, you're probably better off sticking with the original.