Flight of Gemma Hardy / Margot Livesey / 443 pages

Set in the 1950's and 60's in Scotland and Iceland, this is the story of Gemma Hardy, an orphan raised by a devoted Uncle who dies in an accident and leaves her in the hands of a resentful, cruel Aunt and three awful cousins.  Gemma, a very determined young girl who feels terribly alone in the world, is accepted at age 10 in a boarding school where she is treated as a lowly servant.  After the school closes shortly before she is 18 and can sit for the exams to enter university, she finds a job as an au pair in the isolated Orkney Islands.  The mysterious master of Blackbird Hall, Hugh Sinclair, pursues her and Gemma determines she must find out who she really is before she can make any commitments.  It's a very satisfying Cinderella and Jane Eyre story beautifully written.  The settings are wonderfully described.  The characters interesting.  A good story.