Picture a Scottish storyteller who spun a modern Jane Eyre into a captivating tale—meet Margot Livesey! Born in the rugged Highlands, this acclaimed novelist and educator has enchanted readers with her psychologically rich stories, blending mystery, magic, and the intricacies of human connection. From her bestselling The Flight of Gemma Hardy to her haunting The Road from Belhaven, Livesey’s work invites us into worlds where ordinary lives pulse with extraordinary depth.
The Making of Margot Livesey
Margot Livesey grew up in a unique setting: a boys’ private school in the Scottish Highlands, where her father taught and her mother, Eva, served as the school nurse. Losing her mother at age two and her father in her early twenties, Livesey’s early life was marked by loss, shaping her empathetic lens on human relationships. After earning a BA in English and philosophy at the University of York, she spent her twenties in Toronto, waitressing and honing her craft. Her first story, “Someone Else’s,” appeared in Prism International in 1976, and by 1986, her debut collection, Learning by Heart, announced her as a literary force.
Margot Livesey’s Unforgettable Stories
Livesey’s novels are tapestries of psychological depth, often laced with subtle supernatural elements and intricate character studies. The Flight of Gemma Hardy (2012), a New York Times bestseller, reimagines Jane Eyre in 1950s Scotland, following orphan Gemma’s quest for identity and love with lyrical prose and a feminist twist. Eva Moves the Furniture (2001), inspired by her mother’s life, weaves a poignant tale of a woman shadowed by ghostly companions, blending the mundane with the mystical. The House on Fortune Street (2008), with its four interwoven narratives, explores love and betrayal through literary lenses like Keats and Brontë, earning the L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award. Her latest, The Road from Belhaven (2024), captivates with Lizzie Craig, a clairvoyant navigating love and loss in 19th-century Scotland, praised for its “mesmerizing spell” by The Boston Globe.
Her style—elegant, introspective, and rhythmic—delves into themes of memory, identity, and transformation. Livesey’s knack for grounding magical elements in everyday life makes her stories both relatable and otherworldly, earning comparisons to Claire Keegan and Alice Munro.
Why Margot Livesey Matters
Margot Livesey’s impact extends beyond her novels. As a professor at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she’s shaped countless writers, her teaching as generous as her prose. Her fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Radcliffe Institute reflect her literary stature. Livesey’s ability to weave personal loss into universal stories resonates deeply, offering readers a lens on resilience and the human heart. Her work, celebrated by critics and readers alike, continues to inspire those who crave stories that linger like a Highland mist.
- Born: 1953 in the Scottish Highlands
- Key Works: The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Eva Moves the Furniture, The Road from Belhaven
- Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship, NEA Fellowship, L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award
- Current Role: Professor at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop
About Margot Livesey
Snag The Flight of Gemma Hardy or The Road from Belhaven and dive into Margot Livesey’s spellbinding world of literary magic!