The Cottingley Secret-Review
Author: Hazel Gaynor
Published: Aug 2017 Publisher: HarperAudio Format: Audiobook
Narrated by: Karen Cass and Billie Fulford-Brown
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical fiction, based on true events
Synopsis:
1917… It was inexplicable, impossible, but it had to be true—didn’t it? When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, claim to have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when one of the great novelists of the time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, becomes convinced of the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a national sensation, their discovery offering hope to those longing for something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war. Frances and Elsie will hide their secret for many decades. But Frances longs for the truth to be told.
One hundred years later… When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story it tells of two young girls who mystified the world. But it is the discovery of an old photograph that leads her to realize how the fairy girls’ lives intertwine with hers, connecting past to present, and blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, can Olivia find a way to believe in herself?
My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5 stars)
I bought this audiobook because it reminded me of a beloved movie that my daughter and I used to watch together when she was little, called FairyTale: A True Story (1997). It turns out that The Cottingley Secret is loosely based on those same true events. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a part of both stories and true events. Fairies and Conan Doyle (affectionately called ACD in this book)? What more could I ask for?—there’s also a bookstore in Ireland, a found manuscript, and a bookstore cat 😊
Trope: Dual Timeline-WWI era England and modern day Ireland
I really enjoyed this book, the characters and both settings were amazing, as was the writing. The pacing was perfect, and the author truly captures the emotions, worries, and hopes of the period. I’m also in love with the modern-day village in Ireland and hope that this will end up being a series. I want to see more of Olivia and her bookshop.
The audiobook was narrated charmingly by Karen Cass and Billie Fulford-Brown. It was very well done and they seamlessly switched back and forth between the two narrators.
I highly recommend this book! Anyone else as obsessed with the idea of garden fairies as I am?
Please comment-I’d love to hear what you thought of this book, too! Happy Reading!~Renee
