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The Cottingley Secret
The Cottingley Secret
Author: Hazel Gaynor
The author of The Girl Who Came Home turns the clock back one hundred years to a time when two young girls from Cottingley, Yorkshire, convinced the world that they had done the impossible and photographed fairies in their garden. Now, in her newest novel, international bestseller Hazel Gaynor reimagines their story. — 1917...  more »… 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?
ISBN-13: 9780062499844
ISBN-10: 006249984X
Publication Date: 8/1/2017
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 21

4.1 stars, based on 21 ratings
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 22
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

RockStarGirl avatar reviewed The Cottingley Secret on + 329 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I had seen the photos of the Cottingley fairies but never knew the story behind them. This book was a lovely way to blend fact with fiction and tell the sweet tale of two young cousins who just wanted their families to believe in fairies. They had no way of knowing that the world would see their photographs and they would become so popular and the subject of great debate. The story alternates between the present and the past as Olivia, a fictional modern day character, tries to piece together the connection between her Nana and these famous girls. Olivia has just inherited her grandfather's bookshop, a treasure trove of antique books and memories, many of them to do with fairies and Cottingley. This project is the last chance she has to learn about her family's past, as her Nana is very ill. It's a very pleasant read with wonderful locations that make you long to be there. The pace is slow and steady but worth the time. Very heartwarming.
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