The Cottingley Secret: A Novel

This book was simply magical. The story behind the Cottingley Fairies has always fascinated me and I was so excited when I won the GR giveaway for this book. Hazel Gaynor did a superb job of weaving the past and present together into a beautiful story of finding hope in a hopeless time and one woman's journey to self discovery.

If you are a fan of magical realism and historical fiction, I highly recommend reading this one

In the midst of war, two young girls find mystery and magic that will come to shake the world.

The Cottingley Secret, as the name hints, is a tale about the two young girls of Cottingley who photographer fairies on summer in the middle of the Great War. This story is actually two in one. Part follows Frances, as she recounts her experiences that summer via a manuscript. The other follows Olivia, who’s in Ireland after her grandfather passed. She has inherited his bookshop, Something Old, and his house. Olivia has also inherited Frances’ manuscript.

As she gets the shop in order, cleans out the house and puts it to market, and makes frequent visits to see her Nana, who lives in a faculty for dementia, Olivia rads the manuscript, and show more struggles to find herself. She's trapped in an impending marriage that she knows will fail. Can fairy magic of ages past help set Olivia free?

This book made me cry in several places. I empathize with Olivia, not having the chance to speak to her grandparents about their younger years. You always mean to, feel for sure there'll be time, and there is...til there isn't. I wish I had learned more of my grandmother's time growing up in a large family, of my grandfather's time during WWII, and Korea, of the young family that shaped my father's personality. All three are gone now, and that door has closed.

It is a book with the weight of history to it, for while Olivia’s story may not be part of our world, Frances and Elsie certainly were. I gained a greater appreciation for the historical dynamics behind why these photos garnered so much attention, and belief they were real was so strong. It gave me a greater understanding of why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle endorsed the photos, for I've always struggled to reconcile how the man who introduced us to Sherlock Holmes could bounce so far the other direction, from logic to whimsy.

People needed wonder, beauty, and innocence to cling to during/ after the Great War, and many found it in the notion of fairies. Yes, the photos may have been a hoax, but I believe Frances’ story, that she really saw something wondrous that summer. Something fragile and precious.

And it's what Olivia needed as well. She found courage and grace, and learned to trust her intuition. This saved her from a loveless marriage of 'safety’ on convenience. It allowed her to reclaim part of her lost heritage, as she learned of Mrs Hogan and Aisling. Sidenote- I love that the name Aisling was used. It is the Gaelic form of my Welsh-derived name- Aislynn. It means 'dream, vision’, and was so appropriate to this story.

Both stories were equally captivating, and I thoroughly lost myself reading this book. You are left to decide for yourself if the fairy magick is real. I believe!

(This would be a great book club reading choice, especially for historical fiction.)

***This book was reviewed for the Manhattan Book Review. show less

The story of the Cottingley fairies has fascinated me for years. I'm sure it is because Arthur Conan Doyle got involved by writing about and promoting the photographs created by the two girls in Yorkshire. Now I'm fascinated because of the other point of view, that of those girls. The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor has a dual plot -- one is historical and imagines an autobiography written by Frances Griffiths, the younger of the two cousins, explaining what they did and why and the other is that of a modern day bookshop owner, Olivia, who is reading the manuscript for the first time and finding her unexpected connection to it.

I am going to tell you something amazing about this book. Both the historical narrative and the modern day show more one? EQUALLY INTERESTING. While I was reading one, I was simultaneously getting excited to get back to the other one. Crazy, right? This hardly ever happens. Gaynor managed both eras perfectly and I truly cared about both Frances and Olivia (and many of their friends and family members). I don't want to spoil anything about the modern-day story but I was also impressed by how she closed out that story line. She didn't take the expected route and make everything tidy and I loved that. If there is an overarching message in this book, it is the fact that life isn't tidy and that there are grey areas in everything and many of us are just trying our best. Also, there just might be fairies in the world after all.

http://webereading.com/2017/08/new-release-cottingley-secret.html show less

Do you believe in fairies? In 1917, in the midst of World War I, two girls from Cottingley, England believed in fairies and had the whole world believing with them. Cousins Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright loved to play in the beck at the bottom of their garden and Frances began to see the magical creatures that have been rumored to live there. Fueled by the need for her family to believe, Elsie takes a staged picture with Frances and the fairies. The picture soon spreads and grabs the interest of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, making the girls and their fairies an international sensation. The two girl stuck to their stories of the pictures being real for decades. When the truth finally comes out, Frances shares her side of the story in a show more manuscript. One hundred years later, Olivia Kavanaugh finds Frances' manuscript at a turning point in her life. Olivia's grandfather has died, leaving her his antique bookstore, Something Old. When Olivia goes to the bookstore to get everything in order, she discovers the manuscript and begins reading Frances's story. Olivia also finds an interesting connection to Frances and her fairies in the manuscript along with the courage to make an important change in her life.

I have always loved a good fairy tale, and The Cottingley Secret provides one that very well might be real! This was a perfect mix of history with a dash of magic. I loved the dual story line and that as Olivia read Frances' tale of discovery. Olivia not only discovered strength within herself through Frances, but she was able to connect further with her grandmother and past generations of her family. I enjoyed that Frances and Olivia shared a connection, but not in an obvious way. The writing captured me and transported me back to Cottingley in 1917 in order to relive Frances' fairy tale, I had no trouble picturing the idyllic beck that Frances and Elsie played in or the glimpses of fairies that visited. I also had no trouble picturing the Something Old bookshop filled with stories waiting to be read or its mysterious fairy window. Most of all, I loved that this book was filled with women who changed people's minds and beliefs with their sense of wonder. Frances and Elsie managed to give the world hope at a time of despair while Olivia made strides for herself and began to revitalize her community. Overall, a wonderful story of hope, secrets and magic.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

"The Cottingley Secret" by Hazel Gaynor is one of those stories that stick with you long after you finish the last page. Bittersweet, haunting, enchanting, and magical are some of the words that come to mind when I think of this book. And, as a personal bonus for me, the theme of the book—the possibility of fairies being real—goes perfectly with the name of my blog!

"The Cottingley Secret" tells two stories. One is the story of Olivia, who lives in present-day Ireland. She inherits a bookshop and finds a manuscript written by one of the two girls involved the Cottingley fairy incident. As Olivia reads the manuscript, we are transported back to 1917 in Cottingley England and are told the story of two girls who supposedly discover show more fairies and “fool” the world. The story of the Cottingley fairies is based on a true story, which makes it even more fascinating.

The characters and the story are very well written. Olivia needs to find the little girl inside of her and believe in that person. I love the journey that Olivia's character goes through emotionally and the decisions she makes as she evaluates her life and who she is. The story in 1917 also deals with beliefs and emotions. Believing in fairies gives people hope during the war and people need something to believe in; if fairies and the photographs are real, then anything is possible, such as the war coming to an end. It is such a dark time that people love the story of the fairies and it becomes a sensation, to the extent that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of the Sherlock Holmes books) believes and writes an article on the girls and their fairies.

There are so many amazing themes and lessons that one can draw from "The Cottingley Secret." There is a theme of memories and still being the same person deep inside that you always were, even as a little girl and of believing in oneself. Ms. Gaynor's story brought to mind blissful memories of being of a little girl, believing in magic, and it encouraged me to find that little girl once again—to look at the world with wonder. I became so emotionally attached to this book that I didn't want it to end!

Tell me in the comments: Do you believe in fairies?

Content, Rating and Genre: This is a clean read. There are a few minor swear words. There is also a scene where characters get drunk. I give this book 5 stars! The genre is contemporary, historical, and women's fiction.

I want to thank Hazel Gaynor, William Morrow and Dey Street and Harper Collins Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. show less

Whimsical, lyrical, a pure delight, and I fell into this magical story just like Alice falling into the rabbit hole. It is 1917 and Nine year old Frances and her mother leave South Africa for Cottingley, England to stay with family while her father fights in the war. There she find a cousin, Elsie, 16 who introduces Frances to the Beck. Despite their age difference the girls become fast friends, it is here there are said to be fairies. Here they will take pictures that seem to prove it, pictures that will haunt the girls for many years, even bringing Arthur Conan Doyle into their sphere. This is of course all true, historical happenings and the two girls were very real people.

The made up portion of the story, 2017, O!ivias beloved show more grandfather has died, leaving her a dusty old bookstore in Ireland. I wish someone would leave me a dusty old bookstore, anywhere. In the bookshop she finds the pages of the girls story, but how are they connected to her?

Beautiful, beautiful words, passages, fairies and magical happenings such as this
"I think the books come alive at night when the shop is closed and the lights are turned out, I think they open their covers and fan out their pages like wings and start to fly. Imagine it. Hundreds of books, flapping their pages, soaring and swooping because they're so alive with stories they can't possibly sit still on the shelf."

How can one not find that magical? Makes me smile. Plus, this is one of only a few with dual story lines where I enjoyed and liked them both. Took me back to a time of childhood, imagination and play, when time was meaningless. The authors note is so special, includes the facts and the photographs. Also, something that surprised but is a fantastic addition. Loved everything about this one.

ARC from edelweiss. show less

The Cottingley Secret cements Hazel Gaynor’s position as one of my favorite authors. I loved The Girl Who Came Home and A Memory of Violets, and The Cottingley Secret is equally outstanding. For years I have been fascinated with the English girls, Elise Wright and Frances Griffiths, who in 1917 claimed they photographed fairies in their backyard and the resulting notoriety they achieved. While I was familiar with the basic facts of the event, Gaynor recreates their story and fills in the details including that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed the photographs were authentic and helped spread their tale to the rest of England.

Gaynor tells the tale in a dual timeline format which works very well for The Cottingley Secret. Olivia lives in show more the present day and, after the recent loss of her grandfather, returns to Ireland to manage the book shop she inherited, called Something Old, and attempt to straighten out her own life. She finds a manuscript written by Frances Griffiths and slowly becomes fascinated with the girls’ fairy tale (see my pun there?). The second story begins in 1917 when Frances and her mother come to stay with Elsie and her family during the Great War. The girls form a close bond and enjoy spending time down at the beck where Frances believes she sees fairies. She eventually confides in Elsie who concocts the idea that the girls should photograph the fairies, and the tale takes off from there – I cannot say anymore because I do not want to spoil this beautiful story. The two storylines eventually intertwine in a highly satisfying manner. I was amazed at the depth of the tale and fascinated that Gaynor was able to meet and speak at length with Frances’ daughter. I loved immersing myself in this enchanting and intriguing tale and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a feel good and magical book. I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thoughts’ Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own. show less