The Cottingley Secret

A Novel

By: Hazel Gaynor

Narrated by: Karen Cass, Billie Fulford-Brown

The New York Times bestselling 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… 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?

The intergenerational relationships of mothers and daughters and grandmothers.

The back and forth of four generations was a little much for my enjoyment. The magical moments seemed a bit too repetitious.

Great book

Loved the different voices and accents. Loved the sweet story. Great family story to listen to as a family. I could visualize the fairies.

complete and heartwarming

My heart both broke and was restored anew with this story and hope was completely satisfied.

Enchanting

What a fun tale about fairies, family and believing. Makes me want to visit Cottingly.

Magical Tale

The Cottingley Secret vividly shares the story of wonder, and generations of strong women who kept faith through the most challenging circumstances.