The Cottingley Secret

Description

The New York Times bestselling author turns the clock back to a time when two young girls convinced the world that fairies really did exist... Cottingley, Yorkshire, 1917: When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright, announce they have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when the great novelist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, endorses the photographs' authenticity, the girls become a sensation; their discovery offering something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war. One hundred years later: When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript and a photograph in her late grandfather's bookshop it sparks a fascination with the story of the two young girls who mystified the world. Delving deeper into the past, and the truth behind an innocent game that became a national obsession, Olivia begins to question her own beliefs. And as she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, will Olivia find a way to believe in herself?

Hazel Gaynor is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Memory of Violets and The Girl Who Came Home, for which she received the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. Her third novel, The Girl from the Savoy, was an Irish Times and Globe & Mail Canada bestseller, and was shortlisted for the BGE Irish Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year. In 2017, she has published The Cottingley Secret and Last Christmas in Paris. Hazel was selected by US Library Journal as one of 'Ten Big Breakout Authors' for 2015 and her work has been translated into several languages. Hazel lives in Ireland with her husband and two children.

Praise for The Cottingley Secret 'Enchanting, magical... This book reminds us that we are never too old to believe in magic.' Carmel Harrington 'Perfect fireside read' Sunday Independent 'This is a gorgeous, uplifting, magical book that will have you hooked from the start.' Gill Paul author of The Secret Wife 'I adored The Cottingley Secret ... an enchanting and enthralling tale of childhood magic.' Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale 'An artful weaving of old legends with new realities' Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker 'Brings the mystery of the Cottingley Fairies thrillingly to life' Kate Forsyth author of Bitter Greens 'A magical journey in perfect prose' Books Ireland Praise for Hazel Gaynor: 'Addictive, charming and gleaming with Jazz Age glitz' The Lady 'Sumptuous, gorgeous, authentic and surprising, Hazel Gaynor has written another hit.' Sunday Independent 'Peopled with unforgettable characters...Once begun, I dare you to put it down.' Kathleen Tessaro, author of The Perfume Collector