Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Cottingley Secret

By: Hazel Gaynor
Narrated by: Karen Cass, Billie Fulford-Brown
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.49

Buy for $22.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author of The Girl Who Came Home turns the clock back 100 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 best seller 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?

©2017 Hazel Gaynor (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Cottingley Secret

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    305
  • 4 Stars
    114
  • 3 Stars
    45
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    7
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    332
  • 4 Stars
    76
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    270
  • 4 Stars
    98
  • 3 Stars
    42
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story

Being once a young girl with fire red hair who had a vast collection of faerie figurines and books throughout my childhood, this book filed my heart. It is a beautiful story and the narration is perfect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved the wild imagination

I loved this book and the narrators were fabulous. It was an easy listen. It must have taken place near to where I am from and loved to hear of the locations.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

complete and heartwarming

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Magical Tale

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely listen!

Lovely listen...great narration for an intriguing story - I really didn't want it to end!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly splendid!

From the start of the book, I knew in my bones, that this was going to be a fantastic book! When I get that feeling, it becomes a very slow listen, as I want to take in every detail of Ms. Gaynor's intricate writing. And also, I do not want the book to end.

Oh and the narration is so wonderful! I love the soothing tones of both narrators.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved this book so much.

I loved the whimsical story about the fairies. I loved how the two stories meet each other in the end. I loved the characters. I loved this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Bright Moment of Positivity

I picked up this story on a recommendation from Pinterest. At the time I've listened to it, a lot is going on in the world. I'd hoped it would be a spot of happiness and the little bit of hope I needed. I can't recommend this story enough nor the performances in the narration. Its story is one of hope, love gained, love lost, and confidence in oneself. If you're looking for an escape that is still somehow beautifully grounded, I highly recommend The Cottingley Secret.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful