The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson by Ellen Baker

Book BlurbIn 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. With Isabelle and the rest of the circus, Cecily finally feels she’s found the family she craves. But as the years go by, the cracks in her little world begin to show. And when teenage Cecily meets and falls in love with a young roustabout named Lucky, she finds her life thrown onto an entirely unexpected—and dangerous—course.

In 2015, Cecily is now 94 and living a quiet life in Minnesota, with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandson. But when her family decides to surprise her with an at-home DNA test, the unexpected results not only bring to light the tragic love story that Cecily has kept hidden for decades but also throw into question everything about the family she’s raised and claimed as her own for nearly seventy years. Cecily and everyone in her life must now decide who they really are and what family—and forgiveness—really mean.

Sweeping through a long period of contemporary history, The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is an immersive, compelling, and entertaining family drama centered around one remarkable woman and her determination to survive.

My Review
I was delighted to be invited to be part of the blog tour by Anne Cater and Mariner Books for The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson by Ellen Barker. Little did I know when I picked up this book how it would affect me, drawing me into the lives of the characters. Harper 360 have really published some amazing books recently, books that I may not have read but have fallen in love with.

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is very much a female led book, with the story of three generations of the same family. Cecily is ninety five, very independent until she has a fall that lands her in hospital. Her daughter Liz, recently widowed and granddaughter Molly recently divorced. All three of these women are navigating new waters, and trying to be strong for Cecily. Cecily’s story, as the title implies, is fascinating and emotional. She is left at a children’s home by her mother, sold to a circus at five where she performs at a circus before meeting her husband, a doctor and having a family. Cecily’s strength shines through as does the close relationship with her daughter and granddaughter who also face challenges in their life. Half way through the book is the story of Kate, recently widowed, her sister Lana and mother Clarissa. Clarissa, like Cecily was left at a childrens home before being adopted so knows nothing of her past, something that her daughter Lana struggles with as she looks different to her sister and mother. Both families take DNA tests and the results turn their lives upside down.

These wonderful female characters open the discussion of the importance of knowing where you come from, your heritage and what actually constitutes family; biology or those who care about you. Ellen Baker’s prose is beautiful, and perfectly paced that kept my attention through out. She captures the atmosphere of the circus, the mundane details and reality of that life in the 1930’s, and this fascinated me. I liked that the plot kept jumping back to Cecily’s life then and now covering ninety years of history that had me gripped, eager to find out what happened next. The multigenerational aspect worked well as each of the generations had different experiences and problems that were rooted in their particular period of time.

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is a stunning novel that tore at my heart strings and had me gripped. The characters were beautifully drawn with everyday problems that meant I empathised with them and felt I really knew them by the end of the book. This is everything I wanted from a book and more in characters and plot and I am now going to look for Ellen Baker’s previous books.