The Cottingley Cuckoo

In 1920 a series of photos of fairies captured the attention of the world. The photos had been taken by two young girls, the cousins Frances Griffith and Elsie Wright, while playing in the garden of Elsie's Cottingley village home 🧚‍♀️

I've seen this book classed as a horror, I'd call it more of a historical chiller because it wasn't scary as such. The story of the Cottingley fairies has always fascinated me, even though I know it was all fake, so when I saw this book I had to read it & I'm so glad I did. It was a great read, unputdownable & the storyline really pulled you in.

Just who is elderly care home resident Charlotte Favell, are her ageing letters, insistant on their proof of the Cottingley fairies, real or fake? These are just some of the things that young carer Rose begins to question, the further she is drawn into Charlotte's web, full of Changelings, fairies & folklore

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

The cover is amazing and I will read almost anything about the Cottingley fairies so win win

The mystery is well known but this book takes that further and really delves into the dark side of the mystery and the reasons behind it. I thought this mystery was really well done and explored parts of the true life mystery that others haven't

If you're interested in the fairy story and want a bit more than this is for you'

'I want to see my mum, just once, for a little while, I want to tell her that this can't be me; I'm not ready'

I've previously loved Elwood's horror novels, written as Alison Littlewood, and was intrigued to see this one which moves only slightly different ground (maybe that's behind the different name?)

Rose is a young woman who has dropped out of university, at first to care for her dying mother but then to make a home with Paul (who her mother disapproved of). Now, although she's found work at the Sunnyside Care Home and seems to have dropped any idea of resuming her degree, she still dreams of "getting out", living in 'a house in a forest, a turret reaching up amid the branches, a circular room lined with shelves where I'll keep my mother's books. That's what Paul says he loves about her - that she "believes". But instead, Rose becomes increasingly obsessed, her belief engaged, with the intimidating Mrs Favell, a woman who seems almost like a tourist at the Home, and with the story, told in a batch of letters, which Favell lets her read.

That story takes us back to the 1920s, and to the nearby town of Cottingley where a couple of young girls (Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright) claimed to have photographed fairies - claims (and photographs) which were taken seriously in an age before Photoshop, including by the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, a noted Spritualist and believer in the supernatural.

The letters tell of another family in Cottingley, the Fentons, one subject to a bizarre chain of misfortunes and inexplicable events, in which Lawrence Fenton tries to interest Sir Arthur.

Gradually, Rose begins to suspect Charlotte Favell of being the Charlotte of the letters. And as Rose discovers herself unexpectedly pregnant, apparently cementing her place with Paul, she begins to see her life through the lens of the letters which Favell teasingly doles out, one at a time. Rose comes to believe that she is living through similar, fairy-haunted episodes to those described one hundred years before.

I have to say, I found this book just incredibly good, so powerful and so true. Elwood has captured, in the same story, two apparently very different narratives, deriving form very different times and manners. Rose is wonderful, though sad, depiction of a young woman who just seems to have got lost. She's hardly over the grief of her mother's death - not over it, in fact - when Paul moves in on her. I don't think we're meant to dislike Paul, really, but I found it hard to not regard him as a real snare for Rose. Then she has the misfortune to cross paths with Mrs Favell, a clever, mysterious woman who certainly has secrets and perhaps, answers. There is then, at the very least, a powerful sense of enchantment, perhaps a kind of Mesmerism, between the two.

And then - pregnancy, birth, the extreme stress of a young child. O Rose. I so felt for Rose in struggling to come to terms with these, with the doubts about everything - herself, her child. Newborns are hard work. So much about Rose, to me, seemed to be flashing warnings that she needed help, and it's here that Elwood really gets going, producing a glorious, emotionally rending and deeply ambiguous story that leaves you not knowing if Rose's suspicions about her son Alexander - she fears he is a changeling - are symptoms of her mental state, or insights generated by it, or perhaps both.

All the themes that follow - life and death, the strange existence of a being that owes its whole basis to your care and nourishment, the grief of a mother whose daughter have gone from her and a daughter whose mother is gone - wrap around this. Rose's pregnancy is the time she needs, wants her mother most. The descriptions of scans, of the birth and its aftermath so cleverly and affectingly combine a matter of fact, objective depiction of what happened with a sense of the gulf of unsatisfied feelings that lies beneath it ('I realise they're waiting for me to do it - to be a mother')

You can read the story as one of obsession and delusion, or as one of violation and cruelty. It's full of opposites clinging to one another: the obsession, hanging over from the Victorians, of fairies as dainty little beings of beauty and light, contrasting with folkloric amoral, cruel creatures. The desire to possess what one loves, distorting and eventually maiming or killing it. And much more. The narrative becomes tricky, Rose perhaps a not completely reliable narrator, not even to herself - does she really not know what become of the fairytale books from among her mother's collection? 'Did they vanish into the air? ... Was the memory even true...?' Later Rose will doubt more than this as gaps open up in her reality, prompting her to recall those whose brief stays in Fairyland lasted years in our time.

This book is... oh, it's so sad, so human. Rose and Paul are, in a real sense, talking past one another. Of the two, Rose is I think the deeper, the more thoughtful, but she is suffering for it. Perhaps they might have been able to resolve that but the baby comes along and shifts the dynamic. Rose suspects Paul of having muddled her Pill to bring this about, a mystery that's never returned to but a sign either of basis mistrust on her part or of unforgivable duplicity on his - not a firm basis for a relationship either way.

So this book is in a sense an unravelling, a disenchantment, at the same time as it explores all the ways that, and the extent to which, we wish to be enchanted, to believe, or perhaps, to find and possess someone who does themselves believe - with all that harm that will follow from that possession.

It is not a horror story. It is a horror story. It's just amazing.

I can’t quite remember how I came across this book but I am so glad I did. Maybe it was the fairies and changelings calling for me but whatever it was I knew instantly that this was my kind of book. There is something about fairies that always pulls me in. There is something about this book that is quite mesmerising and melancholy. The story is brilliantly written, it really is a perfect dark and mysterious, and slightly chilling, fairytale for adults. It’s touches of superstition and folklore create an intense atmosphere that keeps you reading until the end. The story brilliantly entwines the well known story of the Cottingley fairies and brings them to life. The two main characters of Rose, who is dissatisfied with her life, and the smart but sinister Mrs Favell are both created perfectly. This book is definitely a recommended read for 2021.

Possible spoilers

I very much enjoyed this.
Totally drawn in by the letters about fairies and the not so sweet old lady,having finished the book,I'm still not sure what was real and what was not.
Mrs Favell is a complete mystery,can she actually read minds,or is she just very perceptive? Shes definitely a nasty piece of work whatever.
Theres a lot of that in the book,and the not knowing makes you turn the pages faster to find out more.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a much darker read than I initially expected and that is just one of the aspects that completely drew me into this book. I was sneaking chapters of it between everyday responsibilities because I was entirely captivated by Rose and the mysterious Mrs. Favell. I really liked Rose and was endeared to her very early on when we see that she has much larger dreams than the life that she is having to live. Whilst she keeps telling herself it’s only temporary you can’t help but wonder if she will have to give these dreams up for other responsibilities. Additionally, the fact that she is new at Sunnyside care home also made her feel relatable. Most people know what it’s like to be new at a job, not quite sure of where you fit and you have yet to get a good read on those around you.

From the moment she starts her new job you’re aware that there’s something different about resident Charlotte Favell. The other staff at Sunnyside all seem to be in on an inside joke around Mrs. Favell, one that Rose isn’t privy to. At first, she appears to be a cold, and bitter old woman, one who seems to take a liking to Rose to the amusement of the other members of staff. I was fascinated by Mrs. Favell and her strange behaviour; how at one point you think you understand her but then something else may call that into question. I loved the way Elwood subtly illustrated how much of an imposing and influential figure she was. How easy it is to be drawn in by Mrs. Favell once she sets her sights on you.

I loved how mysterious this plot was and how it gradually evolved throughout the novel. Although it was a little slow to begin with, as soon as the plot and the history of the characters began to unravel the pace started to quicken, especially in the second part of the novel. What starts as an enchanting and magical read, starts to take a darker turn. I felt it was very reminiscent of original fairytales: how, on the surface, they appear to be a tale of magic but hide something far more unsettling underneath. I enjoyed how the novel would change from Rose’s perspective to the letters from Mr. Fenton to Mr. Gardener regarding his discoveries. I like how it felt that with each one we were getting closer to solving the mystery of what was going on. Additionally, I thought it was very effective to tell the story in this way as it makes it far more understandable why Rose is as taken with the story and with Mrs. Favell as she is. Having the letters tell the story of the past rather than Mrs. Favell gives more of a feeling of truth behind it.

Overall, I loved this novel and the amount of depth it had with both plot and the characters. This story enchants its readers and will have them thinking about the book long after you’ve read the spine-chilling final line.

The Cottingley Cuckoo has an overwhelming sense of menace throughout, and the ending left me feeling there was a dark undercurrent to events that should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, it took such a long time to get to a point where things began to click that I feel its impact was unfairly lessened.
Our main character, Rose, finds herself working in a care home. We get the impression she is a somewhat reluctant participant in her life in this little village with her partner. The first part of the book sets up the character of Rose and introduces us to Charlotte Fenton, an elderly resident in Sunnyside care home that Rose is asked to work with.
Little details suggest Mrs Fenton is not our stereotypical old lady. She is acerbic and unsettles Rose, though we don’t work out why initially. As part of her job, Rose is asked to read to Mrs Fenton. Piece by piece Rose is given letters to read that focus on a long-ago story of faeries, people being duped, uncertainty over events that have taken place and horrific events that are alluded to.
When Rose learns she is pregnant she is faced with the presence of Mrs Fenton’s daughter, Harriet. Something shifts at this point in the story and Rose becomes embroiled in the events alluded to in the letters. I found it hard to determine whether I was reading a fantasy story about fairies or a more contemporary exploration of post-natal depression. Both elements are given time and yet the ending left so many questions unanswered that I found it ultimately frustrating.
I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me access to this prior to publication.

The Cottingley Cuckoo is the latest novel from Alison Littlewood, writing here under the pen-name A.J. Elwood; and much like some of her previous works, deals with fairies, and the events that occurred in the village of Cottingley in the early 1900's.


The story takes place in the modern day, where we follow Rose, a young woman who's just started working at the Sunnyside residential home as a carer. Rose describes herself as a 'believer' and through her narration we learn that care work isn't really a calling for her, and is simply a job to help her on her way to bigger and better things. She's had to put some of her ambitions on hold due to the loss of her mother, and supporting her unemployed boyfriends as the sole earner, but is determined that Sunnyside is going to be nothing more than a stop along the way for her.

On her first day there she's sent to attend to Mrs Favell, one of the residents at the home. Unlike the others, Mrs Favell seems incredibly independent; she's in apparently good health and doesn't seem to have any mental health issues. She's definitely out of place. She's also cold, stern, and incredibly incisive. She very quickly gets under Rose's skin, especially when she reveals a stack of old letters that seem to hint that the famous fairy hoax might have had some truth to it.

Rose is slowly drip fed the letters by the older woman, who seemingly starts to manipulate Rose. When Rose discovers she's pregnant her dreams of being able to move on from her work as a carer begin to evaporate before her eyes, especially when her partner is unable to find work. The letters that Rose lets her read begin to convince Rose that there may be more going on that she first suspects, and when strange things start to happen around her baby she comes to believe that not only might the fairy world be real, but that it has her family in its sights.

I had a lot of fun reading The Cottingley Cuckoo, due in large part to how the story was teased out. The two narratives, the one of Rose in the modern day and the letters regarding a fairy encounter in the 1920's, intertwined really well, and the old letters always impact Rose's story whenever they appear. The content of the letters could have easily been a story themself, and it's a narrative that's at times more intruiging than the rest of the book. This was in part down to Rose.

I liked Rose, she seemed like a nice person, though one who never really felt truly in control. She seems content to go through her life allowing things to happen to her, despite having desires to go on to do other things with her life. She wants to leave care work, but she never makes it clear what she'd prefer to do instead. She doesn't want to live in her town all her life, yet never really makes a point of where she'd want to be instead. She had vague ambitions, but does nothing to achieve them; and this is made even worse by her seeming willingness to allow others to push her around.

There are times in the book where Rose very much feels like a victim. Her colleagues at work don't show any interest in her, and some are even hostile towards her. She doesn't seem to have much say in her home life either, and after her child is born she quickly caves into her partners desire for her to go back to work and be the sole wage earner whilst he gets to be a stay at home father, simply because he doesn't seem to want to try finding work. That in itself isn't a bad thing, but when she's coming home from a long day's work and having to clear up his mess from the day because he hasn't done anything, or is having the baby left with her because he wants to go to the pub it does become quite irritating. I wanted Rose to stand up for herself, to take charge of her life, but she never seemed to have the self respect to do that.

Mrs Favell proved to be a much more interesting character by far, and there were times during the book that I wanted to spend longer with her, to see how she interacted with people. I wanted to know if she was the way she was with everyone, or if she was making a thing of tormenting this one woman. Unfortunately, you don't get a lot of answers in this book, and even come the end you're left to make your own mind up about what's really happening. Is Rose being tormented by the fairy folk, or is there a more natural explanation to everything? I honestly couldn't tell you, and that not knowing and coming to your own conclusion is a big part of the fun of this book.

The Cottingley Cuckoo isn't perfect, but there's a lot of good things in this book, a lot of mystery and atmosphere, and a lot of possibility. If you're a fan of fairies and their world it's definitely a story you should give a try.

I remember seeing the photographs of the Cottingley fairies when I was young, and wanting to believe that fairies did really exist. I also remember that the girls, Frances and Elsie, who took the photographs finally admitted in the 80s that they were faked.

This story centres around fairies, but also around our perceptions. The darkness builds, as you begin to wonder what is real and whether you are being fooled and there are changelings everywhere.

Rose works at a care home, and is introduced to a resident, Charlotte Favell, who draws her into a story by providing a series of letters written about the Cottingley fairies. The result implants into Rose's mind a series of fantasies, as she comes to believe Mrs Favell is not what she appears, and has designs on her child. The threat and sense of impending doom build up during the book, making the hairs on the back of your head stand up!

It is cleverly written, and an unusual read - both fantastic and psychological, as you wonder if Rose is having a breakdown, or really is in contact with the fairy world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.