I loved Cecily! She is dropped off by her mother at age 4. Her mother is coming back for her when she can. She doesn't. Cecily is sold to the circus at age 7. This story of Cecily is a story of survival, secrets, drama, love and family. Secrets are revealed about her life and her family at age 94. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Another past meets the present in this colorful story. As a young child, Cecily’s mother leaves her at an orphanage, promising to come back for her. Several years later, she’s sold to a traveling circus to be the star’s “Little Sister”. At the circus, she finds a family of sorts. She falls in love with Lucky, who also works the circus. Theirs is a forbidden love and Cecily is sent away.

Years later, at the age of 96, with a happy life, a loving husband who has passed on, a daughter, grand daughter, and great grandson, it all comes back around. Her great grandson does a DNA test for a school project and throws into question everything everybody thought they knew about who they are.

This story tackles some important issues and is a story of survival, perseverance, and redemption. Beautifully written.

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is such an emotionally charged read. I was gutted by the story of Cecily’s life, growing up and entering into adulthood. I enjoyed the dual pov and timeline with Cecily and her daughter much later in life. When the book first switches to yet another storyline, I was a little confused at first and it was a little slow and less interesting. The way it all pulled together at the end, though, was beautiful. The story of family, adoption, mental health, dealing with discrimination and other emotional issues was everything I wanted from a book like this and haven’t found in other recent similar storylines. This book will give you all the feels and yet leaves you with hope and the feel good of a happily ever after.

I have posted this review on Amazon, Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6250277139

And Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C38XV5-gnhQ/?igsh=MXg0cG5kang4cWlqYg==

This one is a 3.5 for me. This story is a tale of secrets - family secrets. Told through multiple generations we delve into the lives of women that must give up a lot. It culminates in a family history project where DNA is sent into an ancestry site seeking to learn a bit more about the family. What they find are many secrets! Parts of the story developed slowly for me and that is why I only gave 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

Every family has its secrets, but Cecily Larson has a huge one. She has kept it for 80+ years. When her grandson does a school project involving DNA testing the secrets are out in the open. Cecily's early life, is now for her to tell her family. Her daughter is not her biological daughter. The child she though died is alive and has a family of her own. This is a multigenerational novel of love, loss, survival, and the families we make. Beautiful character development that draws you in. You are rooting for Cecily and all the character.

A young girl raised in the circus. Decades later, the scrotum comes full.circle when secrets are answered. Immersive, entertaining and with a tight plot tjat you don't want to end.

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is a dual time line novel that stretches over several generations. This story was a tangled web of "family skeletons in the closet" sort of drama. LOTS of drama! Cecily was a character that definitely brought out the emotions of heartbreak and the desire to help her. Her story gut wrenched me so many times throughout the pages...both in the past when she was young and in the present when she's old and having to face her life and choices....and even choices that weren't hers. This dual time line of heart breaking situations all lead to the dramatic conclusion as Cecily and her family grapple with life changing events. Why is her daughter, Liz, so different? What secrets are being kept by almost every character? Then that DNA test and the results that alter everyone's beliefs in who they are and where they came from.

This book was quite confusing for me to follow the characters and the time line. I felt somewhat lost keeping track of who, what, where, and when but Cecily's story kept me engaged wanting to know how it all ties together.

I want to thank Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.

What a great book for book clubs. This story covers so many areas for discussion. An orphan, Cecily is not adopted into a family but is purchased in the 1930's into a circus. We learn how she longs for a family, to be loved and her life in the circus as a very young child. She also keeps secrets. It's these secrets her family discovers impacts them all. When the grandson gets interested in his family's history and DNA samples are submitted to an ancestry data base, the secrets are reveled. There is family drama in present day and historical fiction in Cecily's past. I recommend this book for it's fascinating story line and the characters Ellen Baker develops.

I was intrigued by the circus setting of this book and upon the beginning, I thought I wouldn't like it. There's something about this story though that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once that won me over. I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style throughout which is the only reason I'm putting this as a 4 and not a 5. I loved the aspect of the plot being about gaps between generational stories and the tales we hide out of the hope for a better future for our families. It has quite a few trigger warnings for those who are curious but the story is so worth the read!

Have you ever been to the circus? I remember watching live broadcasts of circuses as a child, but I have never actually been to a circus. I visited the Circus World Museum in Baraboo Wisconsin which had some live shows. That is the closest I have got! If you have been to the circus, what is your favorite act?

Cecily Larson is a ninety-four-year-old woman and pillar of the community living in Itasca, Minnesota in 2015. After a fall, she finds herself bed bound and pondering her life. Should she tell her family the secret she has been keeping her entire life? As a four-year-old, Cecily was dropped off at an orphanage by her widowed mother who had a new boyfriend who did not want children. At age seven, she was bought by a man for a circus act and traveled the Midwest as one of the stars of the show. When she falls for a new roustabout in the circus in her teens, her life is about to change forever. How will her hidden life impact her family and herself?

• I could not put this book down. It was one that I just wanted to take time off work to finish reading.

• This book was described as the Orphan Train meets Water for Elephants, both books I greatly enjoyed. I agree with this assessment.

• I really liked how this was a family drama that goes through time. There was an overall mystery of Cecily’s life and I wanted to know how it all worked out. There is a lot of loss, heartbreak, and love in this novel.

• There are many different viewpoints over time. I liked this. Cecily, her daughter, and granddaughter all have viewpoints. Cecily has a viewpoint both in the past and in 2015. There is also a mysterious other viewpoint that comes in about halfway through the novel. I figured it out right away but was not quite sure of the details until I read further into the story.

• The main theme of this book was really about adoption, losing a child, being given away, babies being stolen, etc.

• The story really made me think about how DNA results can really change people’s lives and understanding of their own history.

• The story also made me really think about unwed mothers and how they were so badly treated in the past.

• I loved learning about Cecily’s time at the circus and how she learned to become an expert horse rider. There was a lot of abuse and a dark side to the circus. I loved how her mentor Isabelle protected her, but I was not prepared for when she turned on her at the end.

• I loved that the circus wintered in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, which is about forty minutes north of where I live. The circus made many stops in and around Wisconsin in familiar locations that were fun to read about.

Favorite Quote: “Cecily felt the collapse like it was her own hope – a thing she’d been carrying all these years without even realizing the weight of it.”

Overall, The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson was a riveting family drama and historical fiction novel that focused on adoption. I agree with the assessment that it is perfect for fans of The Orphan Train and Water for Elephants.

I loved this book so much! My daughter's name is Cecily, and I will admit that that was the initial reason I clicked on the link to read the description. But I also adore a tale told in various timelines, and learning about characters little by little as the story continues. And this one seemed completely magical, even if there wasn't an ounce of sci-fi or fantasy to it. It was just an enchanting tale about a fascinating woman's life, put together piece by piece like a puzzle. Family lineage, holes in the family tree, and the circus! Who wouldn't love that?? I fell in love with all of the characters in this one.

Cecily Larson had quite a life. She spent time in an orphanage, was purchased from the orphanage and sent to the circus. She never felt wanted. Told endlessly that her mother would come for her at the orphanage, betrayed by her "sister" in the circus she learned early on that if she didn't take care of herself no-one else would either. She fell in love at 15 but he didn't stay by her side either. Her life spans more than 90 years and this book brings it all to life. Originally told from Cecily's point of view, the book is also narrated by other family members. Easy to follow, the book is linear in time. I found this story to hold my interest and I was sorry when it was over. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher. This review is entirely my own opinion.

This was a delightful book about relationships, growing up and what secrets people will keep from their own families. It was a good read, it was a little hard to follow at times as there are several viewpoints that the story switches back and forth and then also two timelines. Overall i enjoyed the book and would recommend it to friends, i thank NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC!

I loved this book! It’s a well written story about love and families and loss and redemption.
This will be a good book to discuss with a book group.

I absolutely loved The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson, and I feel certain that it will be one of my top books of 2024. The premise of secrets being revealed due to DNA testing is so interesting to me, since I know several people who have learned things about their family because of results.
Cecily's family does DNA testing without her consent for a great-grandchild's science project, and all the secrets she has kept over her long, eventful life start spilling out. The way the story weaves itself together at the end is very satisfying. Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner, for the advance reader copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the eARC.

This book will break your heart. There is trauma, there is pain, there is so much to unpack. But it is worth the read for sure. There is a lot of drama in this book, perhaps not for everyone, but I adored it.

This was another slow burn novel for me. It seems to be the theme for my 2024 reading. There was a lot happening within the pages that made it hard to come back to when I had to stop reading. I’m thankful for the X-ray feature on my Kindle to help me keep up. In the end, I adored Cecily and her story.

Oh my. I’m not sure if I can describe how much I loved this book, this story. It was heartwarming, and sad, and horrible, and lovely. It reminded me of a blend of Tom Lake and Water for Elephants. Each character in this book was painted with such beauty, depth, and realism that it felt like it could be your family’s story. I loved every single bit of Cecily, from 4 years old to 94 years old. I also really appreciated that not everyone had a perfect ending. Because that’s not how the world works. I wish I could start all over again. 5 ⭐️

The story starts out on a sad note when Cecily's mother drops her off at an orphanage with a promise that she will return to pick her up. Eventually Cecily is sold to a traveling circus where life might be a little bit better. At the circus she appears to inherit a adopted big sister who teaches her the circus life and trains her to be the next big circus star as a bareback rider. The circus seems to be a glamours turn with all the animals, new noises and at least all the food you could ever want and quite the cast of characters. But over time the circus life does not stay so glamours. The story takes a twist when Cecily finds her first love. Unfortunately for her this is a forbidden love and there will be consequences.

This story jumps back and forth covering time when Cecily is young and, in the circus, and forward to when she is in her 90's and life throws a curveball when she breaks a hip. Along you follow the family of Cecily which covers three additional generations with each group dealing with their own trials and tribulations. The story starts to take a twist when Cecily's great grandson decides to present a DNA presentation at school. About a third of the way through the story takes a dramatic twist and it made me wonder where the story line was headed and made me wonder if this was necessary for the story line. But the author does a great job bringing it all together. This is definitely a five-star read in my opinion.

When the mother and grandmother get great-grandmother (the titular Cecily Larson)'s DNA sample without telling her they are working on the grandson's DNA project, well, they deserve to be surprised. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, another woman, fresh out of rehab, opens that same can of potential double-helix worms.

This debut novel keeps a lot of narrative balls in the air, tracing Cecily's early life in an orphanage and as a circus performer during the golden age of circus while also presenting the various complications in ensuing generations.

It's not at all a bad book, but I wasn't taken up with the story and found myself midstream trying to remember who was who. My fault as a reader, likely, but it kept me from truly loving this one.

Thanks NetGalley and Mariner Books for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.
(to amaz 2/20)