In 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.
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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
If I said this book was epic, I would mean that literally. It takes place over two timelines, following Cecily as a child and teenager, and then in 2015, when she is 94 and we meet her family. Her daughter Liz is a potter. She is widowed and has two children, Molly and Eric (who is away all the time), and a grandson Caden. Now I struggled to warm to Liz. She’s quite prickly and judgemental, but I did love Molly, divorced from husband Evan, but obviously still in love with him. Caden plays hockey at almost Olympic level and is studying genetics at school. It took me some time to get my head around all these people.
I loved the story of Cecily as a child. Having been abandoned at an orphanage by her mother, who promises to return within a year but never does, she is sold into the circus where she performs as a bareback rider, the ‘“little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde.’ She performs with the circus until at 15 she meets a roustabout named Lucky, and they fall in love. But Lucky is Black and not only was that frowned upon, it was actually a criminal offence to have a relationship with a person of colour and could result in imprisonment or worse. The level of racism and prejudice is astonishing, even though I shouldn’t be remotely surprised.
So was the treatment of women who became pregnant out of wedlock. They were sent to a house of correction and considered “…feebleminded, cause they say only feebleminded girls do it.” Therefore ‘Cecily was incorrigible, a transient, a sex delinquent …a complete psychopath …a certain prostitute and potential murderess.’ Not much different to the UK and Ireland at this time.
Then about half way through we meet Kate, her younger sister Lana and their mother Clarissa and I wondered who they were and what was the connection to Cecily? This was a bit confusing until little clues started to evolve.
A tiny bit slow to start while we get to know all the characters, but it’s a fantastic book and highly recommended as a holiday read, though you may find yourself angry at the attitudes of the time, and sad (in a good way) when it all comes together.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Ellen Baker is the author of Keeping the House and I Gave My Heart to Know This. She has worked as a bookseller and event coordinator at an independent bookstore. Originally from the Upper Midwest, she currently lives in Maine.
