The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

March 27, 2025March 27, 2025 by onemoreexclamation

Welcome to the The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson by Ellen Baker book tour hosted by Suzy Approved Book Tours.

About The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson book cover

Title: The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

Author: Ellen Baker

Publisher : Mariner Books

Released: February 25, 2025

Find it: Amazon

Currently available: A special paperback edition with colored sprayed edges of this compelling multigenerational novel of survival, love, and the families we make.

In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago. She promises to return once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns. Shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she’s 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.

Book Blurbs

“A family secret, a DNA test, a journey as rich and colorful as the early-day circus itself. Through Cecily Larson’s hidden life, Ellen Baker tenderly examines personal determination, lost love, family ties, and our innate need to discover our own truth.” — Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A sprawling, beautiful delight of a novel spanning nearly a century as four generations gradually peel back the layers of long-buried family secrets that may just change everything. Ellen Baker weaves the intricacies of family dynamics into the complicated fabric of early 20th-century America, deftly tackling issues of race, identity, loss, and trauma through the story of a family you’ll be rooting for with all your heart. I immensely enjoyed this sweeping, heartrending, emotional roller coaster of a tale, which made me laugh, cry, and think about the true meaning of family.” — Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

“Unforgettable. Baker’s electrifying tale, a haunting testament to the complex intersections of familial bonds driven by a remarkable courage which can only be found in hope.” Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek Series

Review for The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

This book starts slow, but don’t give up. After learning all the characters, it moves right along. There is so much happening; you can’t get bored with history and secrets – ones that I can understand wanting to bury. It was easy to get lost between the covers as the life and times of the ‘30s came into play. From being placed at a children’s home to being sold to a circus, Cecily did not have an easy life. Then, a teenage love story lands her in a home for girls in “trouble”. Skipping to present day, a DNA test rocks everyone’s world, and we’re transported to the next twist. It was an enjoyable read and one I recommend.

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.

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