882:
198:. In the letter Fenton says that he, his daughter-in-law, Charlotte, and his seven-year-old granddaughter, Harriet have also seen and photographed fairies. He further states that they found a dead fairy and took it home as proof of their existence. Even though, many years later, Griffiths and Wright's photographs were revealed to be fakes, Rose is captivated by the letter and its implications.
454:, in particular the way it addresses "a difficult part of motherhood that isn't often talked about", she said the book "just doesn't bowl me over". Deeming stated that Rose is underdeveloped, making the character difficult to empathise with, and said she did not enjoy Elwood's literary style, in particular the book's ambiguous ending, which she felt "just didn't work for me".
229:, and Rose wonders whether Charlotte wrote those letters herself in an attempt to explain what had happened to her. But Rose dismisses the thought, and is sure that Harriet's story about her mother is all lies to further confuse her. She is certain now that Charlotte and Harriet are fairies, and is determined to take back Robyn, her real daughter.
434:
on The
British Horror Website, she said that the book's characters are "intensely memorable". The central character, Rose, is "sympathetic and carefully drawn", while Mrs Favell is depicted as "a mysterious ... intruding time traveller" and "breathtakingly cruel". Wilkes stated that Rose's escalating
377:
Littlewood said that after the novella was published, she began to wonder how a troubled person today, vulnerable and open to suggestion, would react to those letters from the past. This led to her revising the letters and including them in a longer contemporary story featuring Rose. Littlewood added
181:
In the 2020s, Rose starts working as a caregiver at the
Sunnyside Care Home. She is tasked with looking after an elderly lady, Charlotte Favell, but soon discovers that Mrs. Favell is unlike any of the other residents at the home. She is formidable and mysterious, and Rose is intimidated by her. One
161:, and is about Rose, a caregiver at the Sunnyside Care Home in the 2020s who is shown letters by a resident that were written in the 1920s soon after the fairy photographs were published. In the letters, the author claims to have also seen fairies, and maintains that he has proof of their existence.
220:
When Rose gives birth, she is surprised it is a boy and not "Robyn", as Mrs. Favell predicted. Rose's boyfriend Paul suggests they call him
Alexander, but she does not bond with the baby, who screams constantly and fights her. When Rose takes Alexander to visit the care home, Harriet is also there,
224:
Rose confronts
Harriet about Robyn and Harriet asks Charlotte, "Mother, what have you done?" Harriet then proceeds to explain to Rose that her mother has been playing games with her. Years ago, Charlotte's father-in-law murdered her young daughter, believing she was not a normal child. Charlotte
216:
Mrs. Favell becomes more enigmatic and Rose is convinced she can read her mind. One day she tells Rose that Rose is pregnant even before she knows it herself, and that the baby's name should be Robyn. Later Mrs. Favell's daughter, Harriet, comes to visit, and Rose sees that she is also pregnant.
29:
217:
Harriet sympathetically puts her hand on Rose's swollen belly, but Rose is shocked by her gesture. Rose begins to wonder if
Charlotte Favell and her daughter, Harriet are the same Charlotte and Harriet in Fenton's letters. She also wonders if they are mischievous fairies.
245:
382:"is about belief – why people choose to believe the things they do, and if, once they've begun, they can turn back." She said the novel also questions the reader's beliefs and how they react to those letters.
221:
and she discovers that
Harriet's baby is a girl named Robyn. Robyn is beautiful and content and Rose is convinced she is her baby that Harriet took from her, and that Alexander is a changeling.
205:, an associate of Conan Doyle. In these letters, Fenton reveals the true nature of fairies, that they are not pretty little winged people, but are the dangerous and vindictive creatures from
374:, and in them, Fenton states that he and his daughter-in-law and granddaughter had also seen and photographed fairies. He also maintains that he had found a tiny fairy skeleton.
929:
402:
and its "child snatching and changelings". Tyler called
Charlotte "a manipulative and cruel person" who takes advantage of Rose's vulnerability. He stated that
802:
201:
Over a period of weeks, Mrs. Favell teases Rose with more letters. Having not received a response from Conan Doyle, Fenton wrote a series of letters to
398:, Sam Tyler described it as a mix of urban fantasy and psychological horror. He said the story becomes "uncomfortable and horrific" as it draws on
209:. He tells Gardner that he believes Charlotte is being held captive by fairies, and that the woman in his house is not his daughter-in-law, but a
771:
760:
694:
347:
120:
964:
885:
225:
adopted
Harriet in an attempt to replace her lost daughter, but was convinced Harriet was a changeling. Her mother was later found to have
505:
949:
944:
939:
647:
919:
795:
362:, a novella Littlewood wrote in 2017. The novella is a collection of letters written by Lawrence Fenton in the early 1920s to
924:
934:
588:
954:
914:
909:
904:
959:
788:
652:
558:
471:
447:
478:
464:
746:
721:
510:
408:
195:
711:
417:
371:
367:
363:
202:
183:
158:
859:
843:
812:
690:
678:
443:"deeply chilling" and recommended it to readers interested in "literary supernatural horror".
342:
261:
187:
150:
115:
28:
226:
439:
which is tricky to pull off", but here Elwood has executed it "successfully". Wilkes found
430:
opined that Elwood's prose is "confident, crystal-clear, and deeply evocative". Writing in
851:
715:
835:
291:
138:
64:
735:
244:
898:
827:
436:
406:
is "an intense character led story" with Rose "front and centre". In a review in the
287:
134:
60:
301:
191:
142:
42:
765:
754:
741:
686:
554:
427:
424:" and the effect the fairies in those photographs had on people for many years.
213:. In another letter, Fenton tells Gardner that Harriet has gone to the fairies.
182:
day, Mrs. Favell shows Rose an old letter written in 1921 by
Lawrence Fenton to
173:, a novella Littlewood wrote in 2017, and is a collection of the 1920s letters.
154:
74:
618:
210:
780:
420:. She described the book as "a gothic take on 'the darker side of motherhood
186:. At the time, Conan Doyle had recently published photographs that cousins
399:
206:
146:
530:
528:
153:. It was first published in the United Kingdom in April 2021 by
784:
774:– Littlewood's 2017 novella that was the inspiration for
435:
nightmare towards the end of the book is "the sort of
819:
341:
333:
325:
317:
307:
297:
283:
275:
267:
257:
114:
106:
98:
90:
80:
70:
56:
48:
38:
450:, Sarah Deeming wrote that while she appreciated
563:Horrified Magazine: The British Horror Website
506:"Cottingley Fairies in chilling fantasy novel"
796:
8:
370:. They were written in the wake of the 1920
237:
21:
803:
789:
781:
583:
581:
579:
534:
243:
236:
27:
20:
641:
639:
499:
497:
495:
549:
547:
545:
543:
612:
610:
491:
648:"The Cottingley Cuckoo by A.J. Elwood"
772:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
761:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
619:"The Cottingley Cuckoo by A J Elwood"
7:
930:British speculative fiction novellas
646:Deeming, Sarah (22 September 2021).
249:First edition cover of the novella,
157:. The book was inspired by the 1920
504:Clayton, Emma (23 February 2021).
416:has an "eerie reimagining" of the
194:had allegedly taken of fairies in
14:
881:
880:
589:"Interviewing Alison Littlewood"
446:In a more critical review for
1:
617:Tyler, Sam (19 April 2021).
418:Cottingley fairy photographs
372:Cottingley fairy photographs
159:Cottingley fairy photographs
965:Novels by Alison Littlewood
653:The British Fantasy Society
448:The British Fantasy Society
981:
16:2021 novel by A. J. Elwood
878:
717:The Coming of the Fairies
242:
26:
950:Novels set in the 2020s
945:Novels set in the 1920s
940:Novels set in Yorkshire
559:"The Cottingley Cuckoo"
472:FairyTale: A True Story
920:English fantasy novels
143:A. J. Elwood
22:The Cottingley Cuckoo
925:British horror novels
868:The Cottingley Cuckoo
776:The Cottingley Cuckoo
770:title listing at the
759:title listing at the
756:The Cottingley Cuckoo
748:The Cottingley Cuckoo
737:The Cottingley Cuckoo
683:The Cottingley Cuckoo
511:Telegraph & Argus
479:The Cottingley Secret
465:Photographing Fairies
452:The Cottingley Cuckoo
441:The Cottingley Cuckoo
414:The Cottingley Cuckoo
409:Telegraph & Argus
404:The Cottingley Cuckoo
392:The Cottingley Cuckoo
380:The Cottingley Cuckoo
356:The Cottingley Cuckoo
165:The Cottingley Cuckoo
130:The Cottingley Cuckoo
935:Novels about fairies
722:Hodder and Stoughton
593:Runalong The Shelves
412:, Emma Clayton said
955:Novels by pseudonym
915:2020s horror novels
910:2021 fantasy novels
905:2021 British novels
751:at FantasticFiction
712:Doyle, Arthur Conan
537:, Acknowledgements.
239:
33:First edition cover
23:
960:Titan Books titles
679:Littlewood, Alison
432:Horrified Magazine
386:Critical reception
364:Arthur Conan Doyle
184:Arthur Conan Doyle
149:of English writer
892:
891:
844:The Hidden People
813:Alison Littlewood
696:978-1-78909-685-9
557:(17 April 2021).
353:
352:
348:978-1-910935-49-1
318:Publication place
268:Cover artist
262:Alison Littlewood
188:Frances Griffiths
151:Alison Littlewood
126:
125:
121:978-1-78909-685-9
91:Publication place
972:
884:
883:
805:
798:
791:
782:
725:
700:
665:
664:
662:
660:
643:
634:
633:
631:
629:
614:
605:
604:
602:
600:
585:
574:
573:
571:
569:
551:
538:
532:
523:
522:
520:
518:
501:
423:
309:Publication date
247:
240:
227:Capgras Syndrome
82:Publication date
31:
24:
980:
979:
975:
974:
973:
971:
970:
969:
895:
894:
893:
888:
874:
852:The Crow Garden
815:
809:
732:
710:
707:
705:Further reading
697:
677:
674:
669:
668:
658:
656:
645:
644:
637:
627:
625:
616:
615:
608:
598:
596:
587:
586:
577:
567:
565:
553:
552:
541:
535:Littlewood 2021
533:
526:
516:
514:
503:
502:
493:
488:
460:
421:
388:
329:Trade paperback
326:Media type
310:
253:
235:
179:
102:Trade paperback
99:Media type
83:
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
978:
976:
968:
967:
962:
957:
952:
947:
942:
937:
932:
927:
922:
917:
912:
907:
897:
896:
890:
889:
879:
876:
875:
873:
872:
864:
856:
848:
840:
836:A Cold Silence
832:
823:
821:
817:
816:
810:
808:
807:
800:
793:
785:
779:
778:
763:
752:
744:
731:
730:External links
728:
727:
726:
706:
703:
702:
701:
695:
673:
670:
667:
666:
635:
606:
575:
539:
524:
490:
489:
487:
484:
483:
482:
475:
468:
459:
456:
400:fairy folklore
396:SFBook Reviews
387:
384:
368:Edward Gardner
351:
350:
345:
339:
338:
335:
331:
330:
327:
323:
322:
321:United Kingdom
319:
315:
314:
311:
308:
305:
304:
299:
295:
294:
285:
281:
280:
277:
273:
272:
269:
265:
264:
259:
255:
254:
248:
234:
231:
203:Edward Gardner
178:
175:
124:
123:
118:
112:
111:
108:
104:
103:
100:
96:
95:
94:United Kingdom
92:
88:
87:
84:
81:
78:
77:
72:
68:
67:
58:
54:
53:
50:
46:
45:
40:
36:
35:
32:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
977:
966:
963:
961:
958:
956:
953:
951:
948:
946:
943:
941:
938:
936:
933:
931:
928:
926:
923:
921:
918:
916:
913:
911:
908:
906:
903:
902:
900:
887:
877:
870:
869:
865:
862:
861:
857:
854:
853:
849:
846:
845:
841:
838:
837:
833:
830:
829:
828:A Cold Season
825:
824:
822:
818:
814:
806:
801:
799:
794:
792:
787:
786:
783:
777:
773:
769:
768:
764:
762:
758:
757:
753:
750:
749:
745:
743:
739:
738:
734:
733:
729:
723:
719:
718:
713:
709:
708:
704:
698:
692:
688:
684:
680:
676:
675:
671:
655:
654:
649:
642:
640:
636:
624:
623:SFBook Review
620:
613:
611:
607:
595:. 11 May 2021
594:
590:
584:
582:
580:
576:
564:
560:
556:
550:
548:
546:
544:
540:
536:
531:
529:
525:
513:
512:
507:
500:
498:
496:
492:
485:
481:
480:
476:
474:
473:
469:
467:
466:
462:
461:
457:
455:
453:
449:
444:
442:
438:
433:
429:
425:
419:
415:
411:
410:
405:
401:
397:
393:
385:
383:
381:
375:
373:
369:
365:
361:
357:
349:
346:
344:
340:
336:
332:
328:
324:
320:
316:
312:
306:
303:
300:
296:
293:
289:
288:Urban fantasy
286:
282:
278:
274:
271:Vincent Sammy
270:
266:
263:
260:
256:
252:
246:
241:
232:
230:
228:
222:
218:
214:
212:
208:
204:
199:
197:
193:
189:
185:
176:
174:
172:
171:
167:evolved from
166:
162:
160:
156:
152:
148:
144:
140:
136:
135:urban fantasy
132:
131:
122:
119:
117:
113:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
85:
79:
76:
73:
69:
66:
62:
61:Urban fantasy
59:
55:
51:
47:
44:
41:
37:
30:
25:
19:
867:
866:
858:
850:
842:
834:
826:
775:
766:
755:
747:
736:
716:
682:
657:. Retrieved
651:
626:. Retrieved
622:
597:. Retrieved
592:
566:. Retrieved
562:
555:Wilkes, Ally
515:. Retrieved
509:
477:
470:
463:
451:
445:
440:
431:
426:
413:
407:
403:
395:
391:
389:
379:
376:
359:
358:grew out of
355:
354:
302:NewCon Press
250:
223:
219:
215:
200:
192:Elsie Wright
180:
177:Plot summary
169:
168:
164:
163:
129:
128:
127:
43:A. J. Elwood
18:
742:Titan Books
687:Titan Books
672:Works cited
428:Ally Wilkes
238:Cottingley
155:Titan Books
75:Titan Books
899:Categories
767:Cottingley
486:References
437:dénouement
390:Reviewing
360:Cottingley
251:Cottingley
233:Background
211:changeling
196:Cottingley
170:Cottingley
86:April 2021
860:Mistletoe
811:Works by
313:July 2017
298:Publisher
141:novel by
71:Publisher
886:Category
714:(1922).
681:(2021).
458:See also
276:Language
207:folklore
147:pen name
49:Language
659:16 June
628:11 June
568:17 June
517:16 June
279:English
52:English
871:(2021)
863:(2019)
855:(2017)
847:(2016)
839:(2015)
831:(2012)
820:Novels
693:
599:6 June
292:horror
284:Genres
258:Author
139:horror
133:is an
65:horror
57:Genres
39:Author
378:that
334:Pages
107:Pages
691:ISBN
661:2022
630:2022
601:2022
570:2022
519:2022
366:and
343:ISBN
190:and
137:and
116:ISBN
740:at
394:in
110:368
901::
720:.
689:.
685:.
650:.
638:^
621:.
609:^
591:.
578:^
561:.
542:^
527:^
508:.
494:^
337:80
290:,
145:,
63:,
804:e
797:t
790:v
724:.
699:.
663:.
632:.
603:.
572:.
521:.
422:'
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
