Cottingley

by Alison Littlewood

In 1917 the world was rocked by claims that two young girls – Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths – had photographed fairies in the sleepy village of Cottingley. In 2017, a century later, we finally discover the true nature of these fey creatures. Correspondence has come to light that contains a harrowing account, written by village resident Lawrence Fairclough, laying bare the fairies’ sinister malevolence and spiteful intent.

A gripping, enchanting tale from the bestselling author of Richard & Judy Book Club hit The Cold Season.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Historical

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 17, 2017

About the author

Alison Littlewood was raised in Penistone, South Yorkshire, and went on to attend the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (now Northumbria University). Originally she planned to study graphic design, but “missed the words too much” and switched to a joint English and History degree. She followed a career in marketing before developing her love of writing fiction.

Her first book, A Cold Season (2011), was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club and described as ‘perfect reading for a dark winter’s night.’

Alison's latest novel is The Crow Garden (2017), is a tale of obsession set amidst Victorian asylums and séance rooms.

You can find her living with her partner Fergus in deepest Yorkshire, England, in a house of creaking doors and crooked walls. She loves exploring the hills and dales with her two hugely enthusiastic Dalmatians and has a penchant for books on folklore and weird history, Earl Grey tea and semicolons.
She is on Twitter as @Ali__L

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newcon Press Novellas Set 2 Book 2.

While the book "Cottingley" by Alison Littlewood is written as a series of letters between 1921 and 1922 to attract the interest of Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle, regarding the rampant interest in "fairies" so popular at the time, we get the pleasure of watching this hoax unfold. Or is it a hoax ?

This is the talented Ms. Littlewood's (August Derleth Award nominee the last three years in a row) second venture into the world of faerie. Her most recent novel 2016's "The Hidden People" deals with the story of a young deceased girl who died at the hands of her husband, and believed she has been replaced by a changeling.

The ability of Ms. Littlewood to capture the language and atmosphere of the victorian gothic times is quite enthralling, and her voice rings true.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover belies the contents of Cottingley: this is a historical novella which depicts a slow slide into horror, not the lurid gore-fest you might expect if you spend too long looking at that skeleton-fairy-thing.

The plot is based on the real (well, 'real') story of the Cottingley Fairies. We see only one side of the correspondence between Lawrence Fairclough, who has recently settled in the village with his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and Edward Gardner, a member of the Theosophical Society and friend of Arthur Conan Doyle. Fairclough has had his own experiences with the local fairies, and is eager to give his account to the men who made the Cottingley photographs famous. But as Fairclough and his family attempt to make further contact with the strange beings, they begin to see a darker side.

Cottingley is compelling partly because of Fairclough's naivety. He's reluctant to accept the true nature of the fairies and slow to realise that perhaps Gardner doesn't truly intend to introduce him to Conan Doyle. Being one step ahead of the narrator makes the epistolary format more satisfying than it might otherwise be. Ultimately, our view is confined to what Fairclough tells us: his account could of course be unreliable. There could always be a rational explanation. But it's hard to convince yourself of that when the creeping horror of Cottingley is so effectively unsettling.

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[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where prior knowledge is not a prerequisite (its not like this book is in the middle of a series and you have no idea what is going on) but rather it gives you a grounding to what is going on and the significance of certain events.

The whole thing without giving anything away (at least not where you can read up about this novella from NewCon) is that it is riding on the early 20th century fascination of photographing fairies and the pursuit many had in authenticating them and examining them.

So in to this social fixation comes this story which takes its name from the village just outside of Bradford which for a short period of time found national fame. However things are not as they seem here and story takes a slow and insidious turn.

So like I say you do not need to really know much about the village of the events but it does give you an additional insight and one I found added to this story. So another great instalment from NewCon and as always great fun

[Lynda Rucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this story--I was fascinated as a child with the girls in early 20th century who had photographed fairies, not knowing at the time that they eventually admitted they were hoaxes. Alison Littlewood weaves this into a story that gradually turns pitch black before you realize what has come for you--much in the way fairies themselves might.

[Stacey Kondla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novella tremendously! The one sided letter format was well done and I could imagine Mr. Gardner's responses. The dark, gothic atmosphere that developed, the delicious prose, the slow and creepy descent into madness - I loved it all! Highly recommended.

[Neveah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took this downstairs to read at night (because insomnia) and it was too scary, so I had to bring it back upstairs and finish it!!! This is a retelling/counterpoint to the Cottingley fairies and Arthur Conan Doyle’s subsequent response to it. Our (rather pompous) narrator and his daughter in law / granddaughter witness actual fairies and take a dead one home. The first half of the novella deals with this, and the second with the fallout after the body is returned. Whilst the first half is therefore a version of ‘do not read from the boooook!!’ the second is more ‘is this narrator slightly bonkers and are these things happening?’, supported by the epistolatory style in which he writes (in which he comes across as a bit of an asshole). It’s a creepy, short read and a really decent piece of well researched historical horror.

[Jonathan Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immensely enjoyable and creepy as hell. Littlewood deals with the unseen world by, for the most part, keeping it unseen, and this dark little tale is all the more potent for it.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written entirely in letters, which is not a style that I enjoy. And while this didn't change my opinion on the writing device, I have to admit it was exceptionally well done. Especially considering it's not only letters, but only one side of a correspondence. Still, Littlewood managed to create a followable plot that didn't feel forced. The language is appropriate for the time period and the formality right for letters between two people who have never met. Really, I'm shocked to have liked it as much as I did.

[Claire Caterer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written in increasingly frantic letters from a grandfather haunted by the Cottingley fairies and the havoc they wreak upon his household. The early 1900s language is spot on, descriptions lyrical, the suspense palpable. Ignore the lurid cover; this novella is a subtle delight. Read it by a crackly fire on an autumn night, or better yet, on the banks of a sunny Yorkshire beck.

[Jan Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epistolary folk horror fantasy novella from horror writer Alison Littlewood that gives a different slant on the famous Cottingley fairy tale in which another Cottingley resident and his granddaughter write to Conan-Doyle and an intermediary, Edward Gardner with an altogether darker take on the fairies that inhabit that place. I loved this one. Folk-horror at its best with enough ‘history’ and real people to make you imagine it might even be true. Recommended read! Limited edition hardback.

[Jorgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully constructed, but ultimately not very surprising to someone familiar with the glore and legends of fairies and other small folk.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘They don’t really like us. They don’t want to play. They don’t really know how to dance. They only wish to make us want to be where they are.’ ‘And where is that, child?’ I asked, but she would not say... [loc. 462]

Another NewCon Press novella, this is a dark and unsettling epistolary tale, framed as the letters written by country gentleman Lawrence H. Fairclough in the 1920s, initially to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and later to his associate Edward Gardner. Fairclough, a resident of Cottingley whose granddaughter Harriet has shown him the fairies (and has complained to him of being 'stung' by one) wishes to contribute to Conan Doyle's work. The fairies encountered by Harriet, her mother Charlotte and Fairclough himself are not like those photographed by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith -- they are 'minuscule, but very bright', and (Harriet informs him) they do not like to be looked at.

Fairclough's letters provide a one-sided narrative of increasing unease: it's easy to understand the tone and content of the unseen letters he receives in return. Clearly the fairies encountered by his family are rather less benign, and Littlewood does an excellent job of building suspense and a creeping sense of horror.

Very atmospheric, with a thoroughly credible narrative voice and just enough explication that the ending is really quite dark.

Fulfils the 'A Book Under 100 Pages' rubric of the Reading Women Challenge 2020.