The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson: A Novel – Mariner

“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 of Before We Were Yours and Before and AfterOrphan Train meets Before We Were Yours meets Water for Elephants in this compelling historical fiction family saga 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, 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, a world of performance and secrets, 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 th