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The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World Audiobook
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(3.02) - 370 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
This is a true story about Frances, age nine, who saw fairies by the waterfall behind her house.
They were tiny men, dressed all in green. Nobody but Frances saw them, but when she told her cousin Elsie and their parents, the adults teased them in a most annoying way.
Why not take a photograph? Elsie (who was fifteen) had the idea. She would paint paper fairies and take their picture with Frances, and none would be the wiser.
The girls never meant to fool the world. They only took the photo so the grown-ups would stop teasing them.
Who could have imagined that Elsie’s photograph would fall into the hands of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes? Or that Sir Arthur, like Frances, believed in fairies...and longed to see one?
In a wry feat of narrative nonfiction, reporter Mary Losure tells the remarkable tale of “two amiable adventuresses” that is almost— ?but not quite—too good to be true.
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"A quick read, The Fairy Ring is an interesting true story that anyone who has ever wanted fairies to be real will love, and anyone who is a careful artist, photographer, or digital image manipulator will enjoy."
— Slee (4 out of 5 stars)
The Fairy Ring Listener Reviews
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" This does a very good job of explaining how 2 young girls came to perpetrate a hoax that tricked Arthur Conan Doyle, both why they did it and why ACD and others were predisposed to believe them. "
— Kathyred, 2/20/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this story of two girls who fooled the world with their faked fairy photos. Yes, they lied - big take away discussion message there, but I have to say, I was kinda rooting for them! "
— Jennifer, 2/7/2014 -
" I loved this book. Generally i am not into fairy books, but then i realized that this was a work of nonfiction. this really surprised me, and it gave me a different perspective on things. "
— Lauren, 1/28/2014 -
" Listened to the audio and looked through the book for the pictures. "
— Jama, 1/19/2014 -
" Interesting hoax with unusual results. "
— Pat, 1/11/2014 -
" As someone who dapples in photography, it was obvious to me that these 1920s fairy pictures had been "posed" but I also understand when someone wants to believe that a photo's subject is real, to him or her, it's proof of existence. This true story proves that there are repercussions to some jokes. "
— Edna, 1/6/2014 -
" Interesting story. Fascinating pictures! "
— Shannon, 12/16/2013 -
" Amazing that these girls fooled so many. "
— Anne, 11/29/2013 -
" This book started out as a very interesting read. It's nonfiction actually. I started to lose interst as the book wound on. I could have read this as a magazine article, I didn't need a book. Interesting story,but I would've preferred a summarized version. "
— Lorra, 11/26/2013 -
" Interesting story. I can't believe people actually thought those pictures were real. "
— Kathleen, 10/23/2013 -
" Fascinating look at a bit of history about which I was unaware. Strongly recommended to anyone interested in hoaxes. "
— Mindy, 2/18/2013 -
" I really enjoy Elsie and Frances' story, but this book was a bit uninspired. It didn't tell you much that you couldn't read in the "Cottongley Fairies" Wikipedia article. Maybe would have made a better picture book. "
— Benji, 1/4/2013 -
" I wish I liked fairy based stories, but I don't :( "
— Angie, 12/28/2012 -
" I really can't find anything positive to say about this book. I did finish reading it, but it didn't get any better or redeem itself. "
— Gail, 9/15/2012 -
" If you enjoy all things fairy read this one by Mary Losure. A little dry at times but her research and bibliography are top notch. The histstory and photos of this event are entrancing. "
— Barbara, 8/15/2012 -
" True story of two girls who photographed themselves with fairies and fooled many people in the early days of photography. Very interesting biographies. "
— Tamlynn, 6/19/2012
About Mary Losure
Mary Losure is the author of several books, including The Fairy Ring, named one of Booklist‘s Top of the List selections in 2012. She is a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio and a contributor to National Public Radio.
About Nicola Barber
Nicola Barber, is an Audie Award and Earphones Award-winning narrator whose voice can be heard in television and radio commercials and popular video games such as World of Warcraft. She is also an Audie finalist in the prestigious category of solo female narrationfor her work on Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen and Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. She has performed on the stage in New York City and at a number of top regional theaters in the United States. Her film and television roles include The Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johansson, and Law & Order’s 2009 season premiere. Originally from England, she currently resides in New York, a multicultural background that enables her to bring a broad range of accents and characterizations to her role as a full-time voice-over actor.