Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

Ellen Baker is the author of the novels The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson, Keeping the House, and I Gave My Heart to Know This. She has worked as a museum curator and as a bookseller and event coordinator at an independent bookstore. Originally from the Upper Midwest, she currently lives on the coast of Maine.

"An author who knows how to keep us turning the pages.” — Chicago Tribune“Brimming with luscious details that authenticate the story's various time periods, from early to mid-twentieth century, Baker's accomplished, ambitious debut novel is a majestic, vibrant multigenerational saga in the finest tradition of the genre.” — Booklist on Keeping the House“American fiction just doesn’t get any better than this.” — Buffalo News on Keeping the House“Ellen Baker’s first novel is a wonder! Keeping the House is a great big juicy family saga, a romantic page-turner with genuine characters written with a perfect sense of history, time, and place. Her portrayal of the American housewife is hilarious and heartbreaking. I couldn’t have liked it more!” — Fannie Flagg“An intense true-to-life literary family saga…[THE HIDDEN LIFE OF CECILY LARSON] delves deeply into human cruelty and kindness, evolving racism, the Depression’s crushing impact on common people, and relationships based on love or arranged to satisfy social expectations.” — Historical Novels Review“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 After"Unforgettable. Baker's electrifying tale is 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"Baker’s re-creation of circus life, tuberculosis-sanitarium life, and home-for-wayward-girls life in the 1920s and ’30s is well researched and punchy." — Kirkus Reviews"A sweeping tale of love and loss." — People“An engaging, multigenerational family saga….Baker deftly weaves the lives of three generations of Larson women into a moving tale of secrets, identity, and found family.” — Booklist“Ellen Baker’s first novel, Keeping the House, is a quilt that grids a small Midwestern town in the middle of the last century. Under this writer’s deft hands, each square is a story, a mystery, an indiscretion, a tale of the great house and grand family who once ruled there. Even more, it captures the roles of women then: both the living embodiments of demure ideals, and those who couldn’t fit the pattern. Edith Wharton’s novels of domestic despair and display come to mind with each page.” — Jacquelyn Mitchard“Part genetic mystery and part adventure story, The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson takes readers on a riveting ride through America, spanning nearly a century of history, heartbreak, and—most importantly—hope. At the center of the novel is one impossible love story, whose reverberations echo through the generations in surprising ways. With rich, original settings, determined characters, and countless twists and turns, Ellen Baker has written a deeply felt novel about families, both lost and found.”  — Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon“Ellen Baker has written the quintessential escape novel, whose overflowing plot involves three generations of women, family secrets, a one-ring circus (really), and the pleasure of historical flashbacks. Light a fire and settle in.” — Monica Wood, author of The One-in-a-Million Boy"The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is a deeply satisfying, multi-generational rollercoaster of a novel written in gorgeous prose and with characters that ring so true you want to reach out and touch them. I savored every page of this book and will remember the story of Cecily and Lucky for a very long time to come." — Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and Community Board“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“The Hidden Life Of Cecily Larson explores the lasting legacy of love, family, loss, and luck, beautifully told through the lives of an extended family. It is heartbreaking, yet redeeming, and shines a light on the power of hope. I loved Ellen’s storytelling.” — Crystal Smith Paul, author of Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?