Cécile Rey & Marie-Grace Gardner
New Orleans, LA – 1853
Official Fandom Page: Cécile Rey
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Marie-Grace Gardner
Marie-Grace Gardner (doll)
Official Fandom Page: Marie-Grace Gardner
Cécile Rey comes from a well-to-do and highly regarded family in the free people of color community of 1850s New Orleans. Confident, outgoing, and endlessly curious, she loves the limelight and is always brimming with clever ideas, though her mischievous streak sometimes gets the better of her. She adores making people laugh and dreams of becoming a famous stage actress who dances at parties every night. Tutored at home rather than sent to school, she finds her lessons dull and especially dislikes writing, but she has a real gift for storytelling, recitation, and poetry, much like her beloved Grand-père, whose tales of distant lands and grand adventures fill her with wonder. For all her love of attention, Cécile is sensitive and caring. She teaches Marie-Grace French, keeps secrets faithfully, and gives her time to the elderly and to the children at the orphanage. She’s a little fussy about keeping her fine clothes clean, but underneath the flair she’s a warm and generous friend.
Marie-Grace Gardner is quieter and more reserved. She’s new to New Orleans after years of moving up and down the Northeast coast with her father, a doctor, following the deaths of her mother and younger brother. Once a brave little girl, she has grown shy and unsure, often feeling out of place and slow to stand up for herself, and she counts her loyal dog Argos among her closest friends. Practical, sensible, and good with numbers from shopping for the household, she’s also deeply caring, wonderful with babies and children, and a natural at helping her father heal the sick. She takes singing lessons alongside Cécile and loves music and parades, even if she doubts her own talents. With Cécile’s encouragement, she slowly grows more confident, letting the adventurous spirit hidden behind her shy demeanor finally shine through.
Books
Central Series
- Meet Marie-Grace
- Meet Cécile
- Marie-Grace and the Orphans
- Troubles for Cécile
- Marie-Grace Makes a Difference
- Cécile’s Gift
Mysteries
- The Hidden Gold
- The Cameo Necklace
- The Haunted Opera
More Information
When BeForever was introduced in 2014, they retired Cécile, Marie-Grace, and both of their collections. They never combined their classic series stories into longer books, like with the other characters.
For more details about their books, or to see additional versions of books, please see the Official Fandom Page for Marie-Grace and Cécile’s books.