1663 At twenty years old, Alice Crayford becomes mistress of Oakwood Grange, a house built by her father, and she begins her diary. The house remains in the ownership of one family for three and a half centuries, each generation faithfully recording details of their household in The House Book...

1659: Alone at fifteen years old, Elisabeth Osborne is easy prey as she fancies she can manage on her own in Paris, but a chance meeting with the madam of a gentlemen's club changes her mind. It is here she receives protection, the sort of education not taught in convents, and, just as important...

It is 1717 and a remarkable woman is reflecting on a life lived, always knowing she was different, always wondering why. Even as a young child, Elisabeth was able to see, do, and feel things that others clearly could not—and knew to be careful. It was the era of witch-hunting in France and...