Cambridge historian Laven has created a detailed and dramatic tapestry of resourceful, determined, often passionate women who managed to lead fulfilling lives d

Venice in the sixteenth century was home to over fifty convents. But these weren't just spiritual institutions, they were also dumping grounds for the 'unmarria

Paris 1870. Raised for a life of parties and servants, Camille and Mariele have much in common, but it takes the horrors of war to bring them together to fight

In this enthralling new novel, Barbara Quick re-creates eighteenth-century Venice at the height of its splendor and decadence. A story of longing and intrigue,

Rich in intrigue and gossip, this book uncovers the long-hidden stories of the "virgins of Venice"--3,000 nuns, many of them immured against their will, in the