The Seraph

Is it right to use a lie to tell the truth?

This is the dilemma for Cora Page as she sits in a séance circle in the Lincoln White House, just twenty-two years old, scandalously divorced, and one of the most famous women of her day.

A Spiritualist, Cora relies on the voices of spirit guides, deceased friends, and unfamiliar others whose voices only she can hear. Appearing on stage before huge audiences from New York to New Orleans, Cora lectures while in a trance, repeating the comfort and advice of these otherworldly helpers.

Unlucky in marriage, Cora is fortunate in her circle of friends. Among them are reformers Sojourner Truth and Sophia Winslow; women whose experiences of being Black in America could not be more surprising or different.

From the glamour of the limelight to darkened séance parlors, Cora moves among frauds, true believers, political radicals, and charlatans. She is tempted to use her fame and uncommon platform to express her personal ideals; replacing the words of the spirits with her own to advocate for marginalized peoples. Yet she is wary of falsehoods, and only too familiar with the hidden motives that often come with good intentions.

Navigating tragedy and the tumultuous years of the Civil War, Cora's beliefs about her mission evolve. With the help of friends, both spectral and corporeal, her own voice triumphs, and she learns that although the world of spirits may be strange, the land of the living is where the mysterious truly abounds.

Based on actual persons and events.

A designer, builder, historian and author, Jane Goodrich's life has always entwined with the history of others gone before.

Her debut novel, the acclaimed historical fiction The House at Lobster Cove, was written after she and her husband had rebuilt the lost shingle style masterpiece Kragsyde and learned its history was as extraordinary as its design.

The Seraph, her second novel, is another deeply researched work of historical literary prose that explores the nature of truth and falsehood based on the life of Cora Scott, a once-famous nineteenth century Spiritualist.

From her library in Kragsyde, now on an island off the coast of Maine, Jane is currently working on a collection of short stories inspired by a cadre of colorful characters who lived in the mountains of Vermont.