Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

Alias Grace is based on the true life of Grace Marks, a young 19th century servant girl accused of scheming with a fellow servant, James McDermott, to murder her employer, Mr. Kinnear, and his mistress, who is also the head housekeeper. McDermott is hanged for his crime, but as only an accomplice, Grace is handed a lifetime sentence in the Penitentiary. After unnecessarily spending some time in a Lunatic Asylum, Grace is transferred to the …

…culture of that period comes alive through Atwood's retelling, and makes it impossible to believe that she herself did not experience it. This novel, as all of Atwood's novels, is written in a highly intelligent style, yet Atwood manages to keep the story simple and forward moving. The amount of detail and richness she brings to the characters, their lives, and their daily surroundings is incredible and makes this a book not to be missed.