In this chapter I set the scene for the multiple narratives that follow in the next four chapters by introducing the twenty women who took part in the study. This is a deliberate attempt on my part to raise their profile; so often, this type of information is to be found only in the appendices of books. I take the view that the rightful place for this information is within the main body of the text; after all, the twenty women, although not representative of all older widows, are pivotal to the current study.