The Admiral's Baths

Tucked at the end of a narrow, crooked street in the Mediterranean city of Valencia, you may be surprised to come upon an ancient public bathhouse, a surprising relic from another time. The Admiral's Baths have stood sentry here for 700 years, through wars, reconstruction, epidemics and the Inquisition-and still stand today. If only these walls could talk, you might think. What stories lie beneath those star-carved ceilings, across these tiled floors... With this novel The Admiral's Baths, author Dana Gynther offers us one possibility. Told from the perspective of four women of different times and circumstances, we witness the unfolding history of the ancient bathhouse through the struggles, desires, tragedies, and triumphs of Fatima, Angels, Clara, and Rachel. Though these characters are separated by hundreds of years, we find that what connects them is more powerful than the passage of time, and we celebrate the enduring human spirit, which stands strong like the Admiral's Bath's themselves. "With captivating prose and vibrant detail, Dana Gynther captures the rich history of Valencia through the eyes of four determined women, separated by centuries, but united by the extraordinary Admiral's Baths." - Jessica Brockmole, internationally bestselling author of "Letters from Skye" "Rich with fascinating history, Gynther brings the past and present of Valencia, Spain and the Admiral's Baths to vibrant life. I reveled in reading about these fascinating locations and all of the colorful characters who strolled down Valencia's sun-drenched streets and steeped in the bath's steam-filled rooms." - Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries "Dana Gynther's storytelling expertise is on full display in her ambitious, wonderfully-populated novel, The Admiral's Baths. The catastrophic 2011 Tuscaloosa, Alabama tornado damages the central character Rachel's house, but she sets off nonetheless on a planned trip to Valencia, Spain, to study the centuries-old, public bathhouse. Her life is in need of reconstruction, as are the baths, and Gynther brilliantly uses this theme and the connections between objects found in the baths and their previous owners to reconstruct the histories of women associated with it. The main characters are a complex, diverse cast, struggling to survive and thrive against the persecution and oppression of their times, as well as with the mundane challenges of life. Their stories are those of love, loss, resilience, disappointment, adventure, and victory. Along with Rachel, they are both of their time and completely relevant to ours as they navigate the complications of gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, appearance, and heartbreak. And though their lives are mysteries to one another, Gynther makes them indelibly clear to us. The Admiral's Baths is sophisticated, engrossing, and filled with truth. Immerse and enjoy it!" - Tim Parrish, author of "The Jumper"