Historical fiction
June 2021
The Admiral’s Baths is composed of four inter-connected stories, each told from the perspective of a different woman in her own time period. The story opens as a contemporary historian conducts research at the baths, making discoveries which lead us back in time. History unfolds through the stories of the struggles, desires, tragedies, and triumphs of these four protagonists. Although they are separated by hundreds of years, we find that what connects them is more powerful than the passage of time.
The Admiral’s Baths (102,300 words) revolves around an actual monument in Valencia, Spain, a medieval public bathhouse which was open for nearly seven centuries and is now a museum. Some years ago, I translated several articles about the monument, covering its history, owners, architecture, and restoration. I became fascinated with the subject, and was particularly struck by its longevity. The Baths’ long history became an integral part of the story; instead of choosing one moment in the Baths’ – and Spain’s—history, I chose four: the 14th, 16th, and 19th centuries as well as the 21st.
