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Downton Abbey meets Titanic in this sweeping historical novel about three women of different generations and classes, whose lives intersect on a majestic ocean liner traveling from Paris to New York in the wake of World War I.

The opulent age of empires is ending, but the great queens of the sea— the magnificent ocean liners—continue to reign supreme. Despite the tragedy of the Titanic, the race to build ever larger and more luxurious floating palaces continues, and passengers still flock to make the Atlantic crossing in style.

In 1921,the SS Paris leaves Le Havre on her maiden voyage. Aboard, passengers dine in glittering grandeur on French cuisine, served by hundreds of unnoticed servants and chefs. Below the waterline, the modern oil-fired engines throb day and night. And for three women, this voyage will profoundly change their lives.

Traveling first class, elderly Vera Sinclair is reluctantly moving back to Manhattan after thirty wonderful years abroad. In cozy second class, reveling in her brief freedom from family life, Constance Stone is returning after a failed mission to bring her errant sister home from France. And in the stifling servants’ quarters, young Le Havre native Julie Vernet is testing her wings in her first job as she sets out to forge her own future. For all three, in different ways, this transatlantic voyage will be a life-changing journey of the heart.

Gynther scores with this first-rate story centering on three women whose lives intersect aboard an ocean liner...The ship’s details, the different levels of service and luxury experienced by the passengers and crew, as well as the twists and turns of the passage, prove engrossing...Gynther proves herself a fine storyteller with this artful tale.
— Kirkus

“Gynther skillfully interweaves the tales of three women sailing from France to America in 1921 on the grand ocean liner that gives this solid debut novel its name…Each of these women has a distinct and interesting voice, and the bonds they form with one another feel strong and meaningful. Gynther switches smoothly between their points of view, weaving a wholly satisfying, nostalgic journey from beginning to end. Bon voyage.”
— Publishers Weekly

"Gynther's debut is a lovely story...the leisurely place allows the friendship between these women of disparate classes to shine in this pleasant tale."
— Romantic Times

A November 2012 Indie Next Pick, Crossing on the Paris, about three women returning to America on a voyage that will change their lives, has the feel of a riveting miniseries as you turn the pages expectantly wanting to find out how this voyage ends.
— Barnes and Noble Book Club

“With rich detail and elegant prose, Gynther creates a resonant and memorable tale.” 
— Pam Jenoff, international bestselling author of The Kommandant's Girl

"Entrancing . . . a graceful tale, written with wry humor, of three women separated by class, age, and temperament. . . . Richly and sensually drawn." 
— Roberta Rich, author of The Midwife of Venice

Dana Gynther was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and Auburn, Alabama. She has an MA in French Literature from the University of Alabama. She has lived in France and currently lives in Valencia, Spain, where she and her husband work as teachers and translators. They have two daughters and an extremely vocal cat.