Olivia Seno, the Duchess Montefalco, is finally returning to her home near Chicago following her wealthy husband's death. Olivia is met by her friends of 25 years from high school: Tracy, her cousin Janis and Holly. In high school, they called themselves "The Godmothers" and were inseparable. To celebrate Olivia's return, the four plan a trip across the Caribbean aboard a private sailboat.
When Janis' husband becomes ill and she can't go, Tracy's 19-year-old adopted daughter, Cammie, is given the opportunity to take the voyage. Tracy and Cammie are struggling in their relationship and Tracy hopes this will bring them closer together.
Preparing the luxury sailboat, Opus, for the trip are the captain, Lenny, and his employee Michel. Lenny's wife, Meherio, is a Polynesian woman 20 years younger than him, and they have a small child.
After boarding the Opus and settling in, Michel is attracted to Cammie and she to him. They leave the Opus in a small tender to investigate a nearby island. When they return, everything begins to go awry. A storm suddenly develops and after Cammie is transferred to the sailboat, the tender capsizes with Michel. In trying to rescue Michel, Lenny falls overboard and is swept under the boat.
The women are now stranded and trying to survive the elements with no food or water and a damaged motor. When they that think nothing worse can happen, the Opus is boarded by three drug runners. Two men are intent on rape and murder, while the younger man tries to help the women. They suffer humility and degradation until Holly, who has blood poisoning from a sting, shoots two of the men.
On day 21 of being stranded in the Caribbean, the women are miraculously rescued. Three of them are found alive after their traumatic and unbelievable experience. Then several surprises occur weeks after returning home.
This well-written novel will keep you in suspense. You'll feel the terror and desperation in each character. Their survival instincts and strengths are amazing. The plot gives a new look at life and teaches you to appreciate what you have, who you are, and that nothing in life should be taken for granted. This is definitely recommended reading.
Back in high school, Tracy, Olivia, and Holly were known as
The Godmothers, the girls everyone wanted to be and know.
Unlike many friendships, their bond survived the years. But
20 years later, their glamorous leader, Olivia, whose
wealthy Italian husband has died, suggests they reunite on
her return to the United States with a luxury sailboat
crossing in the Caribbean. With Tracy's college-aged
daughter and an attentive two-man crew, they sail into
paradise. But then, the smallest mistake triggers a series
of devastating events. Suddenly in a desperate fight for
survival, they battle the elements, dwindling food and
water, the threat of modern-day piracy, and their own
frailties. STILL SUMMER is at once a breathtaking adventure
and a story about the bonds that hold friend to friend and
mothers to daughters, and how facing our own mortality tests
the truth of everything we think we know.
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