Short description
Danielle Steel explores the seasons of an extraordinary friendship, weaving the story of three couples, lifelong friends, for whom a month's holiday in St. Tropez becomes a summer of change, revelation, secrets, surprises, and new beginnings.
Long description
As Diana Morrison laid the table for six at her elegant Central Park apartment, she had no warning of what was to come. Spending New Year's Eve together was a tradition for Diana, her husband Eric, and their best friends Pascale and John Donnally and Anne and Robert Smith, and as the friends sipped champagne, they talked of renting a villa together in the South of France the following summer. But life had other plans...Just two weeks after New Year, tragedy strikes at the heart of their close circle as Robert suffers a sudden, tragic loss. Diana and Eric, Pascale and John, united in their love and shared grief, rally to his side and urge him to join them on the Riviera in August. But the ramshackle old mansion is far from the exquisite villa they had imagined, and Robert surprises them all by inviting a lovely, much-younger film actress with mile-long legs and a million-dollar smile. Diana and Pascale hate her on sight, but the men are dazzled, and amidst the crumbling furniture and glorious sunsets more surprises are in store. Old wounds are healed, new love discovered, and miracles unfold...all beneath the dazzling sun of St Tropez.
Review
In her 55th novel, Steel focuses on the lives and loves of three couples. Diana and Eric Morrison, Pascale and John Donnally and Anne and Robert Smith have been friends for over 30 years. At a new year's gathering they decide, to celebrate Eric and John's 60th birthdays, that they should all go on holiday together. They settle on renting a house the following August in St Tropez. But only a fortnight later the happiness of that night is forgotten when Anne has a fatal heart attack. The group rally to Robert's aid and eventually persuade him that he should still come to St Tropez as planned. In an effort to keep Robert distracted from his grief his daughter, Amanda, asks him to accompany her to a movie premiere. It is here that he meets Gwen Thomas, the star of the movie. Much to Pascale and Diana's chagrin, it isn't long before Gwen and Robert are spending time together, comforting each other's loneliness. When Robert invites Gwen to be his guest in St Tropez tempers flare, not helped by the fact that their stunning rented mansion turns out to be a neglected, run-down building that hasn't had a good clean in 20 years. Here the lifelong friends embark on a voyage of discovery. New friendships are kindled and old ones have to be healed on top of the usual blend of secrets and life-altering events that Steel uses as the foundations of her work. The result is an enjoyable, well-plotted and often humorous novel that will delight her many fans. (Kirkus UK)
additional information
has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 530 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Second Chance, Ransom, Safe Harbour, Johnny Angel, Dating Game, Answered Prayers, Sunset in St. Tropez, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death. Visit the Danielle Steel Web Site at www.daniellesteel.com.
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