The Drummond Girls: A Story of Fierce Friendship Beyond Time and Chance - Hardcover

"You'll fall in love with Mardi Jo Link's family in this irreverent and heartwarming memoir." "Parade"" "A heroic-comic saga of single motherhood, pure stubbornness, and the loyalty of three young sons." "Garrison Keillor"" "A country song of a memoir, complete with a broken-down truck named Cookie. It's great fun..." "San Francisco Chronicle"" "Link's style of writing is like her style of living-direct, funny, void of self-pity and exceedingly humane." "Kirkus"" "Inspirational and funny in the I-might-as-well-laugh-or-I-think-I'll-cry sort of way." "Detroit Free Press"" "Imagine Hemingway's northern Michigan, except with 'mothers who hand-sewed their kids' clothes, [and] who read used Jane Austen paperbacks, ' and you'd have something wonderful, something lush and welcome like THE DRUMMOND GIRLS." "Sue William Silverman, author of "The Pat Boone Fan Club""" "In a prose style so lively and vivid it jumps off the page, Mardi Link tells the true story of her friends' and her own evolution." "Anne-Marie Oomen, author of "Love, Sex, and 4H""" "THE DRUMMOND GIRLS is a thoughtful reminder of the enduring and healing power of friendship." "Lori Nelson Spielman, author of "The Life list""" "A moving, honest, and laughter-filled account of eight women who gather one weekend every year and enjoy themselves to the fullest." ""Kirkus""" "You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll find yourself pondering the meaning of life's small disappointments and its greatest joys, especially the "fierce friendships" at the heart of this remarkable story." ""BookPage""" "What happens when eight women hop on a ferry to the Upper Peninsula's Drummond Island for a weekend away every autumn for two decades? The outcome is a deep friendship that survives the birth of children, good and bad marriages, divorces and support through incredible loss. That, and crazy antics involving a bear, a 4-foot blow-up doll, Jell-O shots, and a whole lot of laughter." ""Detroit Free Press""" "Billed as something different because it captures the lives of blue-collar boomers, this book is great for book clubs." ""Library Journal""" "THE DRUMMOND GIRLS is a superb testament to our women friends-the people we may not live with, but definitely can't live without." ""Minneapolis Star-Tribune""" "[THE DRUMMOND GIRLS] is a loving tribute to a group of women who can be ornery, rambunctious, amusing, and nurturing." ""Dayton Daily News""" Praise for Bootstrapper "Glints with Link's raw, willful energy. . . . Possesses that rare, elusive, but much sought-after feeling of authenticity." "The New York Times Book Review""

The eight Drummond Girls first met in 1991 at Peegeo's Food & Spirits in northern Michigan where, at the time, they were all waitresses, bartenders, or regular customers. When one of them got engaged, they celebrated with a trip to Drummond Island--their first trip together to the remote 36-mile chunk of rock, dive bars, dirt roads, and beautiful forests--and it's where they became bonded forever. They've made this voyage every year since then as a way to retain a piece of their wild youth, despite the taming influence of marriage, motherhood, and management. This year, their focus is Beverly, oldest of the Drummond Girls at 65, whose memory is beginning to lapse. Undaunted, the other women intend to help Beverly remember all they've shared--every campfire, every late night talk, every secret confided.