Summer of 69, Elin Hilderbrand
Summer of 69, Elin Hilderbrand
83 Rating(s)
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

Summer of '69

Bestseller

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Narrator: Erin Bennett

Unabridged: 13 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/18/2019


Synopsis

Four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of the '60s summer when everything changed in Elin Hilderbrand's #1 New York Times bestselling historical novel.
Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. And thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, while each of them hides a troubling secret.
As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country. In her first historical novel, rich with the details of an era that shaped both a nation and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again earns her title as queen of the summer novel.

About Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand was born and raised in Collegeville, PA, but spent most of her childhood summers playing on Cape Cod. Her father died in a plane crash when she was sixteen years old, so unfortunately that ended the Cape trips. Her summers were now spent working, but she promised herself that for the rest of her life she would always have a real summer. She moved to Nantucket in July 1993, took a job as "the classified ads girl" at a local paper, and later started writing. Elin says she does her best writing while on the beaches of Nantucket or along the beautiful streets of Beacon Hill in Boston. She is a breast cancer survivor and currently lives in Nantucket along with her three beautiful children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on June 19, 2020

4 full, family drama, sisterhood, entertaining, amazing journey to the end of sixties while listening Man on the moon and singing “those were the best days of my life” as like Bryan Adams sang stars! You don’t have to be Marty McFly by driving a special car is invented by your Dr. Brown for time trav......more

Goodreads review by Norma ~ The Sisters on August 21, 2019

Evocative, entrancing, & absorbing! I have been meaning to read one of ELIN HILDERBRAND books for quite a while now and I am so glad that I finally followed through and read my very first book by her. This is some fine storytelling here. I totally loved the dynamics between the characters, was full-h......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on June 16, 2019

To say I’ve been ecstatic to read Elin Hilderbrand’s first historical fiction book is an understatement. Last summer, she wrote her first murder mystery, and this summer she brings us Summer of ‘69. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Expect the stories the Nantucket stories we’ve known and loved from our beloved EH, b......more

Goodreads review by Yun on July 27, 2019

There’s a lot going on in Summer of '69. The three sisters in the Foley/Levin family are each embroiled in their own worries. The eldest sister is pregnant while her husband is emotionally unavailable and potentially unfaithful, the middle sister is striking out on her own but running into trouble,......more

Goodreads review by Brady on July 11, 2023

4.25 - Another Elin in the books! This one is a bit heavier/more serious than her usual vibe- not my favorite by her, but still good! If you read it, highly recommended reading the “Author’s Note” at the back of the book, gives a bit more insight to why she chose the summer of ‘69!......more


Quotes

"The grande dame of beach reads...Hilderbrand shifts among characters with her usual ease, weaving a saga that will make you forget the dynamics of your own dysfunctional people as you crowd into a too-small vacation rental."—Liz Egan, New York Times Book Review

"An engrossing tale of an iconic American summer"—People Magazine

"Overall this novel is an entertaining bagatelle . . . There won't be a single transistor radio this summer on Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, nor on Madaket Beach in Nantucket. But there almost certainly will be multiple copies of Summer of '69. It's this year's beach-reading cure for . . . the summertime blues."—The Boston Globe

"Superb...Hilderbrand hits all the right notes about life in a tightly knit family, and this crowd-pleaser is sure to satisfy both her fans and newcomers alike."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hilderbrand's first foray into historical fiction will rouse curiosity in new readers as well as devotees of her annual summer smashes."—Susan Maguire, Booklist

"Hilderbrand's characters are utterly convincing and immediately draw us into their problems, from petty to grave...To use the parlance of the period, a highly relevant retrospective."
Kirkus

"Misunderstandings, secrets, and wrong choices are revealed in this completely satisfying novel that is the beach read of the summer, sure to appeal to Hilderbrand's fans while earning her new readers. A must buy."—The Library Journal

"She presents another breezy yet gritty novel with Summer of '69... Simple, sassy, and continuously engaging, Summer of '69 fits neatly into the nostalgic reader's beach bag."—NPR

"Hilderbrand's books keep getting better and better."—Bookreporter

"With vivid descriptions of the songs, fashions and other details of the era woven throughout, it's a true nostalgia trip."—AARP