Loss of Innocence, Richard North Patterson
Loss of Innocence, Richard North Patterson
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Loss of Innocence

Author: Richard North Patterson

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Unabridged: 10 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/01/2013

Synopsis

From acclaimed author Richard North Patterson comes a sweeping family drama of dark secrets and individual awakenings, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous summer of 1968.America is in a state of turbulence, engulfed in civil unrest and uncertainty. Yet for Whitney Dane—spending the summer of her twenty-second year on Martha's Vineyard—life could not be safer nor the future more certain.Educated at Wheaton, soon to be married, and the youngest daughter of the all-American Dane family, Whitney has everything she has ever wanted and is everything her all-powerful and doting father, Charles Dane, wants her to be.But the Vineyard's still waters are disturbed by the appearance of Benjamin Blaine. An underprivileged yet fiercely ambitious and charismatic figure, he is a force of nature neither Whitney nor her family could have prepared for.As Ben's presence begins to awaken independence within Whitney, it also brings deep-rooted family tensions to a dangerous head. And soon Whitney's set-in-stone future becomes far from satisfactory and her picture-perfect family far from pretty.

About Richard North Patterson

Richard North Patterson is the author of In The Name Of Honor, Eclipse, The Spire, Exile, The Race, Degree Of Guilt, Eyes Of A Child, Silent Witness, and many other bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor, the assistant attorney general for the state of Ohio, and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups. In 1993, he retired from his law practice to devote himself to writing. His first novel, The Lasko Tangent, was the winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel in 1980. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and is a recipient of their President's Award for Distinguished Alumni. He lives in Martha's Vineyard, San Francisco, and Cabo San Lucas with his wife, Dr. Nancy Clair. "Richard North Patterson is a terrific novelist."-The Washington Post

About Julia Whelan

Julia Whelan grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but currently resides in Los Angeles. She is a former child actor, having appeared in multiple television shows, most notably ABC's Once and Again. After receiving her college degree, she returned to acting and is pursuing a career in the film industry, as well as creative writing. Her audiobook credits include romance, supernatural thrillers, young adult and adult fiction.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Susan on May 18, 2014

Loss of Innocence, a novel by Richard North Patterson, should have been titled Loss of Interest. Whitney Dane is a young woman of privilege, engaged to be married to a young man named Peter. She and her family spend the summer, as they always do, on Martha's Vineyard, where Whitney is strangely attr......more

Goodreads review by Skip on November 10, 2013

It's hard to believe that RNP thinks we needed more about Ben Blaine and the dysfunctionality of rich families on Martha's Vineyard, but apparently he thinks we do. I was quite disappointed to read that there will be a third book in this series. About the only interesting thing in this book was the......more

Goodreads review by Randy on August 05, 2013

Nor familiar with Patterson's work, but really enjoyed this look at a period in U.S. history I was growing up in, a young adult at the time. It's the story of the dissolution of a family over the summer of 1968, as secrets are revealed, truths uncovered that shock one young woman planning her wedding......more

Goodreads review by Valerie on February 16, 2014

The title of this book, "Loss of Innocence" describes the story very well. It takes place primarily in Martha's Vineyard in 1968-69 when troops were being called up by lottery to go to Vietnam. During this period, also, Robert Kennedy was assassinated, thus clearning the way for Richard Nixon to win......more

Goodreads review by Mark on October 25, 2014

Whitney Dane tells Carla Pacelli the story of her 1968 summer at Martha's Vineyard. Just graduated from college, Whitney was preparing for her marriage to Peter, an Ivy league lacrosse player who has been taken under the wing of her father, who leads a Wall Street investment firm. Although she is in......more

Quotes

“Richard North Patterson has created a richly textured romance, deftly set amid the seismic social shifts of 1968.”  Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Caleb’s Crossing

“Richard North Patterson actually looks at the world through a woman’s eyes. He tells us the story of a girl born into a derived identity, and her path toward who she is and what she wants. In one life of the 1960s, he symbolizes a movement that keeps changing all our lives.” Gloria Steinem, New York Times bestselling author of Revolution from Within

“Loss of Innocence is an extraordinary novel—profound, emotionally involving, and totally addictive.”  Stephen Fry, author of The Fry Chronicles

“Patterson’s latest novel is a coming-of-age story set amongst the privileged classes of Martha’s Vineyard in the shadow of the turbulent political summer of 1968. A title that is dripping with summer diversions, youthful passion and ideals, class tensions, and familial disruptions makes for wonderful reading whatever the season.” Library Journal (starred review)

“Unlike his previous novels, which usually fall into the thriller category, this latest is a bildungsroman set in the summer and fall of a pivotal year in American history, 1968…The second in a planned trilogy, Patterson’s latest offers up an appealing family drama set against the backdrop of a radically tumultuous and influential time.” Booklist

“Patterson’s second effort in a planned trilogy continues his foray into personal drama and away from geopolitical intrigue and suspense. In this prequel to the first novel…the narrative dives into the angst and anger of one-percenters, focusing on the family Dane…A family saga of class and money, power and pretense, love and loyalty. Think The Thorn Birds or Rich Man, Poor Man among the Martha’s Vineyard moneyed set.” Kirkus Reviews

“The book moves at high velocity [and] is grandly plotted with a crescendo of an ending. This is Richard North Patterson at the top of his game.”  Ward Just, author of An Unfinished Season and Rodin’s Debutante

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