Summer of '69

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

Fiction

2019 Hachette Audio

Narrated by Erin Bennett

Fininshed on July 13, 2022

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

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.

A perfect beach read! I enjoy Elin Hilderbrand's summery novels and this one didn't disappoint. Erin Bennett does a nice job with the variety of voices for the audio narration (I'm always amazed when a female reader nails the male voices) and the family drama kept me interested without being over the top. 

This is not literary fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book, almost as much as 28 Summers. If you enjoy historical fiction (this is Hilderbrand's first), Summer of '69 isn't quite as heavy as those set during World War II. (Ok, it's a bit light and simplistic, but as I said, a perfect beach read.) Plus, there's no alternating time periods, although the POV does switch between the three sisters and their mother. Overall, a worthwhile read. Recommend.

I love that each chapter title is the name of a song from 1969. I plan to put together a Spotify playlist of all these great songs:

Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)

Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf)

Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra)

Time of the Season (The Zombies)

Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)

Those Were the Days (Mary Hopkin)

Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley)

Young Girl (Gary Puckett & The Union Gap)

Everyday People (Sly & the Family Stone)

More Today Than Yesterday (Spiral Staircase)

Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin)

Everybody's Talkin' (Harry Nilsson)

Mother's Little Helper (The Rolling Stones)

Help! (The Beatles)

White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane)

Summertime Blues (The Who)

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

19th Nervous Breakdown (The Rolling Stones)

A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum)

Whatever Lola Wants (Sarah Vaughan)

Sunshine of Your Love (Cream)

Can't Find My Way Home (Blind Faith)

Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash)

All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan)

Midnight Confessions (The Grass Roots)

For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)

Get Back (The Beatles)

Someday We'll Be Together (Diana Ross & The Supremes)