Summer of '69

By: Elin Hilderbrand

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

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.

Critic reviews

"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

Not enough character or issue depth

This story never drew me in. It was similar to people sitting around talking briefly about a number of things that happened in their lives but only from a very shallow viewpoint. Nothing wrapped up well or resolved itself. All of a sudden Jessie is no longer seeing Darren, Kate has stopped being an alcoholic, the grandmother turns into a sweet non-prejudiced person, what happens to Patti who being battered by Luke - she just left with him and not idea whether the battering was ever resolved. These are all worthy subjects but you don’t just scratch the surface of them and then tie them up with a bow or not, and never explore the depth of any of it. I could go on and on because this book just left me feeling frustrated and not happy that I spent the time I did listening to it. Maybe if it had been told from someone’s point of view so that we had at least one person’s insight and emotions by which to judge all of these
heavy issues. The idea was good but it was not well executed.

A nostalgic walk down memory lane

This book was an enjoyable beach read. 1969 was quite a year! Thanks for the memories Ms Hilderbrand.

not my fave

I've read many E.H. books and loved them but this was lacking, maybe because narrator?

Sweet story

I loved the tie in with the Kennedys..I can also agree with Jesse said..Kirby said..Kate said... it was tooo much.. it made the conversations seem choppy..I eventually got to where I had to ignore them or I wasn't going to be able to finish this great book.

Awesome story to listen to at work.

The narrator takes you into the story and doesn't let you go until the end.