Summer of '69

by Elin Hilderbrand Narrated by Erin Bennett

Overview

Four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a summer when everything changed in New York Times best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand's first historical novel.

Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the 20th 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. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding 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 30 miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again earns her title as queen of the summer novel.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

Erin Bennett’s narration captures each major character in this novel featuring five females in the same family. During the fateful summer of 1969, major events occur in the nation, and each character is uniquely affected. Whether she’s voicing the oldest, grandmother and matriarch Exalta, or the youngest, 13-year-old Jessie, Bennett deftly delivers the emotions of that era. One daughter is married to a member of the team working on the moon landing; another works at the inn where Ted Kennedy stayed before Chappaquiddick. Racial and religious prejudices are abundant, forcing people to examine their values and actions. Looming over everyone’s lives is the cloud of Vietnam. This audiobook captures it all and brings listeners back to that time with each chapter. B.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Elisabeth Egan

Summer of '69…wades gracefully into a time of political upheaval not unlike the one we're in now…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. You definitely wouldn't want to share an outdoor shower with the Levins, but you also won't want to put down this book until you find out how they survive this stressful season. The answer may be the same as it is with most families—they stick together—but the road to get there is riddled with potholes that are fun to navigate as long as they're fiction.

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/22/2019

Hilderbrand (Winter in Paradise) delivers a superb novel about the goings-on of a family during the summer of 1969 in Nantucket, centered on four siblings. Mother Kate Levin has taken to drinking after her only son, Tiger, is drafted and sent to Vietnam. Kate has agreed to let her family’s longtime caretaker Bill stay on their property with his grandson Pick in exchange for using Bill’s army connections to keep Tiger safe and away from the front. Blair, the eldest sibling, pregnant with twins, gave up a promising career and a shot at Harvard at the behest of her astrophysicist husband, Angus, who is preoccupied with the upcoming moon landing and has deep spells of depression; Blair flees to Nantucket when Angus says he cheated on her. Middle sister Kirby is trying to clear her head on Martha’s Vineyard after getting arrested for protesting and ending an affair with a married man. She finds herself judged by the family of the man she’s now seeing, likely, she believes, because of their interracial relationship. Jessie, the youngest, gets a crush on Pick and hits puberty as she bears witness to how shame and propriety drive her family members, and how they suffer because of it. The sisters manage to slay their own demons while finding strength in their siblinghood. 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. (June)

From the Publisher

"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

SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

Erin Bennett’s narration captures each major character in this novel featuring five females in the same family. During the fateful summer of 1969, major events occur in the nation, and each character is uniquely affected. Whether she’s voicing the oldest, grandmother and matriarch Exalta, or the youngest, 13-year-old Jessie, Bennett deftly delivers the emotions of that era. One daughter is married to a member of the team working on the moon landing; another works at the inn where Ted Kennedy stayed before Chappaquiddick. Racial and religious prejudices are abundant, forcing people to examine their values and actions. Looming over everyone’s lives is the cloud of Vietnam. This audiobook captures it all and brings listeners back to that time with each chapter. B.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172893322
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	06/18/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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