The Summer of ’69 by Elin Hildebrand

Summer of ’69 by Elin Hildebrand – 432 pages

Book Blurb:

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 this year Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, a nursing student, is caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests, a passion which takes her to Martha’s Vineyard with her best friend, Mary Jo Kopechne. 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 who is hiding some secrets of her own. As the summer heats up, Teddy Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, a man flies to the moon, and Jessie experiences some sinking and flying herself, as she grows into her own body and mind.

My Review: 4 stars

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Summer of ’69 was shockingly my first ever Elin Hildebrand book. She can definitely spin a story and I now know why she has such a cult-like following. This is considered her first historical novel, which for on intents and purposes it is, but it frightens me to think that 1969 is considered historical. Wow, that makes me feel old!

Vietnam, civil rights protests and a hopeful moon landing allowed the author a lot to work with in this quick read. Enter a family with the beloved and only son fighting in the war, a daughter in a mixed-race relationship, another falling out of love with her husband while pregnant with twins and the youngest filled with the angst of being a young adult, and you’ve got a good chunk of the characters surrounding themselves in conflict.

The author’s note included information about why she wrote a historical story. She shared that her and her brother, twins, were born in Nantucket, and considers this not only a nod to him, but also a literary birthday gift. For fans of contemporary fiction, the author’s favored genre, this story will hopefully show that historical fiction is nothing more than great storytelling from a different time period. It’s nothing to shy away from.

I think most readers will be able to identify with at least one of the characters, if not more. It will also allow many to reminisce about what they were doing during the Summer of ’69.

Quotes I liked:

Never let a man be responsible for your happiness.”

“And maybe, just maybe, this summer will end up being one that people write songs about.”

“This is foxhole religion at its most basic. The only person who wants the soldier to live more than the soldier himself is the soldier’s mother.”