Summer of '69
Page turning
Layered
Emotional

Summer of '69

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.
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Reviews

Photo of Paige Paul
Paige Paul@ppaul13
3.5 stars
Aug 24, 2024

A different type of book by Hilderbrand but still loving the backdrop of the Nantucket area. Definitely enjoyed hearing about Blair and Jessie’s stories, but could’ve done without really anything from Kirby. Kind of a cliff hanger ending which I’m not a big fan ofz

+2
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Celine@152celine
5 stars
Dec 18, 2023

Elon Hilderbrand never disappoints.

+4
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Shay@shaykay
4 stars
Dec 30, 2021

I'm really conflicted about what to rate this book! The first 2/3 of the book is definitely a 5 out of 5 for me, but the last third of the book is hard to get through and is probably 3 out of 5 for me. There were just so many different perspectives we followed throughout the book that made it hard to tie up all of the ends for the book, making it feel rushed to me, which is insane because this book is over 400 pages! The ending also made me want more, and it didn't end how I thought it would. It isn't a bad book. It just didn't have the best ending. I don't believe this is a starter for a series either; maybe if it were, the end wouldn't be as disappointing for me, but I really couldn't see it being a series. I don't know. I feel like four stars might be too high, but I also feel like three stars are too low.

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Elise Harris@elise95
4.5 stars
Jul 8, 2023
+3
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Morgan Solomon@msolo18
3 stars
May 21, 2023
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rebecca@rebecstrickl
4 stars
Dec 16, 2022
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Jessica Ford@jessford
4 stars
Jan 7, 2023
Photo of Jessica Post
Jessica Post@jesspost
4 stars
Aug 11, 2022
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Cindy@readingactually
5 stars
Apr 8, 2022
Photo of Michele Bruwer
Michele Bruwer@micheletameris
4 stars
Mar 25, 2022
Photo of Lakin Roberts
Lakin Roberts@lakin
5 stars
Mar 1, 2022
Photo of Carly
Carly@cturn
3 stars
Dec 29, 2021
Photo of Cecily Lawrence
Cecily Lawrence@cess3308
3 stars
Nov 17, 2021
Photo of Madeline Finkel
Madeline Finkel@traveling_pages
5 stars
Sep 1, 2021

Highlights

Photo of Celine
Celine@152celine

She never understood the term crusb before, but now it makes sense because every cell in Jessie's body feels like it's being squeezed; her heart is like an orange pressed into the knuckle of the juicer until all of the emotion oozes out.

Page 79
Photo of Celine
Celine@152celine

Angus sat up. "If that's not the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is."

Page 144

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