20190309_201322.jpgToday I have a review of Summer of ‘69 by one of my favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand! A huge thank you to Little Brown for my gifted copy. This is Hilderbrand’s first take on historical fiction, and as with everything she does, it’s masterful! Summer of  ‘69 publishes on June 19, 2019.

My Thoughts:

To say I’ve been ecstatic to read Elin Hilderbrand’s first historical fiction book is an understatement. Last summer, she wrote her first murder mystery, and this summer she brings us Summer of ‘69. 

Expect the stories the Nantucket stories we’ve known and loved from our beloved EH, but this time, with a historic backdrop. 

The Levin family spends its summers on Nantucket, and everyone looks forward to it. They stay at their grandmother’s stately, historic home. But this year, things are different for the Levins. 

Blair is pregnant and unable to travel. Kirby is devoted to civil rights protests. Tiger has been deployed to Vietnam. Jessie, the youngest at thirteen years old, is staying with her grandmother who is behind-the-times, but carrying secrets. 

The summer is filled with those historic events we’ve all heard about: the lunar landing, Chappaquiddick, and all the while, Jessie is growing up, too. 

Yeah, I gobbled this up! What a summer story with plenty of depth and insight, as I would expect from Hilderbrand. This particular summer was rife with events and drama in the world, and so it was for the Levins, too.  I was both engrossed and enchanted with this story. I can only imagine what EH will dream up for us next summer?! And in the interim, I have her new winter series to keep me company late this fall! Always and forever a fan! 

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

About the Book:

Follow New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand back in time and join a Nantucket family as they experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a 1960s summer.

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.

In her first “historical novel,” rich with the details of an era that shaped both a country and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again proves her title as queen of the summer novel.

Have you read Summer of ‘69, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR