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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It is the summer of '69 on Nantucket. The momentous events taking place that summer are having an impact on the lives of the Levin family. The war in Vietnam rages, Woodstock is approaching, there is a scandal involving Ted Kennedy, NASA is preparing to shoot for the moon.
I got quite caught up in the lives of the Levin family and thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I got quite caught up in the lives of the Levin family and thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This was the first Hilderbrand book I read and it was just ok for me. I found myself skipping pages at a time, interested enough in the characters to know what happened to them but not interested enough to actually read all the words in this story. I love books that take place in the 1960's but the historical time period seemed like just a backdrop and not truly part of the story.
2-3 stars, I can't really decide.
I chose this for our book club because I wanted a lighter read. Some of our previous titles have been dense or dealt with heavy topics. The problem is... I'm not sure a lighter read is what I needed.
Summer of '69 - with every chapter headline a song title (yes, someone needed to explain that to me, because I'm apparently too young or lack musical inclination to recognize them) was just too... fluffy for me. It follows a family over a summer. It has lots of beaches and family drama. My main problem? It is annoyingly superficial about everything. And also, it touches on absolutely everything.
Topics include (and I'll probably forget a few): war, shop lifting, alcoholism, racism, infidelity, protesting, feminism, abortion, sexism, mental health, friendship, relationships, sexual assault, prejudice. But it barely touches on any of them. Almost nothing gets resolved and even what gets resolved is seemingly fixed with the snap of fingers.
It will definitely be interesting to discuss it.
I chose this for our book club because I wanted a lighter read. Some of our previous titles have been dense or dealt with heavy topics. The problem is... I'm not sure a lighter read is what I needed.
Summer of '69 - with every chapter headline a song title (yes, someone needed to explain that to me, because I'm apparently too young or lack musical inclination to recognize them) was just too... fluffy for me. It follows a family over a summer. It has lots of beaches and family drama. My main problem? It is annoyingly superficial about everything. And also, it touches on absolutely everything.
Topics include (and I'll probably forget a few): war, shop lifting, alcoholism, racism, infidelity, protesting, feminism, abortion, sexism, mental health, friendship, relationships, sexual assault, prejudice. But it barely touches on any of them. Almost nothing gets resolved and even what gets resolved is seemingly fixed with the snap of fingers.
It will definitely be interesting to discuss it.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fluffy feel good novel, can’t really go wrong with Hilderbrand when that’s what you’re looking for.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has a great premise: a family vacations in Nantucket during the Summer of 1969. One brother is fighting in Vietnam. One sister works in Martha’s Vineyard as The Chappaquiddick incident is unfolding. The youngest sister considers following her crush to Woodstock. The eldest grapples with her first pregnancy while her husband’s focus is on his work; the moon landing.
Despite these exciting storylines, Summer of ‘69 fell flat for me. I didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters. There were happy parts, but the overall narrative was kind of sad.
None of this will prevent me from picking up another Elin Hilderbrand book. They can’t all be favorites!
Despite these exciting storylines, Summer of ‘69 fell flat for me. I didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters. There were happy parts, but the overall narrative was kind of sad.
None of this will prevent me from picking up another Elin Hilderbrand book. They can’t all be favorites!