Book Review: Summer of ’69

5/5

“I plan on coming home safely to you. But the most important thing isn’t whether I live or die, Ma. The most important thing is that you go to bed each night believing that you raised a hero.”
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Oh, Elin Hilderbrand! How I love you so! This was another awesome read from this author, and a very different read from all of her previous novels (that I’ve read, at least).
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The story centers around the Foley-Levin family. Kate, the mother, Kate’s three daughters, Blair, Kirby, and Jessie, and Tiger, Kate’s son who was recently deployed to the war in Vietnam. The story is told from the perspectives of Kate, Blair, Kirby, and Jessie, and the multiple POVs definitely helped me to connect with all of these rich characters, so much so that they will stay with me long after I close the book.
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It’s 1969 and big things are happening! NASA is gearing up to send a man to the moon, the war in Vietnam rages on even though the past three presidents have promised to end the war, racial equality and inequality is as prevalent as ever, and women are working more and more outside of the home and still fighting for their rights – and fighting to simply be equal. .
Elin does a wonderful job painting the landscape of 1969 for the reader. The details of what it was like to live in this time period – where people shopped, what they ate, the sentiment surrounding all the hot button topics of the day – were what made this a five-star read for me. I felt like I learned so much from this story – as much as I would learn from reading a history book! Yet, this was much more entertaining than my history texts back in the day ;).
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Historical fiction is my jam, and if it’s your jam, or if you are a Hilderbrand fan, I highly encourage you to check out this wonderful, thought-provoking story!

My copy of this book came from Book of the Month! They also have a YA subscription. For $14.99 a month (or less if you take advantage of their money-saving packages), you can keep up-to-date with all the hot new releases in a beautiful hard back copy!

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