TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “SUMMER OF ’69”

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn Tuesday Excerpts

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a recent download:  Summer of ’69, by Elin Hilderbrand.

***

 

Intro:  (Prologue:  Fortunate Son)

When the Selective Service notice comes for Tiger, Kate’s first instinct is to throw it away.  Surely this is every American mother’s first instinct?  Pretend it got lost in the mail, buy Tiger a few more weeks of freedom before the U.S. Army sends another letter—by which time, this god-awful war in Vietnam might be over.  Nixon has promised to end it.

***

Teaser Tuesday:  The expression on Angus’s face wasn’t one she remembered seeing before.  He looked…caught.  He looked…guilty of something.  And then Blair noticed he was in a state of disarray, his tie askew, his shirt misbuttoned, and his hair mussed.  Blair blinked. (p. 57).

***

Synopsis:  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. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding 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.

***

I am excited to dive into this one.  1969 was a pivotal year for me.  Would you keep reading?

***

20 thoughts on “TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “SUMMER OF ’69””

  2. Absolutely! I was 11 years old in ’69 and remember it vividly. My brothers had draft numbers but luckily weren’t called. I recall my oldest brother having parties downstairs/yard with his friends and the music of Joplin, Hendrix, Cream, etc. blasting while the party-going men in paisley button-downs and the women with parted in the middle straight hair drank and smoked “funny cigarettes”. The good ol’ days, lol!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. So happy that you joined in again today! I remember the 60’s well even though I only turned 12 in November of ’69. I’m not far into the audio but it is really good. Can’t wait to see how it plays out. I liked Angus a lot to begin with but I’m just past the part you shared about him and I’m not much of a fan at this point.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Please leave your thoughts. Comments, not awards, feed my soul. Thanks!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.