BOOK REVIEW: LOST IN THE SUMMER OF 69 BY ELIZA KNIGHT

 

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Summer, 1969. Eleanor Bell, a widow, has always given everything she had to her family, forgoing her own dreams of becoming a singer. When she receives a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s on the eve of her sixty-ninth birthday, she decides to go on an epic musical bucket-list trip to fulfill her dreams: A summer tour of festivals. 

Except she forgets, maybe on purpose, to tell anyone where she’s going. Leanne Miller discovers her mother missing, and she enlists the help of her somewhat distant college-aged daughter, Nora, to help her find Eleanor. The last thing Nora wants to do before starting as one of Yale's first female undergrads is to hit the road. But then Nora hears something strange on the radio—her grandmother’s voice. Nora and Leanne embark on a road trip in her husband’s Lincoln Continental from Atlanta to California, Denver, Seattle, back to New York, and then New Orleans, always one step behind Eleanor, who has been dubbed the Dame of Rock n’ Roll by none other than Johnny Carson. It's an epic celebration of savoring the encore, no matter what the next act may bring.

TEE'S THOUGHTS

One mention of Daisy Jones and music, and I was immediately sold on Lost in the Summer of ’69 by Eliza Knight.

I love a good multigenerational family story, and this one follows three generations of women—a granddaughter, a mother, and a grandmother—plus one adorable hairless dog who completely stole my heart.

After receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, the grandmother decides she isn’t ready to sit quietly at home. Instead, she takes off on a cross-country road trip to visit music festivals from her past. The only problem? She forgets to tell her daughter where she’s going. Soon, mother and daughter are setting off on their own journey to track her down.

The story is heartfelt, funny, and full of nostalgia. The music, fashion, and atmosphere of the late 1960s are woven throughout the book, and Eliza Knight does a wonderful job capturing the spirit of the era.

This is the kind of book that’s perfect for a lazy summer afternoon—warm, emotional, and easy to get lost in.