Lost in the Summer of '69 by Eliza Knight ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

An epic story in which a soon-to-be empty-nester’s mother goes missing, leading her on a road trip with her daughter to track grandma down at a series of music festivals that popped up across the country in the summer of '69. 

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June 2026; Sourcebooks Landmark; 978-1464255113
audio, ebook, print (400 pages); historical fiction

I’ve been reading a lot of books recently that are set in the 1960s, and so far, this is my favorite.  It was great to see all three women – grandma, mom, and daughter grow throughout the novel and find out that they were stronger and braver than they had ever believed.  Plus, they all had an unbelievable adventure during that magical summer when music festivals were being held all over the country.

Eleanor is a 69-year-old widow who has just found out that she has the beginning of Alzheimer’s, which will only get worse over time.  Eleanor has always been a free spirit, but she gave up her music career back in the 40s when she got married and decided to be a good wife and mother.  When she reads about a music festival in California, she decides to go to the festival and maybe get a chance to sing one more time. When her singing voice draws the attention of a rock star, she gets the chance to live her bucket list and attend music festivals all over the country.

Eleanor’s daughter, Leanne, is a real buttoned-up woman whose main goal in life is to be the perfect daughter, mother, and wife.  When she realizes that her mother is missing, she is so worried that she decides to take a road trip to find her.  Following some clues that she found at her mother’s house, she finds out about Alzheimer’s, as well as finding out that her mother has gone to California.  Eleanor is also depressed because she’s about to be an empty nester when her daughter Nora heads to Yale in the first year that women were accepted at that prestigious college.  Leanne asks her daughter to help her find Eleanor, and off they go to California.  The road trip eventually takes them from California to Denver, Seattle, back to New York, and then New Orleans, and ends at Woodstock.  They hear about Eleanor – who is now referred to as the Dame of Rock and Roll, but she always stays one step ahead of her daughter and granddaughter.  As the trip continues, Eleanor’s dementia is getting worse, Leanne is beginning to question the structure that she has built into her life and marriage, and Nora and her mom are becoming closer.  Nora also meets a young man and falls in love for the first time as she begins to realize that her mom and grandma had both been young and had hopes and dreams to follow, just like she does.

I really enjoyed this book – it’s got three smart and brave women on a road trip.  It’s full of quirky characters and interesting adventures, plus there are a lot of music references as well as references to music stars in the 60s.  It’s an awesome book that reminds us that it’s possible to dream and change, no matter what your age.

Buy Lost in the Summer of ’69 at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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