About the Book
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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.
My Review
At 69 years old, Eleanor receives the devastating news that she has early Alzheimer’s. She has always wanted to be a singer, but it’s a dream she gave up to raise a family. With the diagnosis she receives, she knows time is running out. She grabs her dog and guitar and hits the road. She’s going on a tour of music festivals. Eleanor doesn’t tell her family she is leaving. She just goes.
Leanne is frantic when she can’t find her mother. She asks her college bound daughter, Nora, to help her. Nora isn’t thrilled to be spending the summer before she leaves for college this way, but she feels obligated. Leanne and Nora drive all over the US trying to track down Eleanor. When they hear on the radio that she is now being called the Dame of Rock n’ Roll, they are stunned to say the least. However, they are determined to find her.
This is the story of three women in the summer of 1969. A time when music festivals were popular including a very famous one called Woodstock. This book is a work of fiction but there are some real-life names you’ll recognize like Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley.
The author did an excellent job of transporting me to 1969. It reminded me of growing up during that time period, although I was too young for events like Woodstock.
Lost in the Summer of ‘69 is an emotional rollercoaster. It deals with so many issues such as Alzheimers and so much more. Three generations of women trying to find their own way in life. By the end of the book, I couldn’t even see the pages as I was drowning in my own tears.
This is beautifully written and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for this author in the future.
For reading challenges:
NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2026
Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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