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There are currently 28 member reviews
for Three Days in June
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Gloria M. (Los Gatos, CA)
Didn't Want It To End!!
Readers who enjoy a great family saga that ventures a bit deeper into the depth and substance and ensuing drama of human interactions will definitely want to add Anne Tyler's latest, "Three Days in June," to the top of their TBR pile. Tyler is a consummate master of this genre; one must note that she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her novel, "Breathing Lessons," and was on the 2015 Man Booker prize shortlist for "A Spool of Thread."
Tyler writes with humor and an uncanny sense of observation - akin to holding up an imaginary magnifying glass to the thoughts and behaviors of her creations and taking the reader along for the ride. Her relatable style always makes this reader feel all the emotions and think about the hidden motivations and the beneath the surface meanings of the events occurring in the narrative. Even the tiniest action like who prepares what for lunch has relevance. For me, reading Anne Tyler's books is as comforting as a great, gooey grilled cheese sandwich.
In this story, the protagonist, Gail Barnes, is experiencing three terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. The first of the days surrounding her only daughter's wedding begins with the end of her employment as an assistant headmistress, quite quickly followed by the nagging truth that the mother of the groom was not including her in the wedding planning (in particular not consulting her on the day of beauty at a local spa) and then her ex-husband unexpectedly appears on her front doorstep with a cat!
Gail does not posses much in the way of people skills, so navigating all these (and more) unpleasant events leaves her feeling anxious, annoyed and exhausted. Then the final straw - a secret is revealed that could cancel the wedding! I found myself immediately engaged and invested in all the characters - even the cat!
"Three Days in June" is first and foremost a tale of family and marriage and Anne Tyler is quite adept at this. But as the many layers are peeled back, larger questions arise - such as how much each individual's perspectives and expectations (our own personality and history and accumulated psychological baggage) colors how we view the reality right in front of us. We often assign our friends and family members and even ourselves certain roles to play and this may not match the truth of who everyone actually is.
I thoroughly enjoyed every page and heartily recommend it and am very grateful to Alfred A. Knopf Publishing and BookBrowse for providing me with this Advanced Reader's edition. The book is scheduled to be released on 2/11/2025 so be sure to make a note in your calendar. You won't want to miss this one!
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Jennifer B. (Oviedo, FL)
Three Days in June
Anne Tyler has a magic touch for writing stories. Her ability to make daily life with her characters interesting and meaningful astounds me! She turns the most ordinary occasions into events that are far from mundane. Three Days in June centers around a small family celebrating a wedding. That's all I will say to avoid spoiling the plot. This book will definitely get a recommendation from me for my book clubs! Thank you, Bookbrowse, for the opportunity to review this book before it is published.
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Wendy K. (Rising Fawn, GA)
I loved "Three Days in June
This book drew me in and kept my attention until the very end. In fact I didn't want it to end. Thoroughly enjoyable. Gail Baines' interior dialogue came across as real and true. The writing is tight, engaging, and funny. Anyone who wants an absorbing, entertaining and light read would enjoy this. Moreover, I think any woman would find Gail incredibly relatable.
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Connie H. (Sachse, TX)
Having bad days
There is nothing like a stressful event (like say a daughter's wedding for example) that can awaken both past and present memories, anxious thoughts and hidden secrets that we might wish to keep buried. This is what is happening to Gail Baines as she struggles through time with her thoughts in these "three days in June." I loved all the characters. They were well-developed, truly wonderful, funny and relatable. This book was an easy, fast read and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think it would be a great book for book clubs, due to its relatable content, as who hasn't had bad days. It provided me with a respite from my own anxious thoughts, just to be able to sit down in my favorite chair with a nice cup of tea and to be transported into a place that offers a look at family life, with all its quirkiness, a bit of messiness, and a connectedness.
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Karen R. (Columbus, OH)
Anne Tyler does it again
In typical Anne Tyler fashion, she makes the ordinary characters in Three Days In June very interesting. The three days in June are the day before, the day of, and the day after a wedding. I found myself thinking of these characters even when I wasn't reading this book. This is a delightful character driven book. I highly recommend.
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Cathie D. (Pelham, NH)
A realistic, quick read
This book covers three days in June and tells the story of Gail Baines. It starts with Gail walking into work as the assistant headmaster only to find out that she is being replaced so she quits or is she fired? She arrives home and shortly afterward, her ex-husband, Max, arrives (uninvited) on her doorstep with a cat and announces that he will be staying with Gail for the weekend due to their daughter, Debbie's, wedding.
Debbie, meanwhile, is participating in a spa day for the ladies which Gail was not invited to. Just before the rehearsal dinner, Debbie confides in Gail and Max that her husband-to-be, Kenneth, acted questionably and she questions whether or not she should continue with the wedding.
This revelation brings back to light an incident that ended Gail's own wedding. This is a quick read and the characters are realistic and the storytelling his honest. The interchanges between Gail and Max are quirky and they are total opposites.
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Dotti A. (Ames, IA)
Three Days in June
This novel is a light-hearted look at three days in the life of Gail Baines (a 61 year old assistant administrator in a private school). She's divorced from Max, and their daughter, Debbie, is getting married.
The story is character-driven. Who are these characters and what is their history?
Day 1: A Day of Beauty: What kind of crisis can come from that?
Day 2: D-Day: Is that a hint that something will happen at the wedding?
Day 3: The Day After: What comes next?
I was intrigued by the presence of the cat throughout the three days. Why did the
author add the cat to the story? Do her antics parallel the storyline?
I would not choose this book for my discussion group. Though I would recommend
reading it in front of a fireplace, with a warm beverage, on a snowy night.
An enjoyable 'light' read.
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