Author: Anne Tyler
Published: February 11, 2025 by Knopf
Format: Hardcover, 165 Pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Blurb: Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.
But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.
Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers
My Opinion: This short novel encompasses human flaws, social awkwardness, and miscommunication. At the heart of the story is Gail Baines, a character who is both endearing and exasperating in her attempts to navigate a world where she never quite fits. On the eve of her daughter Debbie’s wedding, Gail’s life is uncertain—was she fired, or did she quit her job? No one knows, least of all Gail. Adding to the complexity, she’s conspicuously excluded from pre-wedding festivities, and to top it off, her ex-husband arrives uninvited, cat in tow.
The plot thickens when Debbie discovers a last-minute bombshell about her fiancé that throws everything into disarray. Gail, trying to provide motherly support, suggests that Debbie has options. But Debbie, quick to judge her mother’s failed marriage, isn’t having it. Their interaction lays bare the generational divide and the complexity of family dynamics, with neither listening to nor understanding the other.
This story is full of messy, imperfect relationships. Gail’s world is populated by characters who struggle to show love, acceptance, or tolerance—and perhaps that’s what makes this book so divisive. It’s hard to love characters who don’t love each other—or themselves, for that matter. But therein lies the brilliance of Tyler’s writing. These flaws feel real, drawing readers into a story that’s equal parts frustrating and thought-provoking.
While it’s understandable why this book may not resonate with everyone, its imperfections make it ripe for discussion. The tangled threads of love, marriage, and family dynamics provide a fertile ground for reflection and debate. As such, *Three Days in June* stands out as a perfect book club pick, encouraging readers to not only discuss the characters’ shortcomings but perhaps even their own.
But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.
Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers
My Opinion: This short novel encompasses human flaws, social awkwardness, and miscommunication. At the heart of the story is Gail Baines, a character who is both endearing and exasperating in her attempts to navigate a world where she never quite fits. On the eve of her daughter Debbie’s wedding, Gail’s life is uncertain—was she fired, or did she quit her job? No one knows, least of all Gail. Adding to the complexity, she’s conspicuously excluded from pre-wedding festivities, and to top it off, her ex-husband arrives uninvited, cat in tow.
The plot thickens when Debbie discovers a last-minute bombshell about her fiancé that throws everything into disarray. Gail, trying to provide motherly support, suggests that Debbie has options. But Debbie, quick to judge her mother’s failed marriage, isn’t having it. Their interaction lays bare the generational divide and the complexity of family dynamics, with neither listening to nor understanding the other.
This story is full of messy, imperfect relationships. Gail’s world is populated by characters who struggle to show love, acceptance, or tolerance—and perhaps that’s what makes this book so divisive. It’s hard to love characters who don’t love each other—or themselves, for that matter. But therein lies the brilliance of Tyler’s writing. These flaws feel real, drawing readers into a story that’s equal parts frustrating and thought-provoking.
While it’s understandable why this book may not resonate with everyone, its imperfections make it ripe for discussion. The tangled threads of love, marriage, and family dynamics provide a fertile ground for reflection and debate. As such, *Three Days in June* stands out as a perfect book club pick, encouraging readers to not only discuss the characters’ shortcomings but perhaps even their own.
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