‘Three Days in June’ had been selected as a little informal buddy read with wonderful ‘The Book Taster‘ members and I am so glad it was as I am not sure I would have read it otherwise. This is a wonderful little book, just under 200 pages, but it packs a punch in that time. And I managed to read it in less than 24 hours – in fact, it was a perfect lazy Sunday morning read, which I could not put down.
This book does exactly what it says on the cover; it takes us through three days in June as we join Max, Gail and Debbie for the day before, of and after Debbie’s wedding. Max and Gail are divorced but are thrown back together as they unite for their daughter’s wedding, and Max comes to stay with Gail. As we experience these three days in June with these characters, mainly from the viewpoint of Gail (a slightly socially awkward character) we reflect on life, past, present and future, and why exactly Max and Gail ended up divorced in the first place, as they seem to rub along quite comfortably.
I just found this book charming and rather hard to put down, hence the speedy read. I loved the characters, and I was invested in finding out what would happen in these three days in June. Max was just a charming man, who may not be perfect, but was a kind soul, and I think his story was the one I was most invested in. However, I loved that there was an older female lead in the book, and her feelings and experiences were so well-written.
This is a book about relationships, especially marriage and love. It is a book that will make you reflect on your experiences and is possibly a reminder that somebody does not have to be perfect to be exactly what you need – even if sometimes we need a little reminder of that. But, also, we need to consider that everybody’s experiences are different and sometimes judgement is not the way forward, but, instead, the opportunity for love and support should be always present.
It has been quite some time since I have read an Anne Tyler novel, but it has reminded me that you should return to authors, and not always be swayed by what everyone else is reading because you might miss something that you would really rather enjoy!