Three Junes

Three Junes is three simultaneously intertwined yet disconnected stories involving the McLeod family of Scotland and their spouses, lovers and friends. Part I, "Collies," introduces the patriarch, Paul McLeod, a recent widower touring Greece shortly after his wife Maureen's death. Paul befriends the thirty-something tour guide, Jack, and becomes infatuated with Fern, a "girl" he and Jack keep running into. Part II, "Upright," tells of Paul's oldest son Fenno's life in the U.S., where he operates a bookshop with his mentor and sometimes lover Ralph while caring for his friend Mal, who is dying of AIDS, and having an affair with the mysterious, aloof playboy Tony. In Part III, "Boys," Fern of Part I reemerges as a pregnant widow who show more spends a weekend with Tony, Tony's new boytoy and Fenno.

The novel both requires and rewards close reading. Details critical to understanding a situation, such as Paul's age at the time of his trip, are provided just far enough apart and are not explicitly connected, making it easy to overlook the ridiculousness of a man in his late sixties or early seventies infatuated with and hoping to seduce a "girl" in her twenties. Other details are presented without explanation: Fenno overhearing Mal breaking dishes; only much later will this scene be associated with its impetus: the difficult relationship between Mal and his mother.

One weakness of the novel is that both "Collies" and "Boys" seem superfluous to the real story told in "Upright" and could have been eliminated without impairing the novel's emotional impact. The technique Julia Glass employs to slowly show the growth of Fenno's character through the humanity in Mal's death by alternating between painful present and equally painful past is simply brilliant and would stand on its own. My other observation is that Glass often introduces events which should be life-changing (e.g. hints and allegations of infidelity on the part of Maureen) but ultimately leaves them unresolved. In this vein, the relationships between Paul and Fern and particularly Fern and Tony end up feeling contrived because no one involved recognizes the not insignificant familial or romantic relationships between Paul and Fenno and Fenno and Tony.

Despite these criticisms, Three Junes is a rewarding read for both the story it tells and the manner in which it is told. show less

Beautifully written character-driven saga that features the McLeod family. It is a story in three parts. The first, set in June 1989, follows Paul McLeod who, shortly after the death of his wife, is traveling with a tour group in Greece. The substantial second part, set in June 1995, features eldest son, Fenno. He lives in New York with his dog and parrot, runs a bookshop, and travels annually to the ancestral family home in Scotland. We meet his twin siblings, David and Dennis, and their wives and children. Fenno’s relationships with Mal, suffering from AIDS, and Tony, are told in flashback. In the short third section, set in June 1999, we find characters from the first two parts vacationing at the beach house of a mutual friend. show more

This book is subtle and understated. It is about love, loss, friendship, and family connections. I loved the characters – they feel so authentic. They are complex and fully formed, with strengths, weaknesses, and eccentricities. The relationships among the characters have that realistic ebb and flow of closeness and distance. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of animals, the focus on art, and the use of food in bringing people together (one character is a chef). The writing is stellar. Glass brings the reader into the lives of these characters through describing the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of their lives. The dialogues are believable. I always know I have loved a book when I do not want it to end, and it lingers in my thoughts. show less

Three Junes contains three interconnected stories, spanning a decade, covering a significant section of the globe, and each individual story bounces back and forth between the character's past and present. Oh, and deals with AIDS, cancer, infertility, infidelity, art, literature, cuisine, etc., all in the context of a Scottish family. In the hands of a poor writer, this could have been disjointed and disastrous, but Julia Glass pulls it off. She brings her characters to life and weaves all the times, places, and people together into a skillful work that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The central story in the novel is Fenno McLeod's, taking up over 200 out of 350 total pages. Fenno is an openly homosexual, Scottish expat living in New York. His show more story could have been a novel in and of itself, but the stories of his father, Paul, and a young woman, Fern, who is coincidentally connected to both of the McLeod men, adds greater dimension to the overall narrative. (It seems like a lot of readers dislike Fern's section, and I can see their points, but I did kind of like her and the convenient way her story wrapped up the novel.)

I picked this book up at a library fundraiser because I recognized the author's name. [b:The Widower's Tale|7857656|The Widower's Tale|Julia Glass|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320528784s/7857656.jpg|10996943] has been on my to-read list for a while, and now I'm looking forward to reading that more recent work. show less

A book in three parts, of which the first is good, the second brilliant and the third a bit of a let down, but I had such a great time reading it I could not possibly give it less than five stars. The second part with its forensic analysis of its characters smallest thoughts and interactions was quite superb. Loved the small moments of humour (“from which military junta???”) and the interplay between the characters. Here is an author who knows her setting and its people inside out. The writing was absolutely top quality throughout, with the unusual backdrop of sheepdog breeding proving impressively earthy and tactile in the first section, followed by the deliciously claustrophobic second section. The third enabled a storyline to be show more rounded off, whilst adding an element of circularity to the novel as a whole. So glad to learn that there are more books out there about these characters. show less

Although well written with well defined and interesting characters, this novel is like separate stories that do not come together. Therefore I found it disjointed and frustrating to follow .

You start Three Junes by following widower Paul McLeod on a guided tour of Greece where he meets a woman who will change the course of his life. Six years later Paul's passing brings his sons, Fenno, and twins, Dennis and David, to Scotland for his funeral. Fenno, a normally reserved New York West Village gay man, faces a family he barely knows while remembering a father he has always wanted to know better. Both of his brothers are married and living very different lives. The mourners who approach Fenno present difficult choices. For a good chunk of the book Fenno's story is told in first person, bouncing back and forth in time as we follow his complicated relationships with cerebral friend, Mal, dying of AIDS and sexy photographer, show more Tony, who remains uncommitted despite near daily sexual encounters.
Speaking of Tony, he appears in the last chunk of the book as Fern's lover. This relationship circles the story back to Paul, as Fern was Paul's chance encounter in Greece. Artfully written, Glass plays with chronology and people's emotions. You want unreachable resolutions and conversations that don't or won't happen. show less

This is my “I wish I hadn’t waited four years after buying this to read it” book of the year. Lovely voice, wonderful characters that make your insides ache for them, painstakingly well plotted. The split into three parts with three different narrators was incredibly effective, and there was a subtle beauty to the intertwined families and individual stories. The narrative structure is so good I can’t fathom the fact that this is a debut novel. Read slowly and savor it.