Three Days in June, although fairly short, packs a lot into its pages. Anne Tyler deftly observes daily life over the course of three days as Gail prepares for the wedding of her daughter Debbie. Gail is not the most prescient of people and stuff just happens to her. Lacking in people skills, and yet well meaning, Gail seems to have to cope with a lot - from losing her job to taking in her ex-husband who arrives unannounced and with a cat under his arm. Gail is a worrier, speaks her mind without thinking, and often feels les-than. Her ex, Max, is carefree and laid back - on the surface, but underneath lies a gentle and caring man. The complexities of relationships and just of general life itself are recounted with understanding, and discernment - all packed into 200 pages. This is story telling at its best.
Told with humour, showing the patterns of the past repeating themselves, of human relationships and of learning to come to terms with the unexpected, this is an engaging story, with depths that might not be apparent if read too quickly! It's worth savouring, inspite of the temptation to read it all in one sitting! Or read quickly and then read again slowly to dig into it more deeply.

With thanks to Netgalley and Random House Vintage UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

A pleasant enough book. Gail is a 61 Yr old assistant head teacher in a private school but is ousted for having no people skills.
When her ex husband turns up for their daughters wedding things become more complicated. The ex husband and friends don't seem to help but the rescue cat her ex brings with him does.
Having spent a few days together her ex is hoping to rekindle their love from 21yrs ago.

Another lovely intimate character portrait from [author:Anne Tyler|457].

It's hard to know what to write about Tyler at this point in her career-- she is consistent, I feel, in both quality and style. If you enjoyed her previous books, you'll probably enjoy this one also. If you found her other books boring, or had complaints that nothing happened, [book:Three Days in June|213243949] won't satisfy you either.

As the title promises, this one is set over three days in June. The day before, the day of, and the day after the wedding of Gail's daughter. Of course, we also do some revisiting of Gail's past to build our understanding of who she is and how and why she's at this place in her life.

Tyler explores characters, situations and feelings. Her stories are thoughtful but undramatic, which happens to work for me, and I'm often left with a bittersweet feeling at the final page.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus for my copy, 3.5/5.

Charming novella about the 3 days surrounding a wedding, told from the mother of the bride’s perspective.

Gail (MOB) is an aloof perfectionist of a person; poor social skills, bit cold, bit of a worrier. The wedding of her only child causes her to reminisce on her marriage and the turns it took and, with the help of a cat called Miss Celine (honest to G’d this has been in my cat name bank for years!) we end on a hopeful note.

Nothing really happens in this and our heroine is a bit unlikeable - relatable but unlikeable - but Anne Tyler writes with such skill and compassion and such deep understanding of human nature that it’s worth your time.

Anne Tyler has a knack for taking ordinary characters facing ordinary situations and turning them into a story we can engage and empathise with. This short novel focuses on 61 year old Gail Baines whose daughter Debbie is getting married to her long time boyfriend Kenneth.

Gail is dealing with a lot over this time. The day before the wedding she’s been told she is no longer wanted in her role of acting headmistress despite years of dedicated service. Then she discovers she has been pushed aside from her daughter’s wedding preparations by her fiancé’s mother. And to top it off her ex-husband Max, Debbie’s father, turns up on her doorstep looking for a bed for the night and not only that but he has a cat in a carrier that he thinks Gail might like to adopt.

A family wedding often puts strain on family relationships and Tyler has captured that well with sensitivity and with a streak of humour throughout. Her fondness for her characters is displayed by her portrayal of them. Gail is a pragmatic woman who says what she thinks and doesn’t waste time on empty platitudes while Max is affable and easy going, but also better at reading people. Their relationship is warm and relaxed, one of love and respect for each other. While Max seems to get on well with Debbie, she and Gail don’t seem close but Gail only wants her to have a happy marriage and tries to ignore the hurt caused by being side-lined from the wedding preparations. Told with humour, sensitivity and love this short novel is a lovely portrayal of ordinary people grappling with ordinary situations and relationships that have the potential to change their lives.

Gorgeous, short and bittersweet read about a woman who attends her daughter’s wedding with her ex-husband.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Gail is 61, divorced and has just walked out of her teaching job after being told that she lacks people skills.
Her daughter Debbie is getting married and Gail is unsure about her husband-to-be and bemused by the processes that need to be gone through.
Gail's estranged husband arrives on the doorstep and announces he has come to stay for the wedding, bringing a cat.
And the wedding is imminent...

A delightful description of someone struggling with change, working out relationships and trying to get on with life.

Anne Tyler is the undisputed chief storyteller of bittersweet contemporary US-American family lives, a status she proves once more with ‘Three Days in June’. The three days wrap around the wedding of Gail Banes’ daughter Debbie and force sixty year old Gail to take stock of her life. Firstly her professional life: instead of the educational management role she has smartly and steadfastly worked towards, she is made redundant. Secondly, her marital life: the neat separation from her laid-back former husband Max is reversed when he shows up at Gail’s home ahead of the wedding, bringing Gail’s suppressed feelings of guilt and regret to the forefront. And thirdly, her parental life: why is she, the mother-of-the-bride, excluded from the wedding preparations? And how will she react when her daughter makes a disturbing revelation?
As in other Tyler novels, the characterisation in Three Days in June is nuanced, careful and subtle, letting the reader sense the depth of the nostalgia, sadness, guilt and moral outrage but also the love, firmness of purpose, courage and optimism that the female protagonist experiences as the novel proceeds. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC that allowed me to read this exquisite new book by Baltimore’s finest familial chronicler.

i enjoyed reading this book. I liked the characters and their inter relationships. It is about family and a woman's place in it. It is a pleasant and relaxing read.

It’s not a good day for Gail... After many years, she loses her job, and her ex-husband shows up with a cheeky cat. He stays with her for three days to attend her daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, it’s uncertain how honest and sincere the groom really is. As she doubts the sincerity of her future son-in-law, she is reminded of her own past marriage. Old memories seem to crawl to the surface, reminding her of the misery she endured while married to Max. Together, they face three busy and complicated days as they attend her daughter’s wedding. Although it’s an entertaining and solid story, it felt like a Hollywood romcom, and the content was a bit disappointing. The writing style, however, was great. I would recommend this book as light reading for a certain type of person.

Lovely. Slow moving, every word carefully considered. Nothing happens yet we see a whole life and become immediately engaged. Every gap is filled right up until we get just what we want. No questions remain unanswered. Just a gentle, beautifully presented insight into a whole life in a snapshot of just three days. Immensely clever.

A cautionary tale about modern relationships with a hint of romance and a dollop of love. Honesty about feelings is cannot be overrated. I enjoyed reading this book immensely.

My wife read and enjoyed this one and this is her review:
This is a very quick and easy read, where the story unfolds over 3 days in June.
Gail has just been told she is no longer required in her position as assistant to the head teacher in a private school. Gail’s daughter is about to get married the day after she learns this news. In addition, her ex-husband turns up at her door with a rescue cat in tow expecting to stay the duration of the wedding preparations.
A funny, thought-provoking story covering the lives of ordinary people, relationships and complicated family dynamics.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Classic and reassuringly reliable Anne Tyler, Three Days in June is a simple yet beautiful account of a marriage, a family and a wedding.
I am a big fan of the drama from relatable small lives, and Anne Tyler is the master. This is a gentle and easy read.
And there is a cat with a big personality. What is not to love?
An easy five stars from me.

Just such a beautiful book. Anne Tyler just has a way of sucking you right in with her amazing writing. Even when nothing much is going on in the book, the story is so strong that you want to keep reading. This book is filled with humour, sensitivity and love. It's about the ups and downs of life and how everything can still turn out okay even in the downs.

This is an unusually short book, especially for Anne Tyler, but the limited timescale of three days helps to make it work.

The central character is Gail Baines, a school Assistant Head Teacher who walks out on her job after being passed over for promotion, possibly for a lack of people skills, and, on the back of this, reassesses her life and relationships against the background of her daughter’s marriage and an ex-partner, Max, who dumps a cat on her!

It’s a journey for Gail, who has previously relied on being brisk, buttoned up, efficient and, perhaps, a little bit intolerant of the weaknesses of others. Anne Tyler subtly allows her to begin to notice what other people say and what they don’t say, and how they work around her.

Although there are only three days involved, it seems like a slow unravelling and is amusingly described. By the end, you’re likely to think that you know someone who is a bit like Gail and who, without intervention, is in danger of descending into a spiky spinsterhood.

And, yes, she does escape but you’ll have to read the book to find out how. It’s entertaining!

This is the first book I've ever read of this writer, so perhaps its not been the best introduction to her work, I don't know. I'm guessing perhaps it's been written for her fans who have grown to love her style of writing, but unfortunately it's not really my thing, way too tame for me. When I read the blurb, I anticipated a contemporary story, perhaps about family squabbles, but it was far more subtle than that and if anything, a little old fashioned.

This was my first Anne Tyler book and I don’t think it will be my last.

As the title suggests, this story takes place over three days in June - the eve of a wedding, the wedding day, and the day after. They’re an eventful few days for Gail, the mother of the bride, but to say much more would be to give away the details of this finely crafted tale. I really enjoyed this book, and really found myself caring for the characters. The twists and turns are at once heartbreaking and believable, and I found myself rooting for both Gail and her ex-husband Max.

A small, but perfectly formed, book and one I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing is going right for Gail, omitted from joining her daughter's wedding preparations, sacked from her job, her ex husband turns up expecting to stay with her for 3 days . A time to review her life, admit her mistakes and carry on. Funny, sad, a wonderful read.

This was my first Anne Tyler book and even though it was quite short, I still enjoyed it! It is a very character driven novel taking place over a weekend in June where the main character Gail is preparing for her only daughter's wedding. I liked Gail as a character, but did find her a little infuriating at times as she had quite a negative outlook. However, I really liked her dynamic with her ex-husband Max who turns up at her door last minute needing a place to stay for the wedding.

I rated this 3 stars as I felt like it could have been longer and then we could have had more time getting to know the characters and their relationships.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.