Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital proof. I am already an Anne Tyler fan, and this book doers not disappoint. Three Days in June is a very easy read. As usual Tyler creates great characters and observations and I really enjoyed it.

Anne Tyler is such a gem. This book, although on the surface seems to have a simple plot, is startling for the little details that elevate it far beyond that. Tyler's ability to look into the flaws and foibles of a cast of characters, but still return with love and grace, is a real treat, and this short novel contains so much wisdom.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
Typical Anne Tyler novel, very easy read. I finished it in an afternoon. Great characters and observations dealing with ordinary people and ordinary life and the not so ordinary things that happen

A gentle story of a divorced couple , neither in a subsequent relationship, meeting up for the wedding of their only daughter. Neither have changed very much over the years and the frustrations relevant to the relationship are still not far from the surface. However the distance of time and generosity of age has resulted in a gentle understanding of each others strengths and weaknesses. Common ground is the joint emotional depths both are currently experiencing at the enormous changes this marriage will mean for their relationship with their daughter and each other. Often humerous in both thoughts and actions of the two protagonists a delightful meandering over the day before, on and after the wedding that reopens numerous memories, damaging actions from the past, and hopefully repairing of hurt done to each other so many years ago. An easy read not withstanding the well written depths explored in the characters personalities and inability to ever discuss their feelings to and about each other. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this rewarding story of a mature couple manoeuvreing through the pitfalls of renewing a failed relationship.

Short, intense and entertaining. The story spans three days of Gail's life, she attends a wedding, deals with her ex, adopts a cat and debates leaving her job. It wasn't the easiest of books to get into but I did find it enjoyable.
3 stars.

Three Days in June
~Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler can really do no wrong in my eyes. She crafts a family novel with such detail that you can see them in your minds eye after a few pages. Her writing is deceptively simple but that’s the magic.

Three Days in June is set over a wedding weekend in Tyler’s Baltimore (where else). Gail, a slightly aloof assistant principal, her more soft ex husband Max and a stray cat deal with their daughter’s wedding and the various family fall outs, emotions and secrets this weekend brings.
A quiet, hopeful and perfectly crafted novella. (Just under 200 pages)
Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for my copy.

A delightful little book that I loved more than I expected to, for several reasons: the effective use of a wedding weekend as a way of examining what goes wrong in marriages and what we choose to live with versus what we can't forgive; Gail's first-person narration, a rarity for Tyler* and a decision that adds depth to what might otherwise have been a two-dimensional depiction of a woman whose people skills leave something to be desired; and the unexpected presence of a cat who brings warmth and caprice back into her home. (I read this soon after losing my old cat, and it was comforting to be reminded that cats and their funny ways are the same the world over.)

From Tyler's oeuvre, this reminded me most of The Amateur Marriage and has a surprise Larry's Party-esque ending. The discussion of the outmoded practice of tapping one's watch is a neat tie-in to her recurring theme of the nature of time. And through the lunch out at a chic crab restaurant, she succeeds at making the Baltimore setting essential rather than incidental, more so than in much of her other work.

Gail is in the sandwich generation with a daughter just married and an old mother who's just about independent. I appreciated that she's 61 and contemplating retirement, but still feels as if she hasn't a clue: "What was I supposed to do with the rest of my life? I'm too young for this, I thought. Not too old, as you might expect, but too young, too inept, too uninformed. How come there weren't any grownups around? Why did everyone just assume I knew what I was doing?"

My only misgiving is that Tyler doesn't quite get it right about the younger generation: women who are in their early thirties in 2023 (so born about 1990) wouldn't be called Debbie and Bitsy. To some degree, Tyler's still stuck back in the 1970s, but her observations about married couples and family dynamics are as shrewd as ever. I can recommend this to readers wanting to try Tyler for the first time.

*I've noted it in Earthly Possessions. Anywhere else?

A short and very entertaining read from Anne Tyler. I loved the dynamics between the sharply observed characters and the way the plot inched in a roundabout kind of way towards the satisfying ending.
A delight to read and highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

This is my first Anne Tyler book! I came across people raving about her writing in a writing workshop last year, and I knew I had to pull it up on my TBR. Then NetGalley and the publisher kindly offered an ARC, and I am so glad things fell into place. Because all the rumors are true! Anne's writing really is heartwarming, and everything I had been told about her stories and writing style stood up.

I read this novella (?) in a day. It was laced with humour, meditative in parts, and still intriguing enough to keep you turning the pages. It's the story of a divorced couple who find themselves in close quarters in preparation for their daughter's wedding. That's the simple premise. Around it are caricaturish characters, tug-at-your-heartstring moments, and the companionable familiarity of shared history. I absolutely loved seeing a mother who wasn't all "sorted" but rather a socially inept mess.

This novel is in the same space for me as Claire Keegan's writing. Brilliant observations of the minutiae, a breezy storyline, and super realistic characters.

Favourite Quotes:

<I>That’s something you forget when you’ve been on your own awhile: those married-couple conversations that continue intermittently for weeks, sometimes, branching out and doubling back and looping into earlier strands like a piece of crochet work. </i>

<I>Anger feels so much better than sadness. Cleaner, somehow, and more definite. But then when the anger fades, the sadness comes right back again the same as ever. </i>

<I>But children veer out from their parents like so many explorers in the wilderness, I’ve learned. They’re not mere duplicates of them. </i>

Three Days in June - Anne Tyler

A compelling exploration of modern marriage and second chances. The day before her daughter’s wedding, Gail loses her job, and her ex-husband unexpectedly shows up, hoping to stay through the events while caring for a cat. Meanwhile, her daughter Debbie uncovers a secret her soon-to-be husband has been hiding, and when Gail learns of it, she finds herself grappling with the chaos. As she tries to manage the situation, she begins to question her life choices and reflect on the principles of forgiveness.

A quick, engaging read that was the perfect companion for a train ride

I usually like Anne Tyler’s writing but this one didn’t appeal to me. I felt as though I was always waiting for something to happen, which never did. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a fan of short stories and this felt like one of those.l - just a snapshot of a life, whereas I wanted something more filling.

As someone with lacklustre people skills I really resonated with Gail. I really enjoyed the story being from her point of view and following her experience of her daughter going ahead with a wedding that in my opinion she shouldn't have done and her experiences with her estranged hasband. I really disliked Debbie as a character, she came across a bit bratty.
Ps. The inclusion of a rescue cat made the book great!

We glimpse an eventful three days in Gail Baines' life - after being passed over on a promotion, Gail leaves her job as Assistant Head Mistress at the school where she's been working for almost two decades. Then, she feels alienated from her only daughter's wedding celebrations as the groom's side have assumed full responsibility for arrangements with bride Debbie also giving them her undivided attention. If that wasn't enough, Gail has to deal with her ex husband rocking up to her front door with a stray cat - he tells her they both need a place to stay whilst the wedding is ongoing as the groom has a cat allergy! In this whole debacle, when Debbie takes her parents into confidence and shares a secret that threatens the ongoing nuptials, Gail realises the circumstances hit closer to home and not in the way Debbie thinks.

This was a sweet, poignant short novella and Anne Tyler packs alot of emotion within the pages. Anne Tyler takes a relateable family dynamic going through human/difficult emotions and transforms it into something deep and meaningful. The writing did become a little too simple/mundane for me in parts and the premise itself was not groundbreaking. A pleasant read. Thank you @netgalley and @vintagebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest unedited review.

This was a pleasant read at an enjoyable pace. The story is told from Gail’s perspective, a divorcee in her 60’s facing losing her long time job at the same time as her daughter Debbie’s wedding. Unexpectedly put in the position of housing her ex-husband Max and a cat he has rescued for the weekend.
It’s interesting to see a relationship between mother and daughter which isn’t the typically bed of roses. Gail isn’t involved in the wedding planning as one might expect or has the closest relationship with her daughter. So it comes as a surprise that Debbie confides in her a possible infidelity from the groom to be. Gail is left in shock and questions if the wedding should go ahead. Max though seems indifferent to the news and believes that Debbie should be the one to decide if she can forgive the infidelity.
We learn why Gail and Max divorced and how it has affected Gail in her life since.
After the wedding, we see Gail question her next step in her life, where will the next chapter take her?

This was an easy read and lovely story. The story follows the life of Gail and her ex husband Max. They are reunited for their daughter Debbie’s wedding. Max was due to stay with Debbie but turned up with a cat he was fostering for a rescue sanctuary. Debbie’s husband to be is allergic so Max ends up staying with Gail.

The story follows three days over the wedding with the actual day not being the most important part but with Gail examining all aspects of her life and re-examining her past life with Max.

The book is gentle and tender and even though the characters were annoying at times (quite a lot of times for me) they were just normal, flawed human beings like us all.

Thank you to Anne Tyler, Random House UK, Vintage | Chatto & Windus, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The writing was lovely and flowed well. However, the book just isn’t for me. I feel as if I could set it down and not care to ever pick it up again. I think because it fails to really hook the reader into caring about very ordinary people doing very ordinary things. It was just boring to read. This absolutely has an audience, but it’s not me. I’ll definitely try other books by Anne Tyler though.

A story based around a wedding but it seems like so much more now that I have read it. Anne Tyler way of drawing us into her characters with all their flaws and quirks. I loved this book. I couldn't put it down.

There is nothing I can say that has not , no doubt, been said by others. This novel is sheer perfection. I adore Tyler's writing and her characters are very dear to me.

I probably need to reread it, but this reminds me of Breathing Lessons.


Read it immediately

I really enjoyed this book. A heartwarming fun quick read. I couldn’t put it down, nor wanted it to end.
A story about family, relationships, love and marriage.
It’s very well written, character driven and full,of emotion. Written over three days, with lots happening. Gail loses her job, her daughter Debbie gets married and her ex Max stays over bringing a cat with him.
It’s an engaging story with relatable and genuine characters. I liked Gail as she comes across as so real.
Definitely recommend this one if you enjoy contemporary fiction.
I look forward to reading more from @AnneTyler
With thanks to #NetGallery #RandomHouseUk for an arc of #ThreeDaysInJune in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 13 February 2025

We meet Gail, a prickly and socially awkward divorcée in her early sixties, when she is being given the boot from her job as assistant headmistress at a private girls’ school. And she has a trying weekend ahead of her. Her 33-year-old daughter Debbie is getting married the next day and her ex-husband, the endearingly bumbling Max has rocked up at her doorstep, a cat in tow, asking to stay for the weekend
Gail is decidedly put out. She glares at the interloping feline and barely tolerates Max’s messy ways, but as wedding politics take their toll, she finds herself leaning on him more and more to get through the proceedings.
When it emerges that Debbie’s betrothed has had a one-night stand the wedding is thrown into doubt. Gail is scandalised by the betrayal while Max more inclined to smooth ruffled feathers and get on with it.
We learn that Gail’s reaction harks back directly to her divorce from Max and the narrative shifts in time to the affair that spelled the end of their marriage.
This is a tender, funny, beautifully observed piece of fiction. A short book to gulp in one sitting –and the ending is sheer perfection.