A beautiful short story form the queen of characterisation Anne Tyler. The story centres around the three days around Gail's daughter's wedding and her ex-husband and a cat turning up on her doorstep need somewhere to stay.

Wryling funny and insightful the story explores the relationships in Gail's life and lets her reflect on her life. Both uplifting and occasionally sad this is a beautiful picture of the complexities of relationships. Stunning! I gobbled it up in one sitting.

I love Anne Tyler. She is such a good study of character. I was lucky enough to get this via NetGalley and I read it in nearly one sitting. The title covers exactly what it is about and it’s great :-)

Three Days in June is a short but powerful novel that follows Gail Baines, a 61-year-old woman whose life takes unexpected turns in the days leading up to her daughter's wedding. Facing job loss and a surprise visit from her ex-husband with a rescue cat, Gail reflects on her past and her relationships.

This book is filled with the author’s trademark humour and insight and effectively captures the complexities of family life and personal change.

This novella is perfect for fans of the authors previous work and those who enjoy a mix of humour and emotional depth to their reads.

A great read!!!

I have enjoyed all the Anne Tyler books I have read recently but this one had a different feel to it. It was okay, but felt like an early story that had been dusted off and resurrected. The book felt rushed and the characters weren’t fully explored or developed. It’s a novella rather than a novel. Given that, it is well written and I enjoyed reading it - it just felt rushed, especially at the end. Not the best Anne Tyler I have read.

A second chance romance book. I enjoyed this read spread across 3 days surrounding their daughter's wedding. Would recommend

You can’t fault Anne Tyler. She always delivers emotionally and this time she gives us a heart-wrenching story that touched me even more than usual as I am of an age with her main characters. Gail is long divorced from the father of her only child, a daughter whose wedding reunites them more closely than expected since he ends up coming to stay with her for those few days in June. The story is narrated by Gail. Her conversations with others and her inner thoughts show us the person she is now, the person she was when she was married and the person she was way back when. Her husband Max - has he been the same person all the way through? And what does that mean now, after all this time? It’s all so poignant and understated in that wryly humorous Anne Tyler way. And the wedding was just verging on excruciating. I loved every page.

'Kitchens were more...vertical than living rooms.'

With thanks to Random House, Vintage via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This is another masterpiece from Anne Tyler - it’s quite short and full of her usual charm, wonderful characterisation and wry humour. 61 year old Gail has been ‘let go’ from her job, just before her daughter’s wedding. The wedding means the return of her ex husband and the story focuses on the relationships between all the characters in the book. Anne Tyler’s observational skills are second to none and her understanding of relationships with all their ups and downs is truly wonderful. Please write lots more book Ms Tyler!

A wonderful short read set around the protagonist having to attend her daughter's wedding. Anne Tyler has the most amazing way of capturing family life so that it is completely relatable but still page turning dramatic at the same time. This is definitely one of most favourites.

Does Gail lack any skills?
Told from the POV of 61 yo Gail, this is the accounting of three days her life where she loses her job, her daughter gets married, and she reminiscences about the past, about her marriage, her relationship with her mother in law and mother and life trajectory.
This title has set the standards higher for me for books especially happening in a limited amount of time and told from the first person POV.
Anne Tyler’s craft is impeccable; she is one of the strongest masters of literature.
She seamlessly blends one word to the other, leaving no trace of the earlier sketches and creates a smooth narrative.
I also adored the way Gail’s characterisation and her observations as well as others’ voices are exhibited so potently in her narration.

Had there been different themes and another layer to the plot, this would have easily been a 5 star read for me.
However, this is not your usual 4 -4.5 star read. This is a close to 5 star read in Anne Tyler scale of writing, which is already beyond the star ratings and cannot be compared with other books.

Excellent literature.

4+ ⭐


I think I just read my favourite Anne Tyler book.
Amusing, relatable and utterly charming.

What can I say about Anne Tyler’s writing that hasn’t been said before, she is simply one of the greatest writers ever.
I took as long as I could reading this one, and when I finished, I dug out my 1985 yellowed paperback copy of “Accidental Tourist “ and started reading immediately, (for the umpteenth time) because I just wanted more Anne Tyler.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Vintage, Random House for this advance electronic copy. I enjoyed it enormously and recommend it heartily.

Short and sweet, this was a lovely book. I adored the characterisation which felt very full and made for an engaging story, and as all Anne Tyler books are, it was beautifully written. Wonderful.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

What a beautiful beautifully written novel. I think Anne Tyler has become one of my favorite authors. I loved how the book was set around a wedding but was so much more than that. It was about family, secrets, love forgiveness. What a rich story that I don’t want to spoil for potential readers but would make the perfect book club selection.

Anne Tyler is always someone you can rely on for a satisfying and reliable comforting read. I enjoyed this particular narrator's misanthropic tendencies and her frustrated relationships with her boss, her ex-husband, her adult daughter, her mother.

A master storyteller at work! This was such a fantastic read. Gail is 61 and works as a deputy at a private shcool, her head announces she is retiring and rather than consider Gail as a successor the job has already been offered to a trendy educator with a vision and a book to match who wants to bring in her own Asssistant, so it looks like Gail will be out. Having been totally blindsided by this, Gail must also attend her daughter's wedding rehearsal dinner that evening, where there is also strife. Added to her woes, her ex husband who was meant to stay at their daughter's flat assumes he can stay with Gail for the wedding that weekend as he has brought a foster cat with him and their daughter's intended is allergic to dander. Cue a busy weekend for Gail that will have big life repercussions. The characterisation and the quiet reflective comments and moments were just so apt and as a woman of a certain age it all resonated with me. The novel is nice and short, no stuffing or bloat, just great story telling with not a word wasted.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Gail Baines loses her job as an Assistant Headteacher the day before her daughter Debbie's wedding. Things go from bad to worse when her ex-husband Max comes to stay for the wedding and brings a rescue cat with him, then a secret is revealed at the rehearsal dinner.

Brilliant, as always. Anne Tyler is an incredible writer and packs so much into so few words - I'm in awe! Read this in one go as I couldn't put it down - riveting, funny, emotional... all the usual ingredients in one perfect package. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The three days of the title are those encompassing the wedding of Gail’s only daughter, Debbie, but also include Gail being nudged out of her job and the arrival of her ex-husband on her doorstep, complete with a homeless cat. These events cause her to look back on her life, and to find hope for moving forwards. This is a short but powerful gem of a book, with all Tyler’s trademark sense of understanding and compassion for her flawed and often self-destructive characters. With wry humour and tenderness she explores the trials and consolations of marriage and family, how we too often let mistakes define our lives, and how it is never too late for change. Wonderful-I only wish it had been longer!

Even if you didn't know who had written this book, within a few lines you would know it was Anne Tyler.

The writing is so beautiful and relatable and Tyler has that gift of finding the magic in the simplest of people and events

Three Days in June follows Gail Baines who has lost her job after she thought she was getting a promotion. Max, her ex-husband turns up at her door expecting to stay for their daughter's wedding. Her daughter's wedding makes her think of the past and it stirs up memories of her and Max.

This is very short but it packs a punch. It has that classic Anne Tyler feel to it and will be very relatable to many people. It wasn't a new favourite for me unfortunately but I can see many people loving this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. Reading this book was like a warm cozy bath, a soothing balm, and I devoured it in a day. Tyler makes it look SO EASY... but it is not. I loved the use of the wedding as a way to bring the family together (reminded me of the wedding chapter in Sally Rooney's third book). I thought the first person voice was great. I loved the quirky funny dialogue. This was just an absolute joy and I LOVED the final page. She is just an absolute master.

"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?"