The day before her daughter's wedding Gail's ex husband Max suddenly appears asking whether he can stay there, rather than with their daughter. He has brought along a cat and apparently their daughter's husband to be is allergic.
This is a slow paced take on modern family life, with exes being involved in their children's weddings. Neither Gail or Max are perfect, but they can get along reasonably well. There is a last minute hiccup which may derail the wedding, which adds to the tension, plus some old secrets revealed. I don't want to say to much in this review, however the book did grow on me and it is well worth a read.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

A short story about Gail who is due to attend her daughter Debbie's wedding the next day - however she unexpectedly loses her job and then her ex-husband appears.

This is a book of how your happy ever after can change, no matter what age you are.

I just didn't really like any of the characters so didn't really engage with this one. Not for me I'm afraid. Thankfully it was a very short read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Three Days in June is my first Anne Tyler read, much to my surprise. I delved into this curious to navigate my first taste of this prolific author. I came out of this hungry for more Anne Tyler - in true gateway drug fashion - and yet satisfied with the way the story of Gail Baines ended.

Do not be fooled by the short length of this novel; it packs a punch. Gail's daughter's wedding weekend in the present time offers the framework for a reflective journey through the protagonist's past: her own wedding and marriage, her career, her experience of motherhood, her eventual divorce, and ultimately her later-in-life second chance at life, love and everything else. Each of the three wedding days (the day before, the actual wedding day and the Sunday after) takes up an almost perfect third of the book, providing a very balanced read and "self analysis". Tyler's literary voice is clear, concise, observational and just detailed enough to provide the information required, no room left for unnecessary detours or characters. The crystal clear honesty she lends to Gail's stream of thoughts is humanising and touching.

Through Gail's recollections and her judgment of her own past and present actions, Tyler offers us an antiheroine whose one big error during her marriage, when her daughter was still a child, seems to put an end to any progression in life. She no longer pursues anything dreamworthy, taking root in her position as the immutable outsider. Not invited to her daughter's pre-wedding spa day, not involved in the wedding planning, not in a romantic relationship, no pets, driving her old Corolla and covering the holes in her living room furniture with doilies. It is her daughter's wedding and the unexpected twists and turns of the weekend that will provide her with an opportunity for analysis and, finally, movement.

I particularly enjoyed Tyler's limited but perfect use of pathetic fallacy (the roadwork that is being tended to by repairmen and that brings to the car at a full stop during a key moment of the novel still sits with me) as well as her use of the senior (female, of course) rescue cat as a mirror for Gail's journey to acceptance, self-love and eventual moving forward. The underlying theme of one's image of perfection, flawless and deserving of being put on a pedestal, and the terrible consequences when one fails to live up to this is haunting and oh-so relatable.

"Anger feels so much better than sadness. Cleaner, somehow, and more definite. But then when the anger fades, the sadness comes right back the same as ever."

* Many thanks to NetGalley & Random House UK, Vintage for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. *

I think this book must be novella length as it didn't take me very long to read. We have a mismatched couple, a daughter who seems inexplicably unlike either of them, routines, difficulty dealing with people, all classic Tyler characters, and it's set in Baltimore, but it's certainly not Tyler-by-numbers and I think represents a maintenance of the return to form I enjoyed in my reading of "French Braid".

The book does indeed extend over three days in June: the days around divorced parents' Gail and Max's daughter Debbie's wedding day. So we have rehearsal day, the wedding day and the day after, each with its worries and issues. Some of them are common - Debbie is marrying into quite a different kind of family, with formal, well-dressed in-laws and a capable mother-in-law who knows how to organise things "properly" and there's a sibling falling-out - some specific - Gail has a difficult interaction with her boss at the school she works at and walks out, Debbie finds out her groom has a secret (or has he?), and one of the in-laws turns out to be a face from Gail's past. The past is revisited here and there, and we find out how Gail and Max's marriage broke up.

But there are bigger things going on than just a wedding story, as usual: is it better to be with someone just like you or different; how on earth do children come out so different from their parents; is it better to muddle through or be seemingly perfect; is it better to be quieter or louder? Oh, and there's a beautifully drawn cat who, thankfully (you never quite know with Tyler) makes it through fine.

A lovely read I'll be buying in paperback and re-reading in time.

Blog review: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/02/05/book-review-anne-tyler-three-days-in-june/

Gail Baines is ready to be mother of the bride but the day before The Big Day, she is found unemployed (the reasons why will be explained). Couple this with her ex-husband’s arrival – an ex spouse who does not possess a suit for the aforementioned nuptials – and a soon-to-be bride who is blushing with a secret and not in the flush of matrimony, and Gail’s got quite a lot to deal with.
Anne’s writing will make readers think what is the true definition of ‘happy’ and whether relationship learning can occur between generations.

The first Anne Tyler book I have read and at less than 200 pages some would describe it as a novella. You can see why the writing of Anne Tyler has won many awards. Many authors would have dragged this story out to double the page length with endless unnecessary padding so I applaud the simple well executed. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I was thrilled to receive an eARC of "Three Days in June" by Anne Tyler, as I adore her writing style. She has a unique way of introducing us to the lives of ordinary Baltimore people in the most extraordinary manner. Her talent for infusing warmth, humour, depth, and an insight into the human experience makes her books a joy to read. This novella was no different, set over three days but reflecting on the lifetimes of the main characters.

Our protagonist in "Three Days in June" is Gail Baines, a socially awkward 61-year-old woman whose only daughter, Debbie, is getting married.

Gail arrives at work the day before the wedding, only to discover she's been passed over for promotion to principal at a private girls' school due to her lack of people skills. A comment cited was, “Good God, Mrs. Morris, surely you realize your daughter doesn’t have the slightest chance of getting into Princeton.” I couldn't help but laugh at this as a reader 🤣.

She storms out, only to find her semi-estranged ex-husband, Max, arriving to stay at her house for the wedding festivities with a foster cat he hopes she will adopt.

Can her day get worse? Well, bad luck comes in threes, and daughter Debbie shares a secret about groom Kenneth that her parents disagree on how to handle.

All these events send Gail on a voyage of self-reflection: how she met Max, their marriage, what went wrong, and questioning what she should do with her life moving forward. Should she return to classroom teaching, which she enjoyed so much?

I loved this little novella. It's just another perfect slice of ordinary Baltimore lives with flawed main characters. Our couple, Gail and Max, both have their quirks but seem to be a perfect match for each other. Gail, an outspoken worrier, is paired against the chilled-out and laid-back Max. I must say, Max always had the right answer to all of Gail's second-guessing and catastrophising. And yes, we all loved the inclusion of a cat 😻.

I read this book in two sittings and may have shed a little tear at the end of this perfect novella. It's a balm for the soul, which is what we all need these days. This book would make a perfect Valentine's or Galentine's gift for the book lover in your life 💕.

Humorous take on family live, love, children, divorce. An ordinary situation, three a bit out of the ordinary days, a lot packed in a short book.

I’m not very familiar with the Anne Tyler’s books but this novella was well written as I would expect. For me, it never really got going. Despite being the days around the wedding of the only daughter of divorced parents there didn’t seem to be much emotion from any of the characters. Slightly tedious but short enough to read in an afternoon.

A quick read detailing the course of a weekend in which the wedding of a grown up forces her divorced parents to spend time together and reflect.
It’s well done, very cleverly structured and well observed, but for some reason I can’t say I loved this one.

Anne Tyler masterfully sets up this story in the opening pages and follows through with a sublimely enjoyable story. Her writing style is so relaxed and her characters are magnificent.
Over the Three Days in June, Gail faces a career challenge, her daughter's wedding and a few other surprises and dilemmas.

I enjoyed this so much that I didn't want it to end.

I'm not really familiar with Tyler's work, having only read A Spool of Blue Thread, but this short story was enjoyable despite the narrator not being particularly likeable. She's a bit selfish and opinionated and I didn't warm to her a great deal.

It's set over 3 days, including her daughter's wedding, during which she spends time with her ex-husband, Max, and her internal monologue reflecting on their lives to date.

Perfect for those who have a quiet weekend planned and want to sit and read all afternoon, I read it in one sitting

Three Days in June offers a quietly compelling glimpse into the lives of a family, unfolding pieces of their story over the course of three days.

What struck me most was how well the characters were developed, despite the book's brevity. They felt real and their interactions truly drove the narrative.

This isn't a story packed with high drama, but that's its strength. It captures the subtle shifts and undulations of ordinary life, the everyday stresses and anxieties that we all experience. It's relatable and, in its own way, deeply engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really wanted to enjoy this book after reading the blurb. Sadly I just didn't. Found it hard to get in to and it really didn't hold my interest. Got about halfway through and then gave up. Sorry.

This was a fab quick read all about ‘life’ and how time can change your mindset. Anne Tyler writes so beautifully.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Anne Tyler is so good at writing about people who deliberately reduce the scope of their lives – both physically and emotionally - to protect themselves. It’s territory that she’s explored in a number of her books and I can’t think of anyone who does it better. This is right up there with the best that she’s written.

In this instance it’s Gail, a divorced deputy Principal who imagines that she will eventually inherit the top job when her boss retires, but instead finds herself sidelined. At the same time her daughter is getting married which brings her ex back into her life and has her thinking about the compromises you do and don’t accept in a relationship.

As the title suggests it’s set over three days and it’s an exquisite character study written with all of Tyler’s warmth and wisdom and gentle humour. I absolutely adored it.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

After reading the blurb and looking at other reviews, I thought I would give this book a go, I have never read any of Anne Tyler's books before and I love finding new authors to read.

I just don't have the same opinion as most, I read only 50% of the book and to be honest I was bored, nothing happens, the opening few pages was about the best I read, where she tells her boss where to stick their job and leaves. The rest is just mundane, it's not funny, sad or any other emotion. I love books that take you on a journey and transports you somewhere else, this just had me sat in a bus stop going nowhere.

It is a well written book, it just isn't for me and I cannot read anymore when I know I have other books that will be more up my street. I hate giving negative reviews as I know how much hard work writers put into their books but I am sorry this is a 1 star book for me

It feels like a little while since I read an Anne Tyler book, but as soon as I started I felt comfortable and relaxed as I was confident this would be another good one. Ms Tyler has the style of writing that is easy to read and seemingly about mundane everyday life and relationships but she manages to inject warmth, humour, depth and understanding of the human condition that make them a joy to read. This one was no different, set over three days but reflecting on the lifetimes of the main characters.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

Three Days in June is classic Tyler - a quiet book about quiet people, in which nothing hugely dramatic happens in terms of plot but enormous emotional shifts occur for the characters. I loved it, and especially loved the ending. I also find it nothing short of miraculous that, more than 60 years after the publication of her first novel, the quality of Tyler's writing has slipped not a bit. In fact, when compared to her earliest books I find I have a stronger emotional connection to the fiction she has published in the last decade or so.