Rating: 
Summary: Fast Start--Slow Finish!
Review: The first section of this book, "Collies," is superb. It depicts Paul McCleod dealing with the death of his longtime wife, Maureen, their relationship on a Scottish breeding farm and Paul and Maureen's three sons--Fenno, and twins Dennis and David. If the quality of that writing had continued, "Three Junes," would have been a great book. Sadly, this is not the case. The middle section, "Upright," dealing with eldest son, Fenno McCleod is too long, and ultimately uninteresting. The last section, "Boys," is better, but unsatisfying because the middle section has failed to fulfill the promise of the first.Julia Glass shows great promise as a writer. Hopefully, she will continue to improve her craft and offer us more selections in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 star beginning falls flatter and flatter.
Review: Of course, fiction is fiction. But as I read this book, I was often struck by the feeling that these characters just did not exist in the real world. They felt made up and I was very aware of this throughout much of this book, especially in the second and third section. The first section which deals with Paul McLeod, the patriarch, is as wonderful as the rest of the book is flat. It's lilting and spirited and engaging and I thought I was in for a real treat. Somehow this character came brilliantly alive and I was sorry to let him go so soon. The second section narrated by Fenno, the gay son, seemed like a cliche. He was described as a great reader and an intellectual, but his dialogue did not display this. Plus, he was never observed reading or discussing even one book. When the brothers got together in Scotland, it seemed too fussy - more like the way sisters would get together than brothers. I just didn't believe it. The twin brother's wives did not seem like women who would marry either of them - a gorgeous, sophisticated French woman marrying a wayward pothead (who later got his act together) and a sexy, free-spirited hippie marrying a conservative, boring stiff just didn't hold true. Much of the dialog seemed written, not real. Often, it was corny and filled with platitudes which seemed more suited for a greeting card. Despite all of these criticisms, I found the book to be an easy, somewhat enjoyable read. The last section, however, really lagged and seemed unnecessary. Why was Fern, who had met the father in the first section, brought back to befriend Fenno, when the original connection was never established? I guess we're left to assume that when Fern accepts Fenno's dinner invitation, she'll see that drawing the father had left him when he died. Three Junes is not worthy of any award, much less the ones it's received.
Rating: 
Summary: Elegantly written, but incomplete
Review: This book is divided into three intertwining sections; each section has in common some of the same characters and the month of June, where Important Things happen ' people die and babies are conceived. This is NOT a quick read; it is a literary novel that you can either tire of or admire (or in my case, both). As in many literary novels, there are many reflective passages that do little to move the story forward or tie up loose ends in the plot. The story focuses on the McLeod family, a Scottish clan from which the eldest son, Fenno, has departed for NYC, only to return after the death of his mother, Maureen, and several years later his father, Paul. There's a lot of back stories to learn about Fenno and his younger twin brothers, David and Dennis, as well as the secret life of Maureen, and later Paul, who moved to Greece after his wife's death. There's also Fern, a young woman Paul meets and develops a crush on during his first trip to Greece, and who resurfaces in the book's last section. Needless to say, there's a lot going on here, and much of our information comes from Fenno's perspective, and he is not the most likeable character. Criticisms aside, this was an interesting, elegantly written novel that's worth getting through, even though you may feel somewhat shortchanged at the inconclusive end.
Rating:
Summary: An uneven string of novellas
Review: I'm surprised that this novel won the National Book Award for 2002. It's not a big or ambitious book (as its 2001 predecessor, "The Corrections," was). One of the characters is a photographer whose metier is extreme closeups of familiar sights: a lover's hip, a baby's fist. The book is very much like that: an extended close up of several domestic arrangements. It's an extremely well-written, elegantly structured miniature. The first novella in the series, "Collies," deals with Paul McLeod, a Scotsman whose wife has recently died. This is the gem of the collection. It's easy to understand why Glass's novella won awards: it is spare, understated, elegant. As we learn what Paul's life is like in the present without his difficult but beloved Maureen, we also discover what his married life has been like for decades and we witness his attempts to envision a future on his own. A couple's entire life together, a man's past, present, and future, all in only 50+ pages. Miraculous! "Collies" stands on its own as a wonderfully complete read, well worth the time invested in it. I don't know if Glass's original conception of the book were a three part novel or if she decided to extend the opening successful novella, but the remainder of the book suffers by comparison. There are a number of small clever touches to link all three stories together, but the links at times seem forced. The most interesting characters in "Three Junes" are the McLeods Senior, Paul and Maureen, older people on the verge of being senior citizens, a demographic whose stories are often ignored in contemporary fiction or made the subject of satire. Here Glass treats them with respect and restraint, and they are worth getting to know. Unfortunately, they do not appear in the rest of the book. Other reviewers have admired the long central section, the story of Fenno McLeod, the eldest of three sons, but his story is a fairly familiar one, however well told. The final section of the novel brings some of the earlier characters together and moves along rather briskly, but feels much less substantial. Perhaps the weakest aspect of this book is its unbalanced structure. The disproportionately lengthy middle section is actually longer than the other two sections combined; by itself, it could well be a complete novel. So one is left wondering why "three Junes" rather than just one (the first one)? Glass is an accomplished writer. The book is, on the whole, less than the sum of its parts, but it is worth reading, particularly its opening section. I remain perplexed, however, as to what recommended this book to the award panel. I can't imagine reading it again or urging others to pick it up.
Rating:
Summary: B Version of "The Hours"
Review: A well written book with an ultimately uplifting message, I found myself pushing through to get through some sections that seemed ponderous. Similar in style to Michael Cunningham's "The Hours", the book is broken into three stories that interweve along a family bloodline. Each story melds between the present and the past, with the last story bookending the first in a clever way. My problem with the book is I found the first and last sections far too short and the middle section too long. It also reminded me of "The Hours" for it's themes of life and death, I just felt "The Hours" did it much more sucessfully.
Rating: 
Summary: Tiresome Bore of a Book with Unlikable Characters
Review: This book was a complete bore. Fenno, main character, was a tiresome (and tired) pseudo-intellectual without an once of umph or ambition to get himself out of his blah's. Also, why the blah's? Get off your self absorbed/self pittying [backside] and have a little fun - which is my take on all the main characters in this book. This book is a complete discredit to the National Book Award. Skip it and go on to something more insightful and less precious. It doesn't even deserve one star.
Rating:
Summary: Not An Easy Read!!!
Review: This book was hard to get into not an easy read!!! It was beautifully written though. Very descriptive of the characters and country. I found if I put the book down and wanted to get back into it it would be difficult.
Rating:
Summary: Not an Easy Read!!!!
Review: I started reading this book, but had a hard time getting into all the different characters and plot in this book. Skipping from here to there .... I found it was not easy to get through. Would not recommend it for light reading.
Rating:
Summary: National Book Award, what were they thinking?
Review: I just didn't care about any of these characters and found many of them to be literary cliches (especially Fenno and Mal). A previous reviewer compared Three Junes to something Maeve Binchy might write. True, but she would've done a better job.
Rating:
Summary: three (slow) junes......
Review: I started reading this book about three weeks ago - I am usually done with a book by the end of the week....but this one is hard to get into!! I think that Julia Glass writes Three Junes with an amazing ability to paint a book with such artistic expressions! The "painting" however is confusing....the timetable is kind of all over the place, and it makes it hard to read the book, put it down, and then to pick it up and remember exactly what was going on... but I HAVE heard it IS worth reading, and I will write my final review when done with the book.....I thought that this might help other readers who are struggling to read what is a lovely novel!
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