Three Junes

Rating:
Summary: not for me
Review: I love reading.. I love most books I read. Simply stated, this just did not do it for me. I could not get through it.

Rating:
Summary: Truly phenomenal
Review: Because I found the review above written by reader "Kathleen" to be so terribly inaccurate, I feel I must respond to encourage all those interested in a genuinely brilliant literary experience to read this book. Although I found the first section of this book to be phenomenal, the second section (which focuses on the trials and inner struggles of a gay man) to be equally if not more compelling. When recommending a book, one must be careful not to let one's personal biases form the basis of one's opinion. "Kathleen" did not find the second part of the novel to be compelling. Perhaps that is because of her personal discomfort with the character? This section is truly enlightening-- it is poetic in its brilliance. And, though I confess moments of discomfort myself, is that not the true mark of learning?

Rating:
Summary: An all-round good read
Review: I truly enjoyed reading Three Junes. I found the characters interesting and likeable. I really liked the way the author released details about each character slowly and at different times in the book. The book clearly shows that lives can connect across time and through pure coincidence, yet provide joy to everyone involved. The second section about Fenno portrays a poignant story of what it might be like to live his lifestyle with dignity and yet maintain a sense of family..and humor.

Rating:
Summary: Slow and boring
Review: This book was so slow! Normally I fly through books and this one took me over a month to finish becaust it was so boring! The first part was relatively decent, Paul's life was pretty interesting. After the first section though, it's not worth reading. Way too much on unlikable characters: Fenno, Mal, and Fern. I was hoping that the book would tell one of the other brother's stories after Fenno's, but for some reason it switched over to Fern.

Rating:
Summary: doesn't keep its promise
Review: this is a quiet character-driven story with some fine moments in it and a structure that adds interest. The release of details is mostly well-done, the depiction of grief and its aftermath especially well-done, family dynamics handled realistically, and each segment closes strongly. Unfortunately, I found that by far the best moments come in the first section, and while not all of them are there, other good ones are too few and far between for me to have enjoyed or been captivated by the middle section, which left me all too impatient for the close by the time I reached the third and final segment, which veered a bit off the focus for me. I'd recommend it for the first section alone, and then advise to at least try and skim through the rest rather than completely give up on it if you find yourself, like me, losing interest in section two.

Rating:
Summary: Great Characters
Review: Julia Glass' descriptions are vivid. Her compelling characters all come to life. I couldn't put the book down waiting to see what would happen to these people. Excellent writing!

Rating:
Summary: almost a great book...
Review: I read this book in a very relaxed setting on the porch of a vacation cabin overlooking a lake....so I had no distractions other than time passing! I was absolutely enthralled with the writing/story being told in the first two viewpoints, but felt the third was relatively weak. Still, it's a really good read for the intelligent reader who enjoys an interesting story woven well. Bravo.

Rating:
Summary: Slow, Boring, Jumps from Past to Present Too Often
Review: I had heard how wonderful this books was, but I found it slow, boring, and the writer jumps around from past to present so often, that I found myself not even knowing who the characters were - I had to stop and either think about who the character was or actually go back through previous pages to refresh my memory as to who they were. To be quite honest, I so loathed the way this book was written that I didn't even bother finishing it. If a book doesn't pique my interest in 50 pages, then it isn't worth my time to finish. This book DEFINITELY was not worth my time.

Rating:
Summary: heartwarming and beautiful
Review: I read a lot of novels and this book tops my list for the summer. Unlike many reviews, my favorite section by far was the middle where we learn more about Fenno -a fully dimensional character who I will never forget. The relationship between Mal and him is poignant, witty and very interesting.. Mal is a character I would love to have know .His lines and observations had me laughing out loud on more than one occassion. I just don't comprehend why some people have a hard time reading about gay people (as per some of the reviews ). Get over it! It is reality. Look at this wonderful, rich, deep character this author has created - (I saw so many characteristics of myself in Fenno and I am a heterosexual female!) The second part 's wrapup where he is sitting up in the secret hide-out of the home he grew up in Scotland pondering where his life would lead while discovering where his precious niece has hidden her grandfather's ashes left me in complete awe and admiration for the gift of writing. Fern 's character was less interesting to me, but I was glad to see Fenno moving along in his life and displaying the wonderfulattributes you knew he had in him. A moving, lovely book.

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile
Review: I tremendously enjoyed this book. The McLeod family's struggles and conflicts engaged me. My only criticism is the inclusion of the character Fern. She was an irritating distraction. I would have preferred learning more about Davey, Dennis or, especially, Maureen.