Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing but good
Review: This book is very well written, and I believe that Ms. Glass is very talented. I am half way through the book and bored, however. My main criticism is of her treatment of grief. The father, departing to Greece on a tour, seems very one-dimensional. That is intentional, I'm sure. But even Fenno's narrative voice seems weak. One would think that his voice wouldn't try to be so analytical in arriving at the church for his Mother's funeral. When one is grieving, you don't notice everything. Snippets are good, the sense of trying to anchor oneself in the face of grief, but the whole thing feels like a construct, and it shouldn't. I know Fenno is reserved, but there is no real sense of shock and grief at all, so the conceit really doesn't work for me. I plan on finishing the book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book to be Savored
Review: Before reading "Three Junes", I had read several light, summertime reading novels, so when I started this novel, I was thrown for a loop through no fault of the author's. At first I thought this book was full of cumbersome language that was hard to navigate. After giving this book a second chance I discovered that every word written on every page is there for a reason and the author weaves us into the tapestry of this story with effortless skill. This truly is a literary novel; one to be savored like fine wine or wonderful chocolate. Quite simply, I fell in love with the McLeod clan. The first section of the novel is dedicated to the patriarch of the family, Paul McLeod in the wake of his wife Maureen's death. We are introduced to his children, the oldest Fenno and the twins, David and Dennis. Paul McLeod is a proud proper sort of man whose Scottish roots run very deep. I literally felt the love Paul had for his life and all its facets even if he wasn't able to express it to his children. He admires all of his sons even though they choose not to join the family business and each follow their own path. The section dedicated to Paul ended much to soon and I was left grappling for more. I disagree with some of the reviews I have read that say the middle section that is told Fenno's point of view is too long. Fenno very tenderly and unsentimentally tells about his life as a gay man living in New York. I was touched by his relationship with Mal and at many points in the book, I found myself smiling through tears. The last section of the book tries to tie up all the loose ends, but doesn't really succeed. I felt happy and relieved about certain aspects at the end, but again was left wanting more. Even in the face of death by Cancer and AIDS, this book is filled with so much life that it overflows. It is a wonderful multi-generational book that feeds the soul.
Rating:
Summary: Failed attempt to tie up loose ends, but overall, good
Review: Like many before me, I found the first section, "Collies," to be superb. Unlike many before me, I did not find Fenno, the subject of the very long second section, to be uninteresting. I found Fenno to be an increasingly common individual in our society who wants to achieve something meaningful in his life, but doesn't know how because either the traditional routes to life's happiness are closed to him (due to his sexual orientation) or he assumes that those routes should not be followed blindly. Could you blame him -- his parents' marriage did not seem to be the perfect match to to any of the siblings. Also, Fenno's experience caring for his dying friend along with the everyday reminder of what intimacy in the gay culture can (in those days, unwittingly) lead to, must have been paralyzing. I HATED Fern -- an absolutely uninteresting character -- what was JG thinking? We're first introduced to her as a young woman in her early 20's as a "love" interest of Fenno's elderly Dad's, with whom she pals around in Greece. Then we reintroduced to her in the third section as a supposedly sensitive, introspective individual that is worth some of Fenno's most intimate moments?! I think JG tried too hard to tie up loose ends in that book and it showed. Despite the last section, I thought book was worth reading, although questionably worthy of its awards.
Rating: 
Summary: How to survive a broken heart , with a wonderful book
Review: Sometimes, we began to read a novel and we don't really know what to expect from
it. We just assume some things beforehand and expect that our assumptions to be
true. When I started reading 'Three Junes' I wasn't sure of what to expect.
Maybe another 'chick lit', or something alike, but I couldn't be more wrong. 'Junes' is a wonderful novel, an impressive debut. It is hard to believe that
this is Julia Glass's first novel, because she has such an use of language and a
confident style that many veteran writers don't have. I read an article on Glass
and she says to be interested in how people manage to survive after having their
heart broken, and that's exactly what she does in the novel. Sooner or later,
every character have their heart broken at least once, and they try to survive
--if they'll be able to accomplish that is another thing. That is where Glass's
power as a writer is. Her creations are very vivid and believable. The book has its own pace, and the story changes time without much explanation--
what brings a major charm to the novel. The flashbacks come and go, but they
make total sense to what's being told at the moment they pop up. It is a gift
for avid readers to have such a 'slow' novel in this time of disposable and fast
literature. You read word by word and be transported to another time and place,
and you start feeling you know those people, and that they could be your friends
in another life. Somehow Julia Glass reminds me of Michael Cunnighan --which is a great thing in
my opinion. Of course, each one has his and her own style and peculiarities,
what make their prose unique, but they share a lot in common: mostly a tender
view of some so called 'outsiders' that aren't cool enough to be a beatnik, but
still that can't fit in the common place of society. My suggestion is be good to yourself, and give your inteligence and good taste
this lovely gem. And mark this name, I believe we will hear a lot more of Julia
Glass. We, readers of prose with quality, deserve that. The National Book Award
is more than deserved!
Rating: 
Summary: Should have stopped at the first part.
Review: I had a feeling when I learned that Julia Glass won a prize for "Best Novella" for the first part of the book ("Collies") that all of the good stuff would end there. The first part of THREE JUNES is excellent, but the rest of the book is so tiresome that it is hard to believe it was written by the same person. The author should have left "Collies" as it was - a beatifully written, somewhat heartbreaking account of the family. The rest of the book is quite uninteresting, and frankly, quite boring. I found myself in the middle of the book saying, "I don't care about this Fenno dude, nor his AIDS-stricken friend." For such a powerful topic, the book could have been much more moving.
Rating:
Summary: Am I missing something?
Review: I generally try to read award-winning books as a way to avoid bad or uninteresting books. This was a mildly interesting story involving largely one-dimensional characters who whine a lot about their lives, their parents, their siblings. I found the author's persistent use of parentheticals tedious. I may be missing something, but I would not place this book in the same category with Cold Mountain, another National Book Award winner that is far superior to Three Junes. The best I could say about Three Junes is that it is good for a first novel.
Rating:
Summary: Strong characters and dialog, structure is incohesive
Review: Novella #1 "Collies", was achingly beautiful and left me yearning for more. Anyone who has ever seen a reticent man grieve a loss will understand and empathize with Paul. The middle section was a bit long and tiresome, but Fenno is a great character and I found his relationships with his mother, father, brothers, Mal, Tony, etc. to be very believable (To reviewers who criticized his dialog: how would you EXPECT a gay Scottish literati to speak?). The last novella, "Boys", seemed like a rather contrived way to tie everything together and bring closure to the story. Fenno's altruistic transformation was a bit much. There was no use for Dennis even being in this section, and he seemed very much out of character. Fern is such a coy and deplorable leech of a woman, it was disappointing to end on her story rather than on the touching and selfless caregiving we see Fenno provide Mal in the middle section. If this is ever made into a movie, they will have to cast Winona Ryder as Fern! Although pleasantly surprised at how well Glass developed this mostly-male cast of characters, I share other reviewers' frustrations with the gaping plot holes and overall cumbersome structure of this novel. But, I like character-driven stories, esp. ones depicting complex relationships between men, so I was pleased with this book. A good first novel.
Rating:
Summary: cared about the characters
Review: This is my favorite of the last 3 months. The plot was dense enough to keep me thinking, and the characters well described, so that I really cared about what happened to them. The NYC JG. evokes is the real NYC I live in, and so I figure the Scotland must be accurate too. This is great writing.
Rating:
Summary: Turgid and Disappointing
Review: As others have said, "Collies" - the first section - is wonderful. The characters are interesting and make you want to keep reading. "Upright" - the second section - dwells on Fenno - the gay character who has no idea how to live, love, or simply exist. He's completely uninteresting and reading the overly long section is painfully slow. "Boys" - the third section - concentrates on a completely different character who is only slightly more interesting than Fenno. The writing throughout is overly showy and detracts from the story. Read the first section and move on to your next book. The second and third sections are snooze city.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Finish...
Review: I would love to see what this author could do with a GOOD storyline. Her wonderful style of writing really caught my attention and I thought I was going to thoroughly enjoy the book; however, I just could not get into the confusing and drawn out plot.
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