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Summary and Reviews of Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Three Days in June

A Novel

by Anne Tyler
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (31):
  • First Published:
  • Feb 11, 2025, 176 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn't even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail's ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max's past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Three Days in June opens with a question for you, the reader: "People don't tap their watches anymore; have you noticed?" How does Gail's voice continue to engage you throughout the novel? How does she explore the question of timekeeping as she describes the aspects of her life that are fleeting and the aspects that endure?
  2. To what extent is Gail's identity defined by her job? Have her roles as mother, daughter, and wife provided her with the same level of confidence as the work she performed for Marilee Burton?
  3. What were your first impressions of Max? On their wedding day, were Max and Gail a good fit? How did your perceptions of their marriage shift as the details unfolded?
  4. Did you believe Kenneth's story about Carla?
  5. Is Debbie's ...
Please be aware that this discussion may contain spoilers!

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What are you reading this week? (02/20/2025)
I'm an Anne Tyler fan, too! I'm really looking forward to reading Three Days in June - glad you liked it, Paula!
-Diane_Jones


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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

This story is not a deep or complicated read, but instead a focus on the everyday lives of a family working through an important event. The setting is an ordinary one, but as happens in life, the day to day stuff gets tangled and what begins as ordinary gets complicated with choices large and small (Donna C). Anne Tyler has a magic touch for writing stories. Her ability to make daily life with her characters interesting and meaningful astounds me! She turns the most ordinary occasions into events that are far from mundane (Jennifer B)...continued

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(Reviewed by First Impressions Reviewers).

Media Reviews

Booklist
Tyler's fan base is rock-solid, but as word gets out, all fiction lovers seeking a smart, sunny novel will ask for this one...Tyler is exceptionally adept at exhilarating dialogue and the nuances of relationships...With every character, cat included, incisively and vividly realized, and myriad preoccupations and emotions limned with nimble wit and empathy, this is a keen delight.

Kirkus Reviews
[T]he novel is very short, but Tyler's touch is as delicate, her empathy for human beings and all their quirks as evident in her 25th work of fiction as it was in her first...Sweet, sharp, and satisfying.

Publishers Weekly
[An] appealing story...As in Tyler's previous work, there's not much of a plot, but the pleasure is in learning how her characters tick, as Gail time and again fails to find the proper tact. By the end of the story, messy human relationships are proven to be worth all the trouble they cause. This will gratify Tyler's fans.

Reader Reviews

Cloggie Downunder

a little, but perfect dose of Tyler magic.
Three Days in June is the twenty-fifth novel by award-winning, best-selling American author, Anne Tyler. When it is suggested to not-quite-sixty-two-year-old assistant headmistress Gail Baines that she might retire, or seek a different career path, ...   Read More
Kathy W Appleton, WI

Three Days in June
I loved this book despite not especially liking the main character at first.Gail Baines didn't seem like someone I would want to know. But I found her story compelling and I wanted to learn more about her. The story unfolds through the details ...   Read More
Anita R. (Boca Raton, FL)

From the 1st page on you will be captivated!
In 2 readings I finished this delightful but sad novel. Gail Baines was quite an incredible woman, both deeply insecure yet not afraid of expressing her opinion. Anne Tyler captivates us with her wonderful style of writing. A great read!!
Judith C. (Lake Oswego, OR)

Three Days In June
Three Days In June is actually more of a slice of life novella. But during the brief three days: the day before, the day of and the day after a small family wedding Anne Tyler's characters come alive. I very much enjoyed my time with the Baines ...   Read More

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Beyond the Book



Weddings in Contemporary Literature

Covers of books mentioned in reading list In Anne Tyler's Three Days in June, main character Gail Baines must deal with the chaos of her daughter's wedding while facing career disappointment and job loss. As weddings are landmark events in many people's lives and may reflect (or challenge) traditional family values, they can make for rich and meaningful story settings, and provide the impetus for juicy drama. Below, we look at just a few contemporary works that feature weddings in a significant way.

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

For those getting married, their wedding may be the happiest day of their lives. But with so much emphasis placed on this being the case, weddings are also often a time when others end up feeling excluded and bitter. In Nnedi ...

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Read-Alikes

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