Although well written with well defined and interesting characters, this novel is like separate stories that do not come together. Therefore I found it disjointed and frustrating to follow . ( )

Three Junes is three simultaneously intertwined yet disconnected stories involving the McLeod family of Scotland and their spouses, lovers and friends. Part I, "Collies," introduces the patriarch, Paul McLeod, a recent widower touring Greece shortly after his wife Maureen's death. Paul befriends the thirty-something tour guide, Jack, and becomes infatuated with Fern, a "girl" he and Jack keep running into. Part II, "Upright," tells of Paul's oldest son Fenno's life in the U.S., where he operates a bookshop with his mentor and sometimes lover Ralph while caring for his friend Mal, who is dying of AIDS, and having an affair with the mysterious, aloof playboy Tony. In Part III, "Boys," Fern of Part I reemerges as a pregnant widow who spends a weekend with Tony, Tony's new boytoy and Fenno.

The novel both requires and rewards close reading. Details critical to understanding a situation, such as Paul's age at the time of his trip, are provided just far enough apart and are not explicitly connected, making it easy to overlook the ridiculousness of a man in his late sixties or early seventies infatuated with and hoping to seduce a "girl" in her twenties. Other details are presented without explanation: Fenno overhearing Mal breaking dishes; only much later will this scene be associated with its impetus: the difficult relationship between Mal and his mother.

One weakness of the novel is that both "Collies" and "Boys" seem superfluous to the real story told in "Upright" and could have been eliminated without impairing the novel's emotional impact. The technique Julia Glass employs to slowly show the growth of Fenno's character through the humanity in Mal's death by alternating between painful present and equally painful past is simply brilliant and would stand on its own. My other observation is that Glass often introduces events which should be life-changing (e.g. hints and allegations of infidelity on the part of Maureen) but ultimately leaves them unresolved. In this vein, the relationships between Paul and Fern and particularly Fern and Tony end up feeling contrived because no one involved recognizes the not insignificant familial or romantic relationships between Paul and Fenno and Fenno and Tony.

Despite these criticisms, Three Junes is a rewarding read for both the story it tells and the manner in which it is told. ( )

Beautifully written character-driven saga that features the McLeod family. It is a story in three parts. The first, set in June 1989, follows Paul McLeod who, shortly after the death of his wife, is traveling with a tour group in Greece. The substantial second part, set in June 1995, features eldest son, Fenno. He lives in New York with his dog and parrot, runs a bookshop, and travels annually to the ancestral family home in Scotland. We meet his twin siblings, David and Dennis, and their wives and children. Fenno’s relationships with Mal, suffering from AIDS, and Tony, are told in flashback. In the short third section, set in June 1999, we find characters from the first two parts vacationing at the beach house of a mutual friend.

This book is subtle and understated. It is about love, loss, friendship, and family connections. I loved the characters – they feel so authentic. They are complex and fully formed, with strengths, weaknesses, and eccentricities. The relationships among the characters have that realistic ebb and flow of closeness and distance. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of animals, the focus on art, and the use of food in bringing people together (one character is a chef). The writing is stellar. Glass brings the reader into the lives of these characters through describing the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of their lives. The dialogues are believable. I always know I have loved a book when I do not want it to end, and it lingers in my thoughts.
( )

You start Three Junes by following widower Paul McLeod on a guided tour of Greece where he meets a woman who will change the course of his life. Six years later Paul's passing brings his sons, Fenno, and twins, Dennis and David, to Scotland for his funeral. Fenno, a normally reserved New York West Village gay man, faces a family he barely knows while remembering a father he has always wanted to know better. Both of his brothers are married and living very different lives. The mourners who approach Fenno present difficult choices. For a good chunk of the book Fenno's story is told in first person, bouncing back and forth in time as we follow his complicated relationships with cerebral friend, Mal, dying of AIDS and sexy photographer, Tony, who remains uncommitted despite near daily sexual encounters.
Speaking of Tony, he appears in the last chunk of the book as Fern's lover. This relationship circles the story back to Paul, as Fern was Paul's chance encounter in Greece. Artfully written, Glass plays with chronology and people's emotions. You want unreachable resolutions and conversations that don't or won't happen. ( )

In June of 1989 Paul McLeod, head of a Scottish family, travels to Greece, where he connects with a young American artist and reflects on the complications of marriage while mourning the recent death of his wife.

In June of 1996 Paul’s death draws his three grown sons and their families back to their ancestral home. Fenno, the eldest, a wry, introspective gay man is stunned by a series of revelations that threaten his carefully protected view of the world. .

And finally, in June of 1999, a chance meeting brings Fenno together with Fern, the artist who once captivated his father on his Greek trip so many years ago. The circle is completed.

I found the story well written, the characters engaging, and the book rich with insight about love and parenting and how people connect and fail to connect over the years.

There is a lot about mothers in this.
There is a lot about dying in this.
There is a lot about painting in this.
There is a lot about food in this.
There is a lot about birds in this.

My Book Club found the plot "contrived", and the "chance meetings" and many coincidences hard to swallow. Not me.

It's a slow moving book with a LOT of characters to keep track of. I found it worth the effort.

Reading the LT reviews of the book it's clearly a "Loved it or Hated it" book. I loved it. ( )