Posted by Bel. The time is 3:26pm here in Wellington, NZ.
Even though I know I shouldn't, I am inclined to judge a book by its cover. And so when I pulled this edition of "Three Junes" off the shelf, my hopes dropped a little. To me, this cover says 'I'm chick-lit, but trying to be a bit classy' and 'oh aren't divine lunches out at our summer house by the vineyard just the height of sophistication rah rah rah', to which I say 'vomitous'.But Julia Glass sure taught me a lesson. I enjoyed "Three Junes" so much, relishing the rich storytelling and vibrant characters, having them swirl in my head even when I wasn't reading.
This book is mostly set in New York (swoon!) and in Scotland, telling the story of a family with three very different brothers and the people that intersect with their lives. The novel is split into three parts - apparently the first part was written as a stand-alone short story, which won awards, and I can just imagine the author wanting to come back to the characters and see where their lives lead. It picks up again five years later, and another five years after that, but each time from completely different perspectives, but with just enough overlap to make you feel like an exclusive insider.
In dealing with the subject matter of families, and life and death, and time passing, you would think I would file this under my 'trashy epic' category, but not so! Such tenderness and sincerity rings true in the writing, managing to avoid the usual cliches. If you are looking for a read which is not particulary challenging, but still won't treat you like an idiot and gives you something to sink your teeth into - this is a good place to start. Don't get put off by the cover!
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