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Three Days in June Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

The Newest Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler’s Three Days in June reads like a novella. Short and to the point. But there is a definite back story. So, the book has elements of a novel. The entire story takes place in about 72 hours. And the opening pages are a bit of a misdirection. Even though the daughter, Debbie, is a bride-to-be on the cusp of saying vows, her parents Gail and Max are the main characters.

Point of View in Three Days in June

The saga which makes-up Three Days in June is told by Gail Baines. Gail is almost more than middle-aged, divorced and possibly fired or maybe just quit. And she carries secret guilt. She freaks out over the possibility of her future son-in-law cheating on her daughter just before the wedding.

The first of the three days in June follows Gail’s job loss and the potential disruption of the wedding.

Day 2 of Three Days in June

Debbie gets married with angst from her mother and a totally different attitude from Max. He is the forgive and forget type of person. This personality lends a lot to the back story. It is not always the male that cheats on a marriage.

Secondary characters add to the wedding scenes. Indeed, the families are the center of the plot instead of the bride and groom. Gail’s mom, Joyce, provides a good contrast in personalities. And Max is a keeper.

Final Day

In the final day of Three Days in June, Max and Gail re-connect. More flashbacks from Gail bring forth the pain of infidelity from both sides. Anne Tyler expertly writes of the trials and pains of adultery. Guilt and remorse from the cheater’s side and forgiveness from the betrayed spouse.

The writing is deep. Three Days in June looks at the possibility of conciliation long after a marriage breaks apart. Anne Tyler does a good job explaining the complexity of a relationship in the aftermath of a broken marriage. She offers hope and an olive branch for those who have made the biggest mistake of their life. Once again, the author strikes gold with her writing.

Clock Dance Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Clock Dance- A Book Club Book

The author of Clock Dance is new to me. But I am glad I discovered her work. Clock Dance piqued my interest from the start. I read it cover to cover. Many of you may be familiar with the author, Anne Tyler. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. So, it is not surprising that Clock Dance is being read by book clubs across the country.

Willa Drake is the protagonist in Clock Dance. The reader follows her life from grade school to 60 ish. There are large gaps in the timeline but Tyler makes that work. Thus, in some ways, Clock Dance is a summary of life events.

The characters are pretty straight-forward. The development of Willa is nicely done. But the reader may be surprised by how her relationship with key members of her family changes over the years. I was, yet I wasn’t. Dysfunctional family relationships during the early years have a way of sowing unusual outcomes.

Call for Help

The “real” story begins in the present which for Willa means her early sixties. In a case of mistaken identity, she receives a call for help. And she responds much to her husband’s chagrin. He tags along.

Willa flies half way across the country to care for a young girl. Tyler makes it clear the kid is pretty self-sufficient. There is a parallelism between Willa and Cheryl, the young girl she is in temporary charge of. Thus the natural re-awakening of Willa’s self is easy to believe.

The supporting characters are good. So is the plot. The ending is a bit surprising but not overly so. Those of us approaching a certain age do begin to wonder how things could have been. Tyler reminds us that time remains to make changes. The clock has not run out yet.

I really liked Clock Dance and plan to loan my copy out to others. This book has great appeal and not just for those of us approaching the later stages of life. Anne Tyler is a great writer and I plan to read more of her work.