independent novel publication order
story/novel publication order
julia glass is an author of literature and fiction born in boston, massachusetts. Ella’s novel Three Junes won the 2022 National Book Award for Fiction. She has also received fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Julia has won several awards such as the Tobias Wolff Award and the Pirates Alley Faulkner Society Medal for her short fiction, being her best novel.
June 3rd
You are reading: Julia glass books in order
The novel is set in Scotland, Greece, Greenwich Village and Long Island, and follows the members of a Scottish family as they deal with the fulfillment and betrayal of love. Circa June 1989, Paul McLeod, a newspaper editor and recent widower, travels to Greece and falls in love with a young American artist who ponders the complicated truth of her marriage.
recalls his marriage to his late wife, who was passionate about raising dogs. The novel opens when Paul is on a guided tour of the Greek islands after being widowed. While on vacation, Paul befriends an American artist named Fern.
gives you a quiet moment to reflect on your past life and how having a family makes you feel. he eventually decided to become a british expat and moved to naxos, leaving most of his past life behind. Fenno is the son of Paul and is the private owner of a bookstore in Greenwich Village.
He has returned to Scotland after his father, Paul, passed away unexpectedly. His younger twin brothers and his spouses plan the funeral and secrets from the past are uncovered.
six years later, paul’s death brings these three adult sons and their families back to their ancestral home. Fenno is the oldest and an introspective gay man who narrates the events of the unforeseen reunion. In addition to living a life as a bookseller in Greenwich Village, Fenno is shaken by several revelations that threaten his well-crafted defenses.
Four years later, in June, the opportunity to meet on the coast of Long Island brings Fenno closer to Fern Olitsky, an artist who once captivated his father. Recently pregnant, Fern must weigh her guilt for her past against her future dreams and what her family means to her.
fenno usually returns to scotland at christmas, but makes more trips after the death of his mother and later that of his father. His interactions with his brothers and his wives during all the visits offer more of the story.
fern appears again in 1999 as a widow and mother-to-be. she is currently staying on a long island beach with tony, a babysitter and friend of fenno, who met over dinner. Fern had confided in Paul during their trip to Greece, and she is currently having a long talk with Fenno.
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The author allows the reader to see Paul’s family through their perceptions, frustrations, and feelings. Julia also includes some flashbacks to Fenno’s life in New York City, a time during the AIDS crisis. Three Junes refer to three different months and different times in the life of the Mcleod family.
The last June occurs about ten years after the first, where the young artist fern from the first section becomes pregnant. Although she has had a stable relationship with her boyfriend, she has no idea how to inform him of her pregnancy as she reflects on her first failed marriage.
The story paints a haunting portrait of the redemptive powers of love. it’s about friendships, love, loss, and family connections. the characters are authentic, complex, and fully formed with their strengths and weaknesses.
julia glass is an excellent storyteller, as she maintains flowing prose and skill, keeping the reader interested from the start. the characters are vividly portrayed, leaving the reader wanting more.
Although the story is told from Fenno’s point of view, the author manages to convey the personalities of his siblings and the awkward relationship Fenno had with Veronique, Dennis’s French wife.
julia uses her unique abilities to interweave the past with the present along with the many general layers and complications of life. She tells two of the stories from two different points of view, one of Fenno’s father traveling to Greece after losing his wife while trying to come to terms with the ambivalence of his marriage. the other is the young woman the father meets during his vacation in greece.
The two characters have to decide if they can let go of the pain of their past in order to explore life and love. the widower’s tale
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percy, seventy years old, is happily retiring in a historic country house outside of boston. Percy is a retired librarian who spent most of his working days at Harvard University. he keeps busy watching movies, swimming and reading books.
Life events change after he rents out his vacant barn to the nursery school, bringing all kinds of people into his compound and life. She feels her routine is disrupted when she talks herself into letting a preschooler take over her barn.
As Percy surveys his haven run by teachers, parents, and children, he is forced to reexamine the solitary life he chose three decades ago after the unexpected death of his wife. he can no longer remain detached from his community, from his adult daughters and, to his surprise, from the uncertainty of falling in love. he already has a strained relationship with his daughters and finds love and years of being a widower.
percy values his bond with his oldest grandson, robert, who is studying at harvard. Robert has decided to follow in the footsteps of his mother, a famous doctor. However, he begins to question his ambitions after confronting a charming roommate once he begins to practice ecological activism aimed at the more prosperous suburbs of Boston.
Meanwhile, two other men become involved with Percy and Robert. One of them is Ira, who is a gay teacher at the preschool, and Celestino, a gardener employed by Percy’s neighbor. each of them struggles to overcome a sense of exile from him.
Decisions made by the four men and the women around them collide one spring afternoon and turn everyone’s lives upside down.
The author uses the same amount and care to weave a captivating story about the rivalries, secrets and loyalties of a certain family. it’s refreshing to read about robert and everything that happens in his unforeseen adventures.
The story spans multi-generational relationships about self-love and forgiveness, betrayal, family loyalty, and the web of human connections.