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Centuries of June
Centuries of June is a bold departure, a work of dazzling breadth and technical virtuosity.
Set in the bathroom of an old house just before dawn on a night in June, Centuries of June is a black comedy about a man who is attempting to tell the story of how he ended up on the floor with a hole in his head. But he keeps getting interrupted by a series of suspects—eight women lying in the bedroom just down the hall. Each woman tells a story drawn from five centuries of American myth and legend in a wild medley of styles and voices.
Centuries of June is a romp through history, a madcap murder mystery, an existential ghost story, and a stunning tour de force at once ingenious, sexy, inspiring, and ultimately deeply moving.
Set in the bathroom of an old house just before dawn on a night in June, Centuries of June is a black comedy about a man who is attempting to tell the story of how he ended up on the floor with a hole in his head. But he keeps getting interrupted by a series of suspects—eight women lying in the bedroom just down the hall. Each woman tells a story drawn from five centuries of American myth and legend in a wild medley of styles and voices.
Centuries of June is a romp through history, a madcap murder mystery, an existential ghost story, and a stunning tour de force at once ingenious, sexy, inspiring, and ultimately deeply moving.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
24 people are currently reading
840 people want to read
About the author
Keith Donohue
20 books379 followersKeith Donohue is an American novelist. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he earned his B.A. and M.A. from Duquesne University and his Ph.D. in English from The Catholic University of America.
Currently he is Director of Communications for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the U. S. National Archives in Washington, DC. Until 1998 he worked at the National Endowment for the Arts and wrote speeches for chairmen John Frohnmayer and Jane Alexander, and has written articles for the New York Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other newspapers.
Currently he is Director of Communications for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the U. S. National Archives in Washington, DC. Until 1998 he worked at the National Endowment for the Arts and wrote speeches for chairmen John Frohnmayer and Jane Alexander, and has written articles for the New York Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other newspapers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
May 31, 2017
Reading this book was like dissecting a Dali - surreal, fantastic, with small bits of recognizable traits from "real life" but otherwise, a dreamscape when time and space don't abide by the same rules. The book is a dying man's look back on history - through the eyes of eight women and a male "guide" that morphs from his late father to Samuel Beckett, to his living brother...
The man falls on his way to the bathroom in the middle of the night... as he lays on the bathroom tile, people join him in the bathroom - sitting in the tub, on the toilet, on the sink counter - and tell their stories of times past, and love lost. The women's stories have a common thread of the men who have wronged them in life - through betrayal, negligence, etc. Yet the stories are very entertaining and the true highlight of the book. They span the American landscape and history.
A novel idea for a story - and unlike anything else I have read. If you can suspend reality and just go with it, I think you will be rewarded in the end, as I was.
The man falls on his way to the bathroom in the middle of the night... as he lays on the bathroom tile, people join him in the bathroom - sitting in the tub, on the toilet, on the sink counter - and tell their stories of times past, and love lost. The women's stories have a common thread of the men who have wronged them in life - through betrayal, negligence, etc. Yet the stories are very entertaining and the true highlight of the book. They span the American landscape and history.
A novel idea for a story - and unlike anything else I have read. If you can suspend reality and just go with it, I think you will be rewarded in the end, as I was.
September 1, 2014
Ever read a book that takes almost entirely inside a bathroom? I can't say I ever had. But now I have! Inside the bathroom is a young man who wakes up naked and bleeding on the bathroom tile, an old man in a bathrobe sitting on the tub, coughing feathers, and one by one a series of women come from the bedroom to tell their stories. If that's not bizarre enough, each of the women comes from a different century. There's a victim of the Salem witch trials, a slave in New Orleans, a woman who was present for the World Series in 1903 when the Pirates actually did something cool, etc. All of their stories are similar in one way - they've been betrayed, spurned, hurt. And they want their stories heard now.
Like Donohue's first and second books (The Stolen Child and Angels of Destruction), there is an element of the fantastical in this story. Donohue writes literary fiction but with a touch of fantasy that almost makes complete sense, like it could be pretty realistic. A cat named Harpo who talks some smack? Sure, why not. It works.
In a sense, this book is also a mystery. Why is the main character lying naked on the floor of his bathroom at the start of the novel? Why is he bleeding? Will he ever be able to tell his story? And, really, what's with the creepy guy sitting on the bathtub? The mystery itself slowly unravels, and by slowly I mean it unravels before your eyes across many centuries. All the pieces start to fall into place, you start to get it. It's a fun story.
I think it could have been even better, however. Less choppy in parts. I had a chance to go to Donohue's reading and book signing when this book came out and if I remember correctly he talked briefly about wanting to give these women voices, which he did. But he also did the same thing a lot of male writers do when writing women - he oversexualized them. I feel the book could have done with a lot less of that. Women can have voices, even angry voices, that don't just have to do with sex.
But I continue to read Donohue because I like when Pittsburgh people go on to do real things. He might not be in Pittsburgh anymore, but it makes its way into his writing, so I think this is still his home. I see he has a new book coming out, or it is out, or something. I look forward to reading it just as much as I've looked forward to these first three. I just keep hoping he'll write one I love as much as I loved The Stolen Child.
Like Donohue's first and second books (The Stolen Child and Angels of Destruction), there is an element of the fantastical in this story. Donohue writes literary fiction but with a touch of fantasy that almost makes complete sense, like it could be pretty realistic. A cat named Harpo who talks some smack? Sure, why not. It works.
In a sense, this book is also a mystery. Why is the main character lying naked on the floor of his bathroom at the start of the novel? Why is he bleeding? Will he ever be able to tell his story? And, really, what's with the creepy guy sitting on the bathtub? The mystery itself slowly unravels, and by slowly I mean it unravels before your eyes across many centuries. All the pieces start to fall into place, you start to get it. It's a fun story.
I think it could have been even better, however. Less choppy in parts. I had a chance to go to Donohue's reading and book signing when this book came out and if I remember correctly he talked briefly about wanting to give these women voices, which he did. But he also did the same thing a lot of male writers do when writing women - he oversexualized them. I feel the book could have done with a lot less of that. Women can have voices, even angry voices, that don't just have to do with sex.
But I continue to read Donohue because I like when Pittsburgh people go on to do real things. He might not be in Pittsburgh anymore, but it makes its way into his writing, so I think this is still his home. I see he has a new book coming out, or it is out, or something. I look forward to reading it just as much as I've looked forward to these first three. I just keep hoping he'll write one I love as much as I loved The Stolen Child.
April 25, 2014
From www.thebookdorks.com
WEIRD. Centuries of June is just plain weird, but compellingly so. At times, it is laugh-out-loud funny and at others, it is simply surreal and hallucinatory. And I loved it.
The novel begins with our narrator landing on his bathroom floor bleeding profusely from a head wound which he acknowledges will make his floor “murder to clean.” Ha! As he attempts to recount how he ended up there, he is joined by a doppleganger of his father who sneezes feathers and subsists solely on whiskey. During his brief forays out of the bathroom, he stops to have conversations with his cat (who sometimes talks back) and peek in on the eight naked women tangled in his bed a la Gustav Klimt’s The Virgin. The narrator, let’s call him Jack, has no recollection of how he ended up brained on the bathroom tile, why he’s hosting a bevy of sleeping beauties in his bed, or just why all the clocks in his house have somehow stopped.
Each of those naked lovelies awakens and heads off with her weapon of choice to attack Jack in the tiny lavatory. Dad, or let’s call him Samuel Beckett, prevents these murderous rampages by allowing each to tell her story of degradation at Jack’s hands.Their ire dissipates as one by one, each of the girls — a former slave, a cave-dwelling native, a cross-dressing ship’s mate, a proclaimed witch, a gold-seeking prospector, and the like — explains why she feels Jack is the cause of her ruin. Jack, with no recollection of being involved with any of these women, begins to feel some guilt for perhaps mistreating them in his past incarnations.
Centuries of June is full of subtle and not-so-subtle allusions to Waiting for Godot, Tristram Shandy, the Marx Brothers, and the Salem Witch Trials. If my library digital loan of this weren’t up tomorrow, I’d definitely begin an immediate reread because I liked it so much and rushed through it to get to the end. I did find the ending a tad anticlimactic as I’d already figured out some of the novel’s twists, but I didn’t feel that detracted from its beauty as a whole.
You know, the last book I read in the magical realism genre, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, was the last decent book I’ve read. Paired with this, I think I now have a new favorite type of literature. I was looking for something different to read and this was definitely IT.
WEIRD. Centuries of June is just plain weird, but compellingly so. At times, it is laugh-out-loud funny and at others, it is simply surreal and hallucinatory. And I loved it.
The novel begins with our narrator landing on his bathroom floor bleeding profusely from a head wound which he acknowledges will make his floor “murder to clean.” Ha! As he attempts to recount how he ended up there, he is joined by a doppleganger of his father who sneezes feathers and subsists solely on whiskey. During his brief forays out of the bathroom, he stops to have conversations with his cat (who sometimes talks back) and peek in on the eight naked women tangled in his bed a la Gustav Klimt’s The Virgin. The narrator, let’s call him Jack, has no recollection of how he ended up brained on the bathroom tile, why he’s hosting a bevy of sleeping beauties in his bed, or just why all the clocks in his house have somehow stopped.
Each of those naked lovelies awakens and heads off with her weapon of choice to attack Jack in the tiny lavatory. Dad, or let’s call him Samuel Beckett, prevents these murderous rampages by allowing each to tell her story of degradation at Jack’s hands.Their ire dissipates as one by one, each of the girls — a former slave, a cave-dwelling native, a cross-dressing ship’s mate, a proclaimed witch, a gold-seeking prospector, and the like — explains why she feels Jack is the cause of her ruin. Jack, with no recollection of being involved with any of these women, begins to feel some guilt for perhaps mistreating them in his past incarnations.
Centuries of June is full of subtle and not-so-subtle allusions to Waiting for Godot, Tristram Shandy, the Marx Brothers, and the Salem Witch Trials. If my library digital loan of this weren’t up tomorrow, I’d definitely begin an immediate reread because I liked it so much and rushed through it to get to the end. I did find the ending a tad anticlimactic as I’d already figured out some of the novel’s twists, but I didn’t feel that detracted from its beauty as a whole.
You know, the last book I read in the magical realism genre, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, was the last decent book I’ve read. Paired with this, I think I now have a new favorite type of literature. I was looking for something different to read and this was definitely IT.
August 8, 2011
I was so sad as I read this. I LOVE Donohue's use of language and writing style in general. He makes me angry how talented he is; however, this book is nowhere near as good as THE STOLEN CHILD--it's not even as good as ANGEL OF DESTRUCTION. Much as I love his writing, his novels are on a downward slope. I really, REALLY hope his next one is on the incline, or I'm going to have to stop telling people he's one of my favorite authors.... Sad day.
This one might not have bothered me as much if it had simply been a collection of short stories. While similar to Chuck Palahniuk's HAUNTED--in terms of structure--I cared even less about the "intertwining" story. Some of the women's tales were quite interesting--some I quite liked on their own--but I didn't feel like it worked as a novel. Perhaps this is just me. As I hinted at above, this is a gorgeously written novel, but the lack of coherency and an enjoyable protagonist made this one hard to read.
This one might not have bothered me as much if it had simply been a collection of short stories. While similar to Chuck Palahniuk's HAUNTED--in terms of structure--I cared even less about the "intertwining" story. Some of the women's tales were quite interesting--some I quite liked on their own--but I didn't feel like it worked as a novel. Perhaps this is just me. As I hinted at above, this is a gorgeously written novel, but the lack of coherency and an enjoyable protagonist made this one hard to read.
October 1, 2020
This was the only Donohue’s book I’ve not read. The other four I enjoyed very much, so obviously I was very excited when our library finally acquired this one digitally and checked it out immediately. This one was…different. In fact, had I not known for a fact it was the same author, maybe I wouldn’t have even guessed it. Maybe because this is an earlier work and Donohue was still finding his way. Maybe it’s just one of those random dramatic departures form the norm. Not that there is such a thing as norm with this author specifically, but his later works tend to lean heavier and heavier into the realm of dark fantasy, supernatural tinged sort of tales and this one was more along the lines of…well, what was it, a sort of metaphysical ghost story? Something like that. A Christmas Carol for a man with a skull injury, wherein he is lying on his bathroom floor exsanguinating and gets visited by a small parade of women, eight to be precise, with stories to tell. Each of their tales is representative of some era of American past, reflecting such epitomes of American culture as genocide of Natives, slavery and baseball. Each of this Scheherazades has been wronged by a man in some way or another. There’s also an older man, who may be some sort of a combination of the man’s brother and the playwright Beckett. So it’s a story made up of stories, a quilted narrative, and it works as such, though you can never quite forget of the entire tapestry due to the heavy intermissions and light interjections, mainly featuring man on the floor and Beckett’s badinage, but also random chatter by all involved. A peculiar tale peculiarly told, this one takes a while to get into. For all its cleverness and some originality, there are some questionable choices here. There’s a good chance it been published nowadays in these rampantly politically correct times, it would probably be accused of cultural appropriation many times over, the author dares to give voice to minorites of minorites over and over again. I don’t care about that, frankly, that’s what fiction is for. I liked the individual ladies and the way the author made them all distinct and original. But every woman a victim of man’s vanity, greed, pride, a variety of deadly sins really….that’s pretty sad. And the saddest thing about it is that the man is never going to learn his lesson, because…this is the tale of reincarnation and apparently reincarnation erases all memory. Badoomtz. Now isn’t that a kicker. In Christmas Carol these visitations at least had a moral purpose. What is it all for here? Just venting? Maybe. Just like this review in some ways. At any rate, there you have it, a competently written novel with many good components arranged together into stylistically and tonally messy, questionably themed and moralled reincarnation ditty. A book I really wanted to love, like dreams of eternal summer, but somehow didn’t quite get there. Certainly this isn’t the book to judge the author’s talent by, more along the lines of one off. Interesting read, but trying at times and disappointing in some ways. Not sure magic realism is meant to collide with actual realism this way. The completist in me is pleased though.
July 20, 2011
When Jack falls, naked, in his bathroom, he cracks his head open and starts to bleed to death. When he comes to, he isn't quite sure what's going on, other than the fact there are eight naked women lying in his bed. Confused and disoriented he goes back to the bathroom and meets an old man, who he thinks is his deceased father. Over the course of an untold amount of time, though the clock never changes from 4:52 am, Jack is visited by seven of those women while he is still in the bathroom. All seven of them try to kill him, only to fail and start narrating a story that somehow makes Jack think he is in some way involved. Only once the last story is told, does Jack start to realize what has happened.
I don't even know where to begin on this one, but a few adjectives do come to mind. Quirky, strange, fantastical, beautiful, and brilliant are a few of them that rise to the surface of my brain. Thankfully, I'm not bleeding out on the bathroom floor, otherwise this review would never get done. This book, and those like it, are the reason I love to read. Having the privilege to read a story that is so well crafted and articulated is one of the great pleasures in life.
Jack and the women are all intriguing characters, when they have your attention, they never let it go. The women span five hundred years of American history and through a twist of fate, they all have ties to Jack. Their stories are tragic and full of heartache and death, but they all have an unique feel to them that makes them standout from each other. The stories range from the mythical to the femme fatale, all of them are captivating and original. There is a lyrical quality to them, so much so, that at times I felt as if I was sitting by a campfire, listening to a bard tell the history of my people. I felt for all of them and the men in their lives, the men Jack used to be.
This was a beautiful story that mixed reincarnation, rebirth, second chances, and the everlasting struggle between love and hate. It's the tale of the past, present, and future all colliding into one man's life and where it goes from here.
I don't even know where to begin on this one, but a few adjectives do come to mind. Quirky, strange, fantastical, beautiful, and brilliant are a few of them that rise to the surface of my brain. Thankfully, I'm not bleeding out on the bathroom floor, otherwise this review would never get done. This book, and those like it, are the reason I love to read. Having the privilege to read a story that is so well crafted and articulated is one of the great pleasures in life.
Jack and the women are all intriguing characters, when they have your attention, they never let it go. The women span five hundred years of American history and through a twist of fate, they all have ties to Jack. Their stories are tragic and full of heartache and death, but they all have an unique feel to them that makes them standout from each other. The stories range from the mythical to the femme fatale, all of them are captivating and original. There is a lyrical quality to them, so much so, that at times I felt as if I was sitting by a campfire, listening to a bard tell the history of my people. I felt for all of them and the men in their lives, the men Jack used to be.
This was a beautiful story that mixed reincarnation, rebirth, second chances, and the everlasting struggle between love and hate. It's the tale of the past, present, and future all colliding into one man's life and where it goes from here.
August 24, 2011
Centuries of June is set in the bathroom of Jack's home. Jack finds himself dying on his bathroom floor and is visited by a trail of women who all have tales to weave for him. These tales take place over a course of time spanning from pre-Colombian times to present, including stories from the Salem witch trials, Southern Gothic, and Native American folklore and mythology. Jack begins inserting himself into the stories, and he finds that the women seem to be familiar to him. While the stories themselves seem to be unrelated, they are tied together in the end.
I was intrigued by the concept of Centuries of June from reading the synopsis. I am new to Keith Donohue's work, and that also drew me to the book as I am challenging myself to branch out and read new authors this year. While his writing is definitely not my usual style, I found Centuries of June to be well written and darkly humorous. The plot felt confusing at times, and although I found the stories told by the women to be entertaining, I found myself bored and distracted while reading. Personally, I would have preferred to read the women's stories as short stand-alone novellas. However, I am impressed by the creativity it took to weave the stories together in this manner. I did enjoy elements of the book, and if I'm 100% honest with myself, I'll admit that I most probably would have enjoyed Centuries of June more had I not been staring down a stack of must-read sequels to some of my most favorite books.
As a lover of books, I have to comment on how beautiful the book itself is. The cover is mysterious and alluring, the book feels good in the hand, and the pages are wonderful. They are thick, with roughened, uneven natural edges. (Yeah, I know - I'm a total geek, but I was so impressed with the look and feel of the actual book, I couldn't not comment on it! It's rare that I find a book that makes me want to open it just because of the beauty and feel of the pages.) You're laughing - I can tell. But seriously, it's a beautiful book!
I was intrigued by the concept of Centuries of June from reading the synopsis. I am new to Keith Donohue's work, and that also drew me to the book as I am challenging myself to branch out and read new authors this year. While his writing is definitely not my usual style, I found Centuries of June to be well written and darkly humorous. The plot felt confusing at times, and although I found the stories told by the women to be entertaining, I found myself bored and distracted while reading. Personally, I would have preferred to read the women's stories as short stand-alone novellas. However, I am impressed by the creativity it took to weave the stories together in this manner. I did enjoy elements of the book, and if I'm 100% honest with myself, I'll admit that I most probably would have enjoyed Centuries of June more had I not been staring down a stack of must-read sequels to some of my most favorite books.
As a lover of books, I have to comment on how beautiful the book itself is. The cover is mysterious and alluring, the book feels good in the hand, and the pages are wonderful. They are thick, with roughened, uneven natural edges. (Yeah, I know - I'm a total geek, but I was so impressed with the look and feel of the actual book, I couldn't not comment on it! It's rare that I find a book that makes me want to open it just because of the beauty and feel of the pages.) You're laughing - I can tell. But seriously, it's a beautiful book!
January 9, 2019
4.5 out of 5 stars
A magically strange story about love and dreaming and finding your way in life.
We travel through five centuries of US history (on a night in June just before dawn). This is done with a bunch of different voices and through the perspectives of nine characters.
The structure of the book creates a nice, dreamy, darkly comedic atmosphere with a mystery in it. It's haunting and hilarious. The atmosphere and storytelling create a bit of a ghost story feel, but not as much creepy as just mysterious.
With exception I'll rate this book purely on my feelings, because I just think it was done incredibly well. I really liked the twist at the end as well.
I'd recommend to give this book a shot if you like magical realism, atmospheric fantasy, or mystery stories.
If the plot sounds interesting, definitely give it a shot, I think it's totally worth it.
A magically strange story about love and dreaming and finding your way in life.
We travel through five centuries of US history (on a night in June just before dawn). This is done with a bunch of different voices and through the perspectives of nine characters.
The structure of the book creates a nice, dreamy, darkly comedic atmosphere with a mystery in it. It's haunting and hilarious. The atmosphere and storytelling create a bit of a ghost story feel, but not as much creepy as just mysterious.
With exception I'll rate this book purely on my feelings, because I just think it was done incredibly well. I really liked the twist at the end as well.
I'd recommend to give this book a shot if you like magical realism, atmospheric fantasy, or mystery stories.
If the plot sounds interesting, definitely give it a shot, I think it's totally worth it.
May 20, 2014
I picked this up because I liked the cover and really had no idea what I was going to find. Essentially it is a collection of short stories linked together by the main character Jack. In general I don’t like short stories, but something about this collection worked well for me. It has a bit of Dicken’s Christmas Carol in that the reader (or at least this reader) is unsure if Jack is dreaming or hallucinating and wondering what kind of lesson he will have learned when he wakes in the morning.
Of course, unlike Scrooge, Jack does not get his second chance; he will not wake in the morning and by the time he is reborn he will have forgotten all of these previous eight lives. Although, the irony is in the wondering of whether he will become the cat in his ninth (talking Harpo is one of my favorite characters).
Each of the women that we meet through the night represent one of Jack’s former lives and take the reader through a series of historical incidents from early Native American tribal life to 1950s scotch drinking and gun weilding Bunny. The stories are all rather stereotypical and emblematic of their era; some are more entertaining than others, but they are all fairly well done.
For some reason the bathroom scenes reminded me of the book/movie Jumanji. I kept half expecting them to roll a die to determine what kind of weapon the next girl was going to bring in. Donohue himself made two dramaturgical references that I could appreciate: Beckett’s Waiting for Godot (which I find absolutely excrutiating and not funny in the least bit even when I saw it performed in London by Ben Kingsley) and Checkov’s adage about the gun shown in Act I being shot in Act III.
There were a few good quotes on human nature:
“We must be shown evidence of our pain in order to feel the concomitant sorrow, but our joy comes and goes as it pleases.” and
“What are we but the sum of our desires?” and
“seemed more concerned with what he had lost than with what was still in hand, and he struck me in the moment as somewhat emblematic of the human condition, not to read too much into basic greed and regret.”
Overall it was a nice blend of fairy tale and myth.
Of course, unlike Scrooge, Jack does not get his second chance; he will not wake in the morning and by the time he is reborn he will have forgotten all of these previous eight lives. Although, the irony is in the wondering of whether he will become the cat in his ninth (talking Harpo is one of my favorite characters).
Each of the women that we meet through the night represent one of Jack’s former lives and take the reader through a series of historical incidents from early Native American tribal life to 1950s scotch drinking and gun weilding Bunny. The stories are all rather stereotypical and emblematic of their era; some are more entertaining than others, but they are all fairly well done.
For some reason the bathroom scenes reminded me of the book/movie Jumanji. I kept half expecting them to roll a die to determine what kind of weapon the next girl was going to bring in. Donohue himself made two dramaturgical references that I could appreciate: Beckett’s Waiting for Godot (which I find absolutely excrutiating and not funny in the least bit even when I saw it performed in London by Ben Kingsley) and Checkov’s adage about the gun shown in Act I being shot in Act III.
There were a few good quotes on human nature:
“We must be shown evidence of our pain in order to feel the concomitant sorrow, but our joy comes and goes as it pleases.” and
“What are we but the sum of our desires?” and
“seemed more concerned with what he had lost than with what was still in hand, and he struck me in the moment as somewhat emblematic of the human condition, not to read too much into basic greed and regret.”
Overall it was a nice blend of fairy tale and myth.
September 16, 2011
Keith Donohue is a new-to-me author, though I have The Stolen Child sitting on my shelves (and it's been sitting there for a while now). But I couldn't turn down the opportunity to check out his latest, Centuries of June. I mean, the blurb had me at "black comedy about a man who is attempting to tell the story of how he ended up on the floor with a hole in his head"... How do you turn down something like that?
I will admit to reading this slowly at first. Really slowly... In fact, it probably took me a good 3-4 days to get through the first two stories, which is unheard of in my reading. And here I will state that while I thought those two stories were entertaining, I didn't quite get the whole picture then. In fact, I didn't even get a glimpse of what might be the whole picture. The parts involving the guy-with-the-hole-in-the-head were hazy and confusing enough, and then all these other characters showed up.
Then I picked it up again--because, hey, I had to read it and review it--and started really getting into the stories. Which is where Donohue shines, because the women and their stories were something I really enjoyed. Each character was interesting, each story had a different style about it, and it all wrapped up nicely at the end... And now that it's done, I think reading each story and savoring it slowly is the way to go here. But don't take my word for it, enter the giveaway to win your own copy. *grin*
I will admit to reading this slowly at first. Really slowly... In fact, it probably took me a good 3-4 days to get through the first two stories, which is unheard of in my reading. And here I will state that while I thought those two stories were entertaining, I didn't quite get the whole picture then. In fact, I didn't even get a glimpse of what might be the whole picture. The parts involving the guy-with-the-hole-in-the-head were hazy and confusing enough, and then all these other characters showed up.
Then I picked it up again--because, hey, I had to read it and review it--and started really getting into the stories. Which is where Donohue shines, because the women and their stories were something I really enjoyed. Each character was interesting, each story had a different style about it, and it all wrapped up nicely at the end... And now that it's done, I think reading each story and savoring it slowly is the way to go here. But don't take my word for it, enter the giveaway to win your own copy. *grin*
June 30, 2013
This has got to be one of the strangest books I have ever read. Nonetheless, it is very addictive. It opens with "Jack" watching his blood flow onto the bathroom tiles. He's hit his head with half of his naked body in the bathroom and half in the hallway. He momentarily thinks how regretful he would be if someone found him in his current situation. His pain ebbs and that is when his departed father appears sitting on the edge of the bathtub.
Jack immediately feels better and is able to stand. He puts on a robe and goes to fetch his dad a shot of whiskey. But on his return to the bathroom, with the whiskey, he pauses at his bedroom and peeks in. Eight naked women are sleeping in his bed. But then one of the women appear behind him in the bathroom, and proceeds to tell him her life story. And the stories continue as each woman appears in the bathroom. Each woman is from a different point in time and some of them are mythical. But what of Jack? Will he wake up? Who hit him on the head? Why?
Centuries of June is a unique tale that will keep the reader entranced. Crude language and sexual situations are intermixed sporadically, but humor outshines it. The talking cat, Harpo, lightens any situation the protagonist finds himself in. The character building is unique and I can honestly say that Keith Donohue has one powerful imagination. The worlds he builds for each woman is detailed and easily imagined. A compelling novel sure to entertain!
Jack immediately feels better and is able to stand. He puts on a robe and goes to fetch his dad a shot of whiskey. But on his return to the bathroom, with the whiskey, he pauses at his bedroom and peeks in. Eight naked women are sleeping in his bed. But then one of the women appear behind him in the bathroom, and proceeds to tell him her life story. And the stories continue as each woman appears in the bathroom. Each woman is from a different point in time and some of them are mythical. But what of Jack? Will he wake up? Who hit him on the head? Why?
Centuries of June is a unique tale that will keep the reader entranced. Crude language and sexual situations are intermixed sporadically, but humor outshines it. The talking cat, Harpo, lightens any situation the protagonist finds himself in. The character building is unique and I can honestly say that Keith Donohue has one powerful imagination. The worlds he builds for each woman is detailed and easily imagined. A compelling novel sure to entertain!
February 13, 2014
It's been a few weeks and I still cannot fully express how much I loved this book and why. It's like asking a 2 year old to explain dark matter...impossible. Irrespective of being a grown ass woman who knows how to use her words, I just can't put together a bunch in such a way that you want to buy this book. It could also be the lack of serotonin and an abundance of chocolate. Either way, do me a favor, just buy the damn book. And if my vulgar demand isn't enough, just read this small excerpt from the Washington Post's review of the book...
"It’s here that Donohue, whose prior novels “The Stolen Child” and “Angels of Destruction”concern the intersection of reality and dreams, starts telling nine entirely different stories: the stories of eight women from various periods in American history, intermingled with the framing device of our narrator’s bathroom fall. Donohue puts a wide range of voices and methods to work, some of which succeed better than others. But what lies beneath is his delight in exploring the interplay of reality and fantasy, of things temporal and eternal..."
"It’s here that Donohue, whose prior novels “The Stolen Child” and “Angels of Destruction”concern the intersection of reality and dreams, starts telling nine entirely different stories: the stories of eight women from various periods in American history, intermingled with the framing device of our narrator’s bathroom fall. Donohue puts a wide range of voices and methods to work, some of which succeed better than others. But what lies beneath is his delight in exploring the interplay of reality and fantasy, of things temporal and eternal..."
June 25, 2012
Having read all of two novels by Donohue now, with a third about to be teed up, I can say I really like this author. He's a smart cookie who has also got imagination and a sense of humor, and as a novelist at least he lives in a spirit filled world. He mixes absurdist whimsy with realist melancholy in a way that really appeals to me though I readily imagine not to everyone. Would it be absurd to compare his novels to the music of The Smiths here? Well, I won't yet, but an analogy is tickling the back of my mind.
In this novel the central character is really just a maypole, there to stand in the center while the action and colors swirl all around. Having just received a nasty skull fracture and passed into an uncertain realm outside of normal time, he is confronted in turns by seven women from throughout several centuries of American history with whom he apparently had meaningful and fraught relationships. Nonsensically, since we are clearly not in normal physical and temporal space here, each woman begins her story with an attempt to kill him, which provides some good fun. Their stories make up the majority of the novel… the realist melancholy married to the framework of absurd whimsy, the combination I so enjoy.
In this novel the central character is really just a maypole, there to stand in the center while the action and colors swirl all around. Having just received a nasty skull fracture and passed into an uncertain realm outside of normal time, he is confronted in turns by seven women from throughout several centuries of American history with whom he apparently had meaningful and fraught relationships. Nonsensically, since we are clearly not in normal physical and temporal space here, each woman begins her story with an attempt to kill him, which provides some good fun. Their stories make up the majority of the novel… the realist melancholy married to the framework of absurd whimsy, the combination I so enjoy.
December 22, 2011
This booked is packed with stories, each told by a woman from a different era in history. The audience is a young man who has apparently just died a violent death. That is all I am going to tell you. None of it makes sense until the end. Was it worth the trip? Not to me.
I can recommend this book for wonderful writing, interesting characters and great stories. What it lacked for me was some understanding of how they were supposed to fit together. This is not a fault of how it is written. This is just the purpose of this novel. It raises many questions in your mind as you read and answers very few.
Read some other reviews and give it a go if you like the sound of it.
I can recommend this book for wonderful writing, interesting characters and great stories. What it lacked for me was some understanding of how they were supposed to fit together. This is not a fault of how it is written. This is just the purpose of this novel. It raises many questions in your mind as you read and answers very few.
Read some other reviews and give it a go if you like the sound of it.
April 9, 2016
I absolutely loved just about every second if this book. I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the end. All good things in this interesting, historical tale.
The story is told from different POVs and each one is totally believable, as are the actual stories they tell. There is violence; there is sex, revenge, and sadness. This story/stories are just SO GOOD.
I read this book for my yearly challenge - this one was a book with the month you were born in the title. With this book, and fur s lot of other reasons, too, I am so glad I was born in June.
The story is told from different POVs and each one is totally believable, as are the actual stories they tell. There is violence; there is sex, revenge, and sadness. This story/stories are just SO GOOD.
I read this book for my yearly challenge - this one was a book with the month you were born in the title. With this book, and fur s lot of other reasons, too, I am so glad I was born in June.
September 28, 2018
This book has solidified Donohue as one of my favorite authors. I really loved this book.
The characters are compelling, the story within a story framework is beautifully done, and I loved every minute of it. The seven lives, the seven stories, the seven men. I loved the overall theology behind the book as a whole, life and reliving. I loved the way that the author alluded to the overall picture in every story. That you could find yourself in the characters of the stories without having all of their traits.
The characters are compelling, the story within a story framework is beautifully done, and I loved every minute of it. The seven lives, the seven stories, the seven men. I loved the overall theology behind the book as a whole, life and reliving. I loved the way that the author alluded to the overall picture in every story. That you could find yourself in the characters of the stories without having all of their traits.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
July 10, 2011Won a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads!! Just started reading it, and not to get ahead of my self, but it's off to a pretty good start =)
September 7, 2018
Wow!!! I nearly put it down but persevered. Glad I did! It became very absorbing. A magical tale married with grief, regret, fantasy and humor. Loved it. Love Keith’s writings.
February 24, 2019
Keith Donohue is the absolute tops in writing this decade. Amazing characters and story lines.
September 15, 2017
Not a madcap romp; not funny
Billed as a madcap romp. More like a strange collection of short stories. It is an odd book, and I was annoyed by the female characters. The author has them telling their own stories, but he doesn't know how to speak in a woman's voice. All the woman sounded like what a man thinks a women sounds like. The bear woman falls in love with a man who rapes her. Jane is offered up like a plaything and is fine with this. This was a fantasy written by a man disguised as a book about female empowerment. I'm not buying it
Billed as a madcap romp. More like a strange collection of short stories. It is an odd book, and I was annoyed by the female characters. The author has them telling their own stories, but he doesn't know how to speak in a woman's voice. All the woman sounded like what a man thinks a women sounds like. The bear woman falls in love with a man who rapes her. Jane is offered up like a plaything and is fine with this. This was a fantasy written by a man disguised as a book about female empowerment. I'm not buying it
May 6, 2021
I just didn't get into it. I figured it out by the end of the 3rd woman's story. I NOTICED the humor, but it didn't tickle me. The historical periods theme was a cute touch, yet mostly the stories didn't engage me. I didn't care.
Clever, but not anything I felt any great desire to continue reading. I never wanted to get back to it when I would put it down.
Oh, well.
Clever, but not anything I felt any great desire to continue reading. I never wanted to get back to it when I would put it down.
Oh, well.
November 5, 2016
the stories themselves would have been better without the bizarre framework that was intended to hold them together
July 21, 2017
Didn't finish
July 3, 2019
Great story! I loved the premise! Interested to check out more work by this author...especially since this seems to be his lowest rated book!
December 31, 2022
Another book where we're supposed to feel sympathy for the clueless, sexist white guy. Boring. Two stars because the ending bits about his wife were a little affecting.
May 22, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️
3.5 stars
Very unusual plot. Multiple characters introduced. Amazing narration for the audiobook.
3.5 stars
Very unusual plot. Multiple characters introduced. Amazing narration for the audiobook.
July 28, 2025
I read this back in 2011
https://raforall.blogspot.com/2011/09...
Three Words That Describe This Book: unconventional, female rage, immersive
https://raforall.blogspot.com/2011/09...
Three Words That Describe This Book: unconventional, female rage, immersive
March 23, 2017
Donohue's 1st effort at writing a novel was very weak. if I had read this initially, I would have missed his excellent 2nd and 3rd works
August 18, 2017
An interesting collection of stories from multiple centuries, all linked to one man. It took a while to get the drift, but eventually it all made sense.
March 11, 2014
Die Uhr schlägt 4:52 als Jack in seinem Badezimmer fällt und sich den Kopf anschlägt.
Als er wieder zu sich kommt erblickt er einen älteren Mann den er als seinen verstorbenen Vater identifiziert.
Leicht verwirrt über diese Tatsache hält er sich in einem Traum gefangen, als er dann noch 8 Frauen in seinem Schlafzimmer wahrnimmt wird ihm klar, dass ihm eine turbulente Nacht bevorsteht.
Eine Frau nach der anderen gesellt sich zu den beiden Männern ins Badezimmer und jedes mal wird Jack mit einem versuchten Mordanschlag begrüßt.
Ein Glück ist der ältere Mann da und verhindert dies, ehe er mit beruhigenden Worten auf die Frauen einspricht die dann eine nach der anderen ihre Geschichte erzählt..
Die Gestaltung des Buches gefällt mir unglaublich gut, zu mal es für mich auch irgendwie das Wesen des Buches einfängt, wenn ich es mal so ausdrücken darf. :)
Ich war wahrlich gespannt auf dieses Buch und habe mir wirklich viel davon versprochen, auch wenn ich doch ein bisschen skeptisch war ob ein Buch mit mehreren kleineren Geschichten in einer großen Geschichte funktionieren wird.
Tatsächlich habe ich mir da aber umsonst Gedanken drum gemacht, denn ich fand die Idee wirklich wahnsinnig originell und das ganze Buch hat so für mich eine Besonderheit bekommen, die mich wirklich gefangen hat.
Natürlich gab es unter den Geschichten die ein oder andere die mein Interesse weniger für sich gewinnen konnte als die anderen, dennoch war auch hier für mich jede Besorgnis unbegründet, da die einzelnen Schicksale der Frauen für mich einfach wundervolle Abenteuer waren.
Die nicht nur unterhaltsam waren sondern vor allem aufzeigten wie schwierig es als Frau in den verschiedenen Epochen der Menschheit war und mich demnach auch einfach berührt haben.
Alle Frauen hatten sie eines gemein, ein Mann in ihren Leben das ihr Leben aus der Bann geworfen hat.
Ihre Ankunft in Jacks Badezimmer stellt dann eine Art Abbrechnung da, denn sie geben ihm die Schuld an dem Übel das ihnen im Leben wiederfahren ist.
Dennoch ist ihre Feindseligkeit eher amüsant und auch nicht wirklich ernst zu nehmen, auch wenn ein Mordversuch den sie ja alle versuchen doch sehr brutal klingen mag.
Letztendlich sind sie aber nicht da um sich zu rächen und das ist es was für Jack so aufregend ist,d enn für ihn ist das ein Prozess des Erkennens.
Was die einzelnen Geschichten der Damen ebenfalls ausgemacht haben, war die Mystik die sie beinhalteten. Sie sind nicht durch und durch realistisch, es geschehen Dinge die sich nicht unbedingt erklären lassen, die aber zu den damaligen Zeiten und deren Sagen, Mythen ect. passen.
Ganz besonders hat mir die Geschichte zu Anfang begeistern können, da gehts um eine Indianerin, die sich der Einfachheits wegen Dolly nennt, ihre Geschichte war von allen so die abstrakteste und in der geht es um sie und ihren Mann der die Fähigkeit besitzt sich in einen Bären zu verwandeln und das ist für sein Stamm ganz üblich, denn in der Regel leben sie ihr Leben auch als Bär.
Das war für mich eine sehr märchenhafte Geschichte, kein Märchen das alles nur schön redet sondern durchaus irgendwie brutal, aber ohne, dass es direkt so dargestellt wurde. ;)
Ebenso toll fand ich auch die Geschichte von Marie, die in Zeiten der Sklaverei lebt und natürlich schwarz ist. Auch wenn es hier unnatürliche Elemente gab, war sie doch dennoch realistisch, aber einfach für mich sehr interessant, da ich die Zeit um die Sklaverei generell mag. Auch wenn es eine sehr heftige und unmenschliche Zeit war.
Ich fand insgesamt die Vielfalt an Epochen sehr schön, da ist einfach für jeden Geschmack was bei uns die Erzählweise ist einfach sehr besonders.
Auf das Ende vom Buch war ich letztendlich wirklich sehr gespannt, auch wenn ich mir diesbezüglich natürlich meine Vorstellungen gemacht hatte und wie soll ich sagen, letztendlich konnte ich das ganze dann doch ganz gut voraus sehen, was ich allerdings nicht schlimm fand, da ich das als das perfekte Ende empfunden habe. :)
Ein wirklich ungewöhnliches Buch, das mich auch nachhaltig begeistern konnte und mich rundum mit seiner originellen Art beflügelt hat. Für mich ein ganz besonderes Buch. :)
Als er wieder zu sich kommt erblickt er einen älteren Mann den er als seinen verstorbenen Vater identifiziert.
Leicht verwirrt über diese Tatsache hält er sich in einem Traum gefangen, als er dann noch 8 Frauen in seinem Schlafzimmer wahrnimmt wird ihm klar, dass ihm eine turbulente Nacht bevorsteht.
Eine Frau nach der anderen gesellt sich zu den beiden Männern ins Badezimmer und jedes mal wird Jack mit einem versuchten Mordanschlag begrüßt.
Ein Glück ist der ältere Mann da und verhindert dies, ehe er mit beruhigenden Worten auf die Frauen einspricht die dann eine nach der anderen ihre Geschichte erzählt..
Die Gestaltung des Buches gefällt mir unglaublich gut, zu mal es für mich auch irgendwie das Wesen des Buches einfängt, wenn ich es mal so ausdrücken darf. :)
Ich war wahrlich gespannt auf dieses Buch und habe mir wirklich viel davon versprochen, auch wenn ich doch ein bisschen skeptisch war ob ein Buch mit mehreren kleineren Geschichten in einer großen Geschichte funktionieren wird.
Tatsächlich habe ich mir da aber umsonst Gedanken drum gemacht, denn ich fand die Idee wirklich wahnsinnig originell und das ganze Buch hat so für mich eine Besonderheit bekommen, die mich wirklich gefangen hat.
Natürlich gab es unter den Geschichten die ein oder andere die mein Interesse weniger für sich gewinnen konnte als die anderen, dennoch war auch hier für mich jede Besorgnis unbegründet, da die einzelnen Schicksale der Frauen für mich einfach wundervolle Abenteuer waren.
Die nicht nur unterhaltsam waren sondern vor allem aufzeigten wie schwierig es als Frau in den verschiedenen Epochen der Menschheit war und mich demnach auch einfach berührt haben.
Alle Frauen hatten sie eines gemein, ein Mann in ihren Leben das ihr Leben aus der Bann geworfen hat.
Ihre Ankunft in Jacks Badezimmer stellt dann eine Art Abbrechnung da, denn sie geben ihm die Schuld an dem Übel das ihnen im Leben wiederfahren ist.
Dennoch ist ihre Feindseligkeit eher amüsant und auch nicht wirklich ernst zu nehmen, auch wenn ein Mordversuch den sie ja alle versuchen doch sehr brutal klingen mag.
Letztendlich sind sie aber nicht da um sich zu rächen und das ist es was für Jack so aufregend ist,d enn für ihn ist das ein Prozess des Erkennens.
Was die einzelnen Geschichten der Damen ebenfalls ausgemacht haben, war die Mystik die sie beinhalteten. Sie sind nicht durch und durch realistisch, es geschehen Dinge die sich nicht unbedingt erklären lassen, die aber zu den damaligen Zeiten und deren Sagen, Mythen ect. passen.
Ganz besonders hat mir die Geschichte zu Anfang begeistern können, da gehts um eine Indianerin, die sich der Einfachheits wegen Dolly nennt, ihre Geschichte war von allen so die abstrakteste und in der geht es um sie und ihren Mann der die Fähigkeit besitzt sich in einen Bären zu verwandeln und das ist für sein Stamm ganz üblich, denn in der Regel leben sie ihr Leben auch als Bär.
Das war für mich eine sehr märchenhafte Geschichte, kein Märchen das alles nur schön redet sondern durchaus irgendwie brutal, aber ohne, dass es direkt so dargestellt wurde. ;)
Ebenso toll fand ich auch die Geschichte von Marie, die in Zeiten der Sklaverei lebt und natürlich schwarz ist. Auch wenn es hier unnatürliche Elemente gab, war sie doch dennoch realistisch, aber einfach für mich sehr interessant, da ich die Zeit um die Sklaverei generell mag. Auch wenn es eine sehr heftige und unmenschliche Zeit war.
Ich fand insgesamt die Vielfalt an Epochen sehr schön, da ist einfach für jeden Geschmack was bei uns die Erzählweise ist einfach sehr besonders.
Auf das Ende vom Buch war ich letztendlich wirklich sehr gespannt, auch wenn ich mir diesbezüglich natürlich meine Vorstellungen gemacht hatte und wie soll ich sagen, letztendlich konnte ich das ganze dann doch ganz gut voraus sehen, was ich allerdings nicht schlimm fand, da ich das als das perfekte Ende empfunden habe. :)
Ein wirklich ungewöhnliches Buch, das mich auch nachhaltig begeistern konnte und mich rundum mit seiner originellen Art beflügelt hat. Für mich ein ganz besonderes Buch. :)
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