About:
“Centuries of June” by Keith Donohue is a fictional book where a man meets his past consorts. The book’s timeline is irrelevant since it compromises several unrelated tales which all have a common denominator.
- 352 pages
- Publisher: Crown
- Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307450287
The publisher has made available one (1) copy of “Centuries of June” to be given out– enter at the end of the post.
My rating for Centuries of June – 4
Buy Centuries of June from Amazon.com*
More Books by Keith Donohue*
Thoughts:
“Centuries of June” by Keith Donohue is not an easy book to describe or categorize. The whole book takes place in a bathroom where a man meets his scorned wives/lovers from past lives, all of whom were unlucky in life and they blame him – with good reason.
Imagine the horror.
I found the book imaginative and funny, but I have a dark, sarcastic sense of humor which, by the way, my beloved wife (may she live a long life) hates. Each wife tells a story that involves heartache, struggle, love, and usually some sort of death. The one thing each story has in common is the narrator who is lying dying on the bathroom floor with a hole in his head.
Since each wife tells a tale, the book moves between genres and times. Some of the stories are fantasy, urban myth, mythology, or a folk tale – yet all the stories are entertaining and the characters are vivid. The author sprinkles humor around the macabre for good measure.
The book is peppered with references to other famous books – something which this bibliophile found amusing. It is a strange, unconventional book, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes confusing, and sometimes just plain crazy.
Somehow it all works – don’t ask me how.
So tell me, what book have you read that “simply works”?
Synopsis:
A man wakes up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. Somehow, he finds himself lying on the floor with a gashing wound in his head. Another man appears which the man thinks might be his deceased father.
One by one several women appear trying to kill the narrator and then sit and tell their life stories.
Yes, we’re still in the bathroom.
Buy Centuries of June from Amazon.com*
More Books by Keith Donohue*
Giveaway
Rules:
- Contest is for one (1) new copy of “Centuries of June”.
- There will be ONE (1) WINNER
- Must be a US/Canada mailing Address
- Ends Sunday July 19, 2011
- Winners will be chosen using Random.org
- Winners will have 24 hours after my initial contact to write back their mailing address, otherwise alternate winners will be picked
- Please consider joining the FACEBOOK BOOK GIVEAWAY group
Congratulations: [email is full name]
TLC Book Tour for “Centuries of June”:
Monday, June 20th: The Whimsical Cottage
Thursday, June 23rd: Reflections of a Bookaholic
Tuesday, June 28th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Wednesday, June 29th: Simply Stacie
Tuesday, July 5th: Booksnob
Thursday, July 7th: Unabridged Chick
Monday, July 11th: Books Distilled
Tuesday, July 12th: S. Krishna’s Books
Wednesday, July 13th: Man of La Book
Thursday, July 14th: Books Like Breathing
Friday, July 15th: Jen’s Book Thoughts
Monday, July 18th: A Chick Who Reads
Tuesday, July 19th: Drey’s Library
Wednesday, July 20th: Fyrefly’s Book Blog
Thursday, July 21st: Wordsmithonia
Friday, July 22nd: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Monday, July 25th: Bloggin’ ’bout Books
Friday, July 29th: In the Next Room
Zohar — Man of la book.
Disclaimer: I got this book for free as part of the TLC Book Tour promotion.
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
Article first published as Book Review: Centuries of June by Keith Donohue on Blogcritics.
Related articles
- Keith Donohue “Centuries of June” (eyeonbooks.com)
BOOK BLOGGERS – Have you read “Centuries of June”? If so link up your review below:
9 Comments
What an interesting sounding book – thanks for the opportunity! I love when something works despite all apparent logic voting against it doing so. A good example for me – The Coma by Alex Garland. It’s a twisty weird story about (wait for it) – a guy in a coma – or is he? It’s bizarre and dark and weird and you never really know what’s going on, but all of that somehow translates into a fascinating story that I really wish I had written!!
Isn’t it amazing what some authors can achieve?
I read many books that after I finished them I said “wish I’d have written this”, LOL – thanks for the great recommendation.
This book sounds intriguing! One to add to my summer reads! A book that I read that works is ‘Before I Go To Sleep’ by S J Watson. Great read..it’s a thriller that makes you think!
Thanks Terri, I’ll check out that book as well.
Such an imaginative way to put a story together! Great review. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for being on the tour.
I have really been interested in reading this book since I first heard about it. Thanks for the giveaway!
Great review! Love humor in a book, and a review, both.
As you know, I loved this book. My fondness for it has actually grown since I stopped reading it. I think this will be a common reread for me.