Keith Donohue has been praised for his vivid imagination and for evoking “the otherworldly with humor and the ordinary with wonder” (Au...
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reviews
Jul 07, 2011
Audra (Unabridged Chick)
rated it: 
This unique novel mixes surreal lit fic and dreamy historical fiction to make a (mostly) compelling story about love, loss, responsibility, and moving on. The reader and the unnamed narrator are plunged immediately -- from the first paragraph -- into the same confusing mystery: what happened to him and who are all these people in his bathroom?
Strangely I feel ambivalent toward this novel even though it hits so many elements I like in a book: fascinating heroines, literary references More...
Strangely I feel ambivalent toward this novel even though it hits so many elements I like in a book: fascinating heroines, literary references More...
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Sep 16, 2011
drey
rated it: 
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... More...
I will admit to reading this slowly at first. Really slowly... More...
Sep 03, 2011
J.M.
rated it:
Good clear writing, confusing plot.
It is the middle of the night and Harry finds himself on the bathroom floor with a hole in the back of his head. When he gets up off the floor, he faces an old man who seems very familiar and yet he cannot place how he knows the old man. One good thing about the old man is that he keeps a Tlingit woman from bashing in Harry's skull. In order to explain why, Yeikoo.shk tells a story about her husband, a man who could transform into a bear.
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It is the middle of the night and Harry finds himself on the bathroom floor with a hole in the back of his head. When he gets up off the floor, he faces an old man who seems very familiar and yet he cannot place how he knows the old man. One good thing about the old man is that he keeps a Tlingit woman from bashing in Harry's skull. In order to explain why, Yeikoo.shk tells a story about her husband, a man who could transform into a bear.
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Aug 23, 2011
Tevya (Reading Lark)
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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 the
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Jul 19, 2011
Ryan
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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. A
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Jun 30, 2011
Gladys
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A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Crown Publishers to review Centuries of June by Keith Donohue. Although Mr. Donohue has published two other novels, The Stolen Child and Angels of Destruction, I was not familiar with him. I am always thrilled and excited to read new authors so I readily accepted.
It is difficult in this age of instant gratification and self publishing to find original and intriguing stories. You know how it is you pick up a book and start reading an instantly k More...
It is difficult in this age of instant gratification and self publishing to find original and intriguing stories. You know how it is you pick up a book and start reading an instantly k More...
Jul 25, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
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 jive. 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, peo More...
The man falls on his way to the bathroom in the middle of the night... as he lays on the bathroom tile, peo More...
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Aug 01, 2011
Corny
rated it:
This is a remarkable novel from a real talent. At first, I was confused and frustrated by the beginning, almost to the point of being ready to put the book down. However, from the first woman's story right to the end, I was entranced by the language, by the quality of the stories, and by interplay between the protagonist and these seemingly unrelated group of characters in, of all places, a bathroom. As more of the plot is revealed, we begin to understand gradually what is going on in the bathro
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Aug 23, 2011
Reading
rated it:
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 the
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Jul 25, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
Keith Donohue's novel Centuries Of June is hard to classify. It is several stories within a story and they all come together at the end. When I first started reading Centuries of June I wasn't sure what to make of it. The lead character is on the floor in the basement with a hole in his head. Then the women start coming in. Most don't seem to like Jack very much either. But as they arrive they have stories to tell, and none of them are pretty.
Once I got over the initial confusion of ho More...
Once I got over the initial confusion of ho More...
Jul 10, 2011
Debra
rated it:
Copy provided by Goldberg McDuffie Communications, NYC.
CENTURIES OF JUNE is the story of one man’s journey when he’s confronted with haphazardness of life. The book opens with a man, we later learn his name is Jack, who somehow falls in the bathroom and hits his head. From an awkward position on the bathroom floor, he watches helplessly as “a scarlet river seeped into the grout.” It is a compelling opening and I was curious to see what the author would offer up next.
Mr. Dona More...
CENTURIES OF JUNE is the story of one man’s journey when he’s confronted with haphazardness of life. The book opens with a man, we later learn his name is Jack, who somehow falls in the bathroom and hits his head. From an awkward position on the bathroom floor, he watches helplessly as “a scarlet river seeped into the grout.” It is a compelling opening and I was curious to see what the author would offer up next.
Mr. Dona More...
Jul 20, 2011
Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com
rated it:
“Centuries of June” by Keith Donohue is a fictional book where a man meet his past consorts. The book’s timeline is irrelevant since it compromises of several unrelated tales which all have a common denominator.
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 More...
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 More...
Jul 05, 2011
Laura (booksnob)
rated it:
You got time for a story?
Centuries of June is a novel that takes place during the wonderful, sensual month of June. My favorite month of the year. In the middle of a hot June night, a man got up to go to the bathroom and was hit from behind with an object. He fell to the floor and thereby tries to figure out what happened.
In his house are seven scorned women with a plan for revenge. Each of these women has a story and our victim must listen to their tales of adventure and woe More...
Centuries of June is a novel that takes place during the wonderful, sensual month of June. My favorite month of the year. In the middle of a hot June night, a man got up to go to the bathroom and was hit from behind with an object. He fell to the floor and thereby tries to figure out what happened.
In his house are seven scorned women with a plan for revenge. Each of these women has a story and our victim must listen to their tales of adventure and woe More...
Jul 07, 2011
1000
rated it:
My Blurb:
Jack awakens in the middle of the night to find himself face down on the bathroom floor with a hole in his head and he is not alone. One by one guests appear with weapons that might be the cause of the hole in Jacks head and one by one they share their tragic life stories faulting Jack as the one for their misfortune.
Is this all a dream or reality?
Lets Talk About It:
What a fantastic read!
This book was much like a who done it murder myste More...
Jack awakens in the middle of the night to find himself face down on the bathroom floor with a hole in his head and he is not alone. One by one guests appear with weapons that might be the cause of the hole in Jacks head and one by one they share their tragic life stories faulting Jack as the one for their misfortune.
Is this all a dream or reality?
Lets Talk About It:
What a fantastic read!
This book was much like a who done it murder myste More...
Sep 10, 2011
Amy
rated it:
One narrator tells a story, then another narrator tells another story, etc., just like in The Decameron or Canterbury Tales. Hooking it all together is the bashed-in-the-head architect and an older man who initially seems to be the architect's dead father. The style is breezy and moves along. Good writing but the author doesn't seem to be taking himself too seriously.
I did put the book aside after 1/3 or 1/2 because the father-apparation was annoying me. But I could pick this up More...
I did put the book aside after 1/3 or 1/2 because the father-apparation was annoying me. But I could pick this up More...
Aug 29, 2011
LeeAnn
rated it:
You know, while I was reading this book, people kept asking me -- "soooo, what's that book about?" And I had a hard time with that question. The big reveal at the end of who all these women were and his relationship to them was something I saw coming, but if the author was trying to make a statement about the arc of a person's life, about how we move through history, about the mistakes we make and how we try to correct them, I completely missed it. I finished the book without unders
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Jul 10, 2011
Won 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 =)
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Apr 30, 2011
Sally
rated it:
Centuries of June by Keith Donohue
It sorely grieved me to put this book down after turning the last page. It is as captivating and enthralling as Keith Donohue’s first book, The Stolen Child. Donohue is a master storyteller, and he proves it yet again in this latest book. His talent is evident through his use of language, weaving a tale that keeps the reader spellbound.
Centuries of June begins in the narrator’s bathroom, which is the main stage for the central plot and all More...
It sorely grieved me to put this book down after turning the last page. It is as captivating and enthralling as Keith Donohue’s first book, The Stolen Child. Donohue is a master storyteller, and he proves it yet again in this latest book. His talent is evident through his use of language, weaving a tale that keeps the reader spellbound.
Centuries of June begins in the narrator’s bathroom, which is the main stage for the central plot and all More...
Jul 10, 2011
Kathleen
rated it:
I won this book from READ IT FORWARD. I was really looking forward to reading this book. I am a sucker for covers, and I think this one is excellent. The cover turns out to be perfect for the book. I liked the premise of a dead man trying to fiqure out who killed him.
I would put this book on the unique shelf. It is a dark comedy that is well written with strange stories.
The setting of the book takes place in Jack's bathroom. Jack had been hit over the head and is dead. The author ha More...
I would put this book on the unique shelf. It is a dark comedy that is well written with strange stories.
The setting of the book takes place in Jack's bathroom. Jack had been hit over the head and is dead. The author ha More...
Apr 26, 2011
Jules
rated it:
This aptly titled novel, Centuries of June, is an ambitious and surreal dreamscape of adventures through time. In a style that resembles bedtime stories for grown ups this historical fiction spans over 500 years and is filled with wonderfully colorful characters you will fear, loath, admire and love. Remarkably, the story takes place all across America yet somehow never actually leaves the bathroom of the main character's house. The author has an impressively visual writing style that makes th
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Sep 07, 2011
Anne
rated it:
I listened to Centuries of June by Keith Donahue, and it has risen to one of my favorite books of the year. The reader, Mark Bramhall's ability to create individual voices for each character is remarkable. Listening to this made my long drive to and from work almost enjoyable, and I couldn't wait to resume listening to this darkly funny tale.
"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 attempti More...
"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 attempti More...
May 04, 2011
Amy
rated it:
won this one!! will take it on vacation and try it out! :)
so far so good!! fascinating read about legends, myths, and history, with a bit of mystery... however, if I had read that as the description, it wouldn't entice me to read this book... so don't let the above description steer you away from this book. can't wait to see how it all wraps up!
Finished this book Friday night... it was wonderful! great pace, great premise, and a really interesting tour through history. (a More...
so far so good!! fascinating read about legends, myths, and history, with a bit of mystery... however, if I had read that as the description, it wouldn't entice me to read this book... so don't let the above description steer you away from this book. can't wait to see how it all wraps up!
Finished this book Friday night... it was wonderful! great pace, great premise, and a really interesting tour through history. (a More...
Dec 17, 2011
Mandy
rated it: 
This was one of those books that makes you go, "hmm."
There's the main character, Jack, who finds himself the object of several murder attempts by women he swears he's never seen before. The attempts are thwarted by an old man who looks just like his dead father. Oh, and did I mention that this is all taking place inside the bathroom in Jack's house? Eventually there are seven women, plus Jack, plus the dead-daddy lookalike, plus a baby that grows way too quickly, all crowded More...
There's the main character, Jack, who finds himself the object of several murder attempts by women he swears he's never seen before. The attempts are thwarted by an old man who looks just like his dead father. Oh, and did I mention that this is all taking place inside the bathroom in Jack's house? Eventually there are seven women, plus Jack, plus the dead-daddy lookalike, plus a baby that grows way too quickly, all crowded More...
Sep 03, 2011
Bill
rated it:
Really like this author, and this was a good book, but his debut novel, The Stolen Child, was so spectacular, and his second, Angels of Destruction, so close to that level, that this one pales just a bit by comparison. But just a bit! The great thing about this one, for me, was that there are so many stories included from so many different points in history. It's kind of like seven short historical novellas in one book. It begins with a man waking up on his bathroom floor, totally disoriented an
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Aug 08, 2011
Chris
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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 More...
This one might not have bothered me as much More...
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Aug 21, 2011
Erin
rated it:
A man gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom but falls and hits his head. As he tries to figure out what happened, he is interrupted by seven different women from different centuries, all with a story to tell -- and all with murder in their hearts. I am often impatient with the story-within-a-story structure (think of I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb) but in this case, the stories were so well-written and the characters so engaging that I found myself looking forward to t
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Jul 29, 2011
Albert
rated it:
Here is another clever read to enjoy this summer with! Centuries Of June is a slash fantasy/dramatic and comedic novel all wrapped into one. It flows along with vignettes of different tales that tie together with the one central character who spends most of the book in a state of confusion. Come on, a book mostly set in a bathroom, you have to love the audacity in that and Keith Donohue pulls it off. A definite winner!
Apr 27, 2011
Tami
rated it:
Haven't received yet, just received notice I had won! 3/28/11
Received yesterday, but have 3 in front of it. Hopefully get to it soon. 4/15/11
Started yesterday, 4/24/11
The story starts off with a man that has a hole in his head and is on the bathroom floor. Another older man shows up and as he is trying to explain how he got the hole in his head they are interupted by seven women that come to tell their stories.
What an interesting book. I normally don't read " More...
Received yesterday, but have 3 in front of it. Hopefully get to it soon. 4/15/11
Started yesterday, 4/24/11
The story starts off with a man that has a hole in his head and is on the bathroom floor. Another older man shows up and as he is trying to explain how he got the hole in his head they are interupted by seven women that come to tell their stories.
What an interesting book. I normally don't read " More...
May 10, 2011
Robin
rated it: 
I keep reading and putting it down. I'm not enjoying this one at all. The main characters continued confusion about what's happened to him is distracting. The stories of the women are trying to point a bad finger at men, like it's all their fault that the women find themselves in trouble. Since this is written by a man, it doesn't ring true to me. Maybe he had too many women's study classes in college?
Jul 10, 2011
Lnaimark
rated it:
Intriguing. Was never quite sure where this book was going.....which to me is a good thing. Seven very different stories with excellent details and period flavor are spun while you're trying to figure out what exactly is going on in that bathroom. Clever concept. I'm now eager to read more of Keith Donohue's work.
