The June Paintings

Blaze Collection

by Maggie Shipstead

On a remote island, an unfulfilled young female painter finds a singular kind of inspiration in this cunning short story about identity and empowerment by New York Times bestselling author Maggie Shipstead.

June Tremblay is struggling to find herself as a painter when she accepts a summer job as assistant to renowned artist Hiram Lammergeier on his private island off the Maine coast. The reclusive legend has one peculiar rule: under no circumstances is June to create any art of her own. Caught between her need to paint and her desire for Lammergeier, June rebels, and her transgression sets off a chain of retaliation that will shape the rest of her life.

Maggie Shipstead’s The June Paintings is part of Blaze, a collection of short stories about incendiary women across the decades who dare to defy convention. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Art, Historical, Novella

37 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2024

About the author

Maggie Shipstead is the New York Times-bestselling author of the novels Astonish Me and Seating Arrangements, winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize and the L.A. Times Book Prize for First Fiction. A third novel, Great Circle, will be published in May 2021. She is a graduate of Harvard and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, and the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Her writing has appeared in many places, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, Departures, Condé Nast Traveler, Outside, The Best American Short Stories, and The Best American Sports Writing. In 2012 and 2018, she was a National Magazine Award finalist for fiction. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was written by Maggie Shipstead, an author I really enjoy. However, this short story did not work for me. June agrees to assist a famous artist, Hiram Lammergeier on an Island. He was exploitive and verbally abusive. I just wasn’t drawn to this at all. It did not show a woman defying convention or blazing a trail. The ending was the best part with a twist, but it didn’t make the story decent for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Maggie Shipstead, and Amazon Original Stories for a copy of this story. It was part of the Blaze Collection with 7 short stories about incendiary women across the decades who dare to defy convention.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of seven short stories in the Blaze collection from Amazon, about women who dare to defy convention, some of them historical female pioneers. The stories are not related and can be read in any order.

This one is about a young female painter, June Tremblay, who accepts a a summer job working for a famous male artist, Hiram Lammergeier, on his private island, and the dynamic between them. It has quite a nice twist towards the end, I liked that a lot.

[micky :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one & I couldn’t imagine a better ending. It was a really nice story that actually made me feel, which is rare with me & short stories.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid.

Solid 4 star rating about a young artist who accepts an unusual job as an assistant/cook/ friend to a reclusive artist. I enjoyed reading this. The story was one like no other I have read. I could have read on and on. The ending was perfect.

[✨EJ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Major eyeroll at Fritz Fox. What a bore. There was zero chemistry between June and Lammergeier. I didn’t understand why she started an affair with him. This was an odd story and fell flat for me.
An Amazon Original, part of the Kindle Unlimited catalog.

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🎨🎨🎨

[kamryn ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay

[Ms. Absolem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia interesante, nada extraordinario.

[Katie’s Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
This ended up going in a rather unexpected but enjoyable direction!

[Erin Ogilvie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one!! I did not expect the ending but loved the twist !

[audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Less of a story about "women who defy convention" and more "conventional tale of woman artist told through her relationship to older, more well-known male artist". But not much of a story even then.

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BLAZE COLLECTION:
Unstoppable Women Igniting Change

This fierce collection from New York Times bestselling historical fiction authors sweeps readers back in time with exhilarating short stories of unforgettable female characters. Spanning decades, these indelible women broke through barriers in disparate worlds of art, war, science, love, and injustice and paved the way for other women to follow. Strike a match and blaze a trail.

OVERALL RATING: for The Blaze Collection:
5⭐Stars

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE COLLECTION:
I loved this wonderful collection of short stories about strong and fearless women! The well-written collection with stunning covers and top-named authors draws you in. It also allows you to read/Listen to authors you follow and those you read for the first time. I also grabbed the audiobooks for each as well. I highly recommend this collection with various stories to keep you entertained. 7 powerful Kindle short stories with audio narration. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

~THE JUNE PAINTINGS
AUTHOR: Maggie Shipstead
NARRATOR: Cassandra Campbell
My Rating: 5⭐Stars

THOUGHTS: I thoroughly enjoyed THE JUNE PAINTINGS, set on a remote island with a young artist, June Tremblay, who takes a summer job with the reclusive famous artist Hiram Lammergeier. Since his son's death ten years earlier, he has become a recluse, private, and produced no work. Split from his wife, the two enter into an affair; however, she breaks the rules and winds up with a painting, money, and a nice twist. This is another fabulous short story about women who take charge and defy all odds. My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more.

Of course, Cassandra Campbell is a favorite narrator and loved the audiobook. She made the characters come alive in this world of art and intrigue.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for ARCS for an honest opinion. Also purchased the audiobooks.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Feb 22, 2024
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[Page Passion · Rating 4 out of 5]

These historical fiction short stories by Amazon have been really good! I have been in a romance rabbit hole for the longest time and completely ignored these stories. I'm so glad I listened to this on audio. I'm not surprised by some of the low-rated reviews. At first, I wondered where this story was going, but THE TWIST! Technically she didn't murder him since she found his body and he was already sick/terminal but who just dumps a body in the lake and takes his money and runs to France? I'm conflicted if she was justified in stealing since he stole her painting and took the credit. Maggie Shipstead created a real dilemma, making it hard for readers to decide who to side with. This was a well-plotted short story and if you're considering reading it just give it time, because the last few pages shocked me. I need to read novels by this author.

[Angieleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maggie Shipstead’s The June Paintings is part of Blaze, a collection of short stories about incendiary women across the decades who dare to defy convention. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

What started out dull ended up being surprising in the end. I don't know what I expected, but that was not it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

One summer as an artist’s assistant (& the choices she made) changes the trajectory of this woman’s life.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Jenene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Denise Lauron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I had liked the other books in this series.

I was very glad it was short. The first 3/4 of the book kind of dragged on. I didn't start liking it until the last part of the book.

I'm glad I read it, since I didn't want to have gaps in the series, but this was not as good as the others in the series.

I can neither recommend nor not recommend this book.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I liked this or not? I didn't like Hiram taking advantage of June at all, but I suppose it worked out in the end?

[Megan Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

June Tremblay takes an unusual summer job. Convinced by Fritz Fox, the young female painter agrees to work as an assistant to reclusive artis Hiram Lammergeier on his private island along the Maine coast. The isolation leads to a brief affair but his odd demands eventually erupt into an argument that changes the nature of their relationship.
* * * * *----------* * * * *----------* * * * *
I don’t feel like I learned much about the art world or June. I’m not entirely sure how this one fits into the unconventional women premise of the Blaze Collection. Our uninspired artist doesn’t really find inspiration, identity, or empowerment. She rather passively accepts everything that happens and then runs away. Lammergeier and June have no chemistry/connection so the affair is mostly awkward although eventually they both get something from it. The messaging is rather muddy which reflects reality in a way I just didn’t connect strongly with the material.

[Shakeema · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short story, started off pretty boring but then had an unexpected twist.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

loooooooved this story, had me laughing at points and really reflecting in others

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This imaginative and insightful short story by Maggie Shipstead is a thought-provoking tale—with a gut-punch twist—about a quiet young woman seeking her identity and the extraordinary way she empowers herself through rebellion.

It's the summer of 1963 on a remote island off the coast of Maine. June Tremblay is in a trendy New York City bar when she meets the art dealer Fritz Fox, who arranges a (secret) summer job for her as the assistant to the famous artist Hiram Lammergeier. Lammergeier is in his early 50s, reclusive, exceedingly grumpy, and in failing health. He has seemingly lost his artistic muse and is unable to paint. June, an aspiring artist, graduated from Wellesley a year earlier and is trying to figure out her life. The job comes with one caveat: She is not allowed to paint or draw or create art while she is there. But she fights this mandate with astounding consequences—and a plot twist I never saw coming.

This short story is part of the Blaze Collection of Amazon Original Stories for the Kindle. Each story of historical fiction features strong female characters who broke through barriers.

[mylla ♡·˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars !!! thank you netgalley and amazon original stories team for the arc <3

i love reading short stories so ofc i had to read this collection !! and ofc i dared myself to read it because i don’t usually enjoy historical fiction books but this was a good one, with incredible women that broke barriers even if the people thought it was wrong to do.

i need to start this review saying that fritz fox sucks. i really wasn’t expecting him and june to be part of a “romance” and i wasn’t getting where the book was going but the last 5 pages were worth it. i didn’t see it coming and i need to laugh when i think of it because who would think of doing that?? i’m on team june !

[Maria Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t think whether a person was interesting depended on effort. In fact, I’d always had a sense that trying to be interesting was one of the least interesting things a person could do. I supposed I’d been trying in a way—by moving to New York, by coming to this island—but I’d never pretended to be someone else. I was just putting myself in the way of experience.

June in a young artist struggling to find her unique style but she decides to take an unusual summer job to be the assistant of a reclusive artist, Lammergeier.

The isolation on that remote island makes her realize she will not get her own style? she decided to go with the flow of things and then just go away? I think... I'm not sure what the story was supposed to be about.

[Patricia Puckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for free in exchange for an honest review*

I'm gonna confess something. I've never seen a Woody Allen film. I've only ever seen clips, or heard someone else quote lines, from Annie Hall. That being said... I feel like the vibes here are similar. I could be totally off base with that. That being said, being the next in the Blaze collection I read, I gotta say that I kind of really liked it... it's strange. It felt very art house.... but believable? Yet, definitely a "no way that's ever happening to me" thing too. A very thought provoking story in a very unexpected way, I would say. And an interesting look at what it meant to be an painter's muse back in a day when women were just viewed as kind of... there.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this short Amazon Original Story, an aspiring artist becomes a secret summer assistant to an acclaimed misanthropic painter in decline. June lives with him on a secluded island hermitage, serving as his caretaker, turned model and lover. Her employment is constrained by the imperative rule that she create no art. When June responds to Lammergeier's work with her own painting, she sets in motion a transgressive series of events that meditate on women's agency and identity in the art marketplace -- as artists, models, and muses. Fantastic and edgy storytelling.

This title is part of the "Blaze" historical fiction series focused on trail blazing women, available on Amazon Kindle and Audible audio.

[itsallaboutbooksandmacarons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really connected with this one—it made me feel differently than I expected. The story felt personal, and it resonated with me on a deep level. It made me reflect on things I hadn’t considered before, and I’m still thinking about it. The way it portrayed life’s struggles, especially the strength of women, was raw and moving. It’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you’ve finished, leaving you with a new perspective.

[Alayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, the last few minutes of the audiobook were the best part. June was able to make the art she wanted, but only she knows exactly what was accomplished. The description of how she disposed of his body was a bit troubling!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story of female empowerment turned out to be not at all what I expected, but in a good way. A young artist goes to a remote island to help a reclusive painter & something quite unexpected develops.