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Post by 12ktina on Mar 28, 2010 20:17:36 GMT 10
I love how you write Kris - a bolt straight from the heart!! and I'm looking forward to a time where I can listen to RJ again, as I'm sure it will have a lot more meaning now! I liked how Stay and the part of Goodnight were interveaved into the plot too - you reminded me Kris that I got goosebumps when I read that part!  Tara - I'm feeling the same, want to read it again to see what I missed!  |
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Post by KrisLovesDamien on Mar 28, 2010 21:08:06 GMT 10
I love how you write Kris - a bolt straight from the heart!! and I'm looking forward to a time where I can listen to RJ again, as I'm sure it will have a lot more meaning now! I liked how Stay and the part of Goodnight were interveaved into the plot too - you reminded me Kris that I got goosebumps when I read that part! Tara - I'm feeling the same, want to read it again to see what I missed! Aw, thank you so much Tina  That's so sweet!  When it comes to Damien, everything is definitely straight from the heart  And my mistake, was the other song Goodnight? I thought it was FAOT. Oh well, either one, it was still so nice to have them in there!  ;D |
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Post by 12ktina on Mar 28, 2010 23:57:33 GMT 10
Sorry Kris..... my mistake!!....... it was FAOT!! I obviously need to listen to RJ just a few more times........ ;D |
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Post by KrisLovesDamien on Mar 29, 2010 9:58:20 GMT 10
Sorry Kris..... my mistake!!....... it was FAOT!! I obviously need to listen to RJ just a few more times........ ;D ;D  |
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Post by Trilly on Mar 29, 2010 10:34:43 GMT 10
Tina, I was just coming in to say that I had the same thoughts about the tag line on the cover, and even the art. I would have liked more of Dave and June's romance too, I was especially anticipating a steamy love-making scene.  Bugger that it didn't eventuate. I would be miffed if I thought he'd written one and it got the chop in the editing process! One other thing. When I said that June's death didn't surprise me, that's true, but the manner of her death did. I was really pleased that D didn't go for for the obvious option. And yep, Krissy, I bit my lip hard and sobbed when the lyrics of "Stay" showed up, at that perfect moment. Oow, and I had a bit of a lightbulb moment. I described D's style as "oral". I think I'll change that to more cinematic. The plot, setting, characters and dialogue make me think there's a great screenplay D could write from this novel (rather than a sequel). Bring it on! ;D |
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Post by 12ktina on Mar 31, 2010 15:26:24 GMT 10
You're right Trilly....... we got the script, we got the soundtrack....... Reading again........ more slowly this time! I love the line on page 140 about life: "These are all just chapters, some are hard to read and others you fly through." So true and good to remember!  |
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Post by erinbella on Apr 6, 2010 10:14:54 GMT 10
Also....... the line on the cover of the book - the best of everything happens in Summer - to me does not really go with the book and the story....... I kept waiting for the best of everything! Tina, by this line, I'm thinking that that was when June was the happiest (in the early years). On page 108 June remembers the Summer. June remembers the time Dave went to the trouble of surprising her with a picnic even though he hated them. June and Dave were married in the Summer and Mattie was also born around then so that might explain it.  |
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Post by Trilly on Apr 6, 2010 10:44:18 GMT 10
Also....... the line on the cover of the book - the best of everything happens in Summer - to me does not really go with the book and the story....... I kept waiting for the best of everything! Tina, by this line, I'm thinking that that was when June was the happiest (in the early years). On page 108 June remembers the Summer. June remembers the time Dave went to the trouble of surprising her with a picnic even though he hated them. June and Dave were married in the Summer and Mattie was also born around then so that might explain it. You're right, Bella. The good things do happen in Summer for Dave and June. I suppose the story is so sad ultimately it's easy to gloss over the good stuff. Perhaps D is trying to remind us that wonderful things did happen and that remembering those times after all the pain is the starting point to the rest of their lives, and the redemptive point of the story. |
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Post by erinbella on Apr 7, 2010 10:21:11 GMT 10
I agree with most comments above. ;D Being of Northern Ireland descent reading Remember June opened my eyes and has helped me understand a bit more about the troubles. I quite liked Stephen's character. I had to giggle when he told Dave about how he got rid of a woman. I was a little shocked at how his life came to such a violent end but I suppose that is what happened in those days. I can understand Dave's drinking. I felt so sorry for Mattie to have to see his father the way he did. I found the time periods confusing at times especially when it came to Mattie and his age. One minute Mattie is 7 years of age and going to school in Stonebridge and the next he is 9 years of age and leaving England to go back to Ireland with June. There is a gap there of them leaving Ireland and going to England. I would have liked Dave and June to have had a longer romance. It seemed to me they got married really quickly. Bits of Johnny's and Michael's characters reminded me of my father. Loved how "Black Velvet Band" was included. I found myself singing along it. What I got from reading this story is - no matter how angry and upset you are with a loved one, do not ever walk away from them feeling that way because you never know, it could be the last time you see them. As for Dave losing June the way he did, I think of the old saying "You don't know what you had until you have lost it forever". I burst into tears when I read this line "Mammy! I want my mam! I want her back[/i]."  I absolutely loved reading Remember June and am looking forward to the next book. |
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Post by 12ktina on Apr 8, 2010 0:00:50 GMT 10
Good review Bella, and I like your thoughts on the line on the book cover. Having read it twice now, I was paying more attention to what happened in Summer....... for me the month of June is, of course, never associated with summer, so I had missed some of those happier events and their association with summer.
Your summary of what you got from the novel is all in Forgive,Forget....... "if tonight is the final goodbye, can we forget about, all the pain all the tears all the lies ..... when it all comes down to this, can we just not forgive, forget?"
There were a couple of short reviews of RJ printed in local papers during the weekend, both gave 3 out of 5 stars. I will have a look and see if someone else has posted them before I put them up here.
PS: Got my copy of RJ signed last weekend......... Makes it even more special now!! ;D ;D
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Post by Annys always here..lol on Apr 8, 2010 6:54:57 GMT 10
Good review Bella, and I like your thoughts on the line on the book cover. Having read it twice now, I was paying more attention to what happened in Summer....... for me the month of June is, of course, never associated with summer, so I had missed some of those happier events and their association with summer. Your summary of what you got from the novel is all in Forgive,Forget....... "if tonight is the final goodbye, can we forget about, all the pain all the tears all the lies ..... when it all comes down to this, can we just not forgive, forget?" There were a couple of short reviews of RJ printed in local papers during the weekend, both gave 3 out of 5 stars. I will have a look and see if someone else has posted them before I put them up here. PS: Got my copy of RJ signed last weekend......... Makes it even more special now!! ;D ;D   well girls have read everything you have all written and totally agree with all of it. I grew up with an alcoholic Dad so I could relate to poor Mattie and remember how hard it was for my Mum. Lucky for me we are all still here lol.. I just wish that it was longer... Damien will have to work on that for teh next Novel...  |
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Post by erinbella on Apr 8, 2010 9:16:53 GMT 10
Good review Bella, and I like your thoughts on the line on the book cover. Having read it twice now, I was paying more attention to what happened in Summer....... for me the month of June is, of course, never associated with summer, so I had missed some of those happier events and their association with summer. Your summary of what you got from the novel is all in Forgive,Forget....... "if tonight is the final goodbye, can we forget about, all the pain all the tears all the lies ..... when it all comes down to this, can we just not forgive, forget?" There were a couple of short reviews of RJ printed in local papers during the weekend, both gave 3 out of 5 stars. I will have a look and see if someone else has posted them before I put them up here. PS: Got my copy of RJ signed last weekend......... Makes it even more special now!! ;D ;D Thank-you Tina. Great to hear about the reviews in your local papers.  You are so lucky to have had your copy signed already. ;D Anny, I heard during one of D's interviews that his next book is going to be an epic which I think means it is going to be very long. ;D |
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Post by shimmery on Apr 15, 2010 1:05:41 GMT 10
Glad to finally be here! Wanted to sort through my initial response first then read the earlier discussions. Put most of my thoughts together on the weekend but wanted to think a little more about a couple of things so am posting now, looking forward to going back now to read the earlier posts, seeing what everyone else is thinking & joining in! The parents of one of my friends once said to me that an important thing to remember in a marriage (or any relationship) was never to let the sun set on an argument. It can be all too easy to harden the heart beyond the point of sorting something out. The story of "Remember June" weaves through the processes of confronting anger, consequences and regrets to finding a way into the processes of forgiveness and hope. Damien has illustrated the way the choices made at single critical moments can have a follow-on effect throughout an entire family for generations. The events surrounding the Finch family are often brutal, heartbreaking and out of control. Moments of extreme violence strike at the lives of all the characters whether directly or indirectly and no one is immune from the effects. While some characters draw on those events to break free and recreate their lives, others crumble further under the weight. Throughout the story and lives concerned there is a desperate sense of the need for a return to humanity and love, a need running parallel to that of the country itself caught up in ongoing conflict. The silent trauma of emotional shutdown and developing addictions tears through the family as destructively as the blows to the head or the stabbing of knives. It is so disturbing to witness not only the family’s disintegration but the terrible realisation that if things don't change the outlook is becoming equally bleak for Mattie, the representative of next generation. It's seemingly no wonder that Mattie starts to create an illusory world to comfort himself, much as his father has done through his drinking, his grandfather through gambling and his uncle through activism. The resulting bitter realities faced by the men (and the women close to them) in consequence form a stark symmetry to the escapism. Damien's characters are very succinctly observed and drawn, perhaps a skill learned from the efficiency required by songwriting to create the fullness of a story within a very limited space. All the characters have a vital role to play and are deftly defined. Simultaneously, there are obvious contrasts to Damien's songwriting in that the novel is more dialogue driven and not as emotionally atmospheric as his lyrics. I wondered whether that was a deliberate departure of style by Damien to actively delineate his two strands of writing or whether it was required by the tempo of the narrative which is very fast-paced and action driven. "Remember June" is very much at heart an exploration of the human spirit as well as a thriller, as was Damien's first novel "One More Time". In both novels in the midst of high drama the central characters face deep crises and need to find a way to draw upon internal strength to combat the troubles of life. The reader is not so conscious of Damien's own voice as narrator in the second novel and I found myself missing that at times though appreciate the direction and strengths he is evolving as a writer. I loved the injection of some of Damien's own lyrics at key moments in the narrative. When the lyrics of "Stay" were introduced one could imagine the song as the soundtrack to that scene with no other dialogue, the stillness of the song's tempo in complete contrast to the drama taking place. The album of the same name as the novel adds another dimension again to the experience and is a beautiful companion to it. So much of Damien's writing, in any form, is concerned with the emotional experience of life and for me this is particularly when his talent as a writer truly shines. One of the most lyrical and evocative passages in the novel contains no dialogue with other characters at all but describes the overwhelming desire of an alcoholic to taste - or even just smell - the contents of the amber bottle in his hands. It is a searing and visceral depiction of the struggle with that destructive lover which Dave knows is poison to him. In contrast to this addiction June represents a saving grace. Her spirit resonates throughout the entire novel and touches all the major characters including Dave's brother who described her as "an angel", and who "wasn't the first person to notice it either". It is the "idea" of June, perhaps even more than June herself, which seems to hold power through the narrative as an ideal of desire, love, family and life itself - an ideal that becomes clouded by regret, broken-hearted grief and delusion before eventual redemption. She is central to the story yet in many ways we do not know her, we know only the effect of her. The rare quiet and contented interlude when Dave, June and the newly born Mattie are together celebrates a life-affirming peace that is tragically elusive in the midst of so much violence and inhumanity pervading not only the lives of the characters but also the general circumstances of the time. June’s sister, Susan, provides a mirror to reality - but in the one critical decision required for Mattie and his father to move forward with their lives her role is diminished. The boy and father themselves eventually have to confront and wade through an intense period of soul-searching to discover their way out of the mire of grief, escapism and regret together. This redemptive journey and their path to finding the way to begin it comprise some of the most moving and pivotal moments in the novel and can be universally translated to the wider setting. Damien's writing, including his songwriting, always leaves us with a sense of optimism that the journey is possible, that good can prevail and great difficulties be overcome. His ability to cut straight through to the heart of characters and situations to the emotional truth is inspirational and one of his greatest strengths. I’m very much looking forward to his next novel and thrilled to hear that it’s already underway! |
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Post by shimmery on Apr 15, 2010 2:06:20 GMT 10
I heard during one of D's interviews that his next book is going to be an epic which I think means it is going to be very long. ;D I'm very excited by that too, bella!! Am really looking forward to seeing how Damien will tell an epic story - across decades this time (I think he said from the 40s onwards?)! Just reading back, can see a few posts mentioning they would love to know even more about the family & particularly how the relationship developed between Dave and June. I'd love that as well!  Some of the missing years also had me really curious to know what might have happened there. Damien's characters often take me by surprise, I'm fascinated by the way he writes them and can get straight to the essence of what they're about. It's a hard one as the fast tempo is really successful in Remember June and had me on the edge of my seat right to the end, I had to keep making myself put the book down then couldn't wait to get back to it. He's definitely got that talent for telling an emotive story in a thrilling way. I also really love to settle in and enjoy going right into a longer story as well, so am really excited about the hints at an epic! |
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Post by shimmery on Apr 15, 2010 2:44:07 GMT 10
Lol meant to say Krissy, i would also be reading along sometimes and then think similar that wow, it's Damien's book! It's amazing to read the books of someone we know so well for songwriting, I just love getting to know that whole other side to his writing.
Trilly I also really agree with your comments about Damien's empathy - that's something I also enjoy in his writing, the way he can be strikingly honest but is never cold about his characters, always sees into their humanity and their struggles.
Tina that quote on the cover is definitely food for thought, at some points I was also losing sight of the remembering the joy of the best things in the story in the midst of all the pain.
I agree with the thoughts above that the cover reminds us that yes, even in all those traumas there were bright times, and the warmth of those memories and the reality of what the good part of life can be should be brought to the fore to be remembered, the hard times shouldn't be allowed to obliterate them and throw out the balance in the wrong direction.
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Some of the missing years also had me really curious to know what might have happened there. Damien's characters often take me by surprise, I'm fascinated by the way he writes them and can get straight to the essence of what they're about.