Monday, July 21, 2014
-
Contemporary
,
Fantasy
,
Favorite
,
YA
No comments
Contemporary
,
Fantasy
,
Favorite
,
YA
No comments
Landline
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Version: Hardcover
GoodReads:
Georgie McCool
knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time.
She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that
almost seems besides the point now.
Maybe that was
always besides the point.
Two days
before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie
tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her
show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with
her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to
him to pack up the kids and go home without her.
When her
husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally
done it. If she’s ruined everything.
That night,
Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time
travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix
her marriage before it starts . . .
Is that what
she’s supposed to do?
Or would
Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
Hmm.. I'm not really sure where to start with this one. I guess I could say I liked the book, but it might be the least favorite of my Rainbow Rowell collection - right behind Attachments. Speaking of Attachments, Landline definitely shared some similarities. For instance, Neal was very reminiscent of Lincoln and likewise with Georgie and Beth. Furthermore, the two stories seem to be paced similarly by progressing rather slowly at first and then sucking you in later.
Don't get me wrong, after all I’m giving Landline a 4 star rating, but the story seemed a bit slow and I got a little tired of hearing Georgie ramble about Neal. I feel like that sentence is wrong since the Neal situation is a major plot theme, but yeah.. Sometimes it just got a little too "Neal, Neal, Neal..." for me. Also, I had a problem with the way the ending didn’t address the show, which was a huge part of the book. I really wanted to know if became a success and if Georgie and Seth made it big.
Now that the major negatives are out of the way, let me address some of the things I enjoyed. For starters, I love the way Rainbow Rowell writes and the way she tells a story. I don't really know how to describe it, but it always feels so... Warm? It's like sitting in front of a fireplace, while reading in a big comfy chair. Is that weird? If so, then let me adjust my sentence and say that her writing style is warm and comforting. Regardless, I liked the majority of characters in landline, but there were two that didn't seem developed enough. The two children, Alice and Noomie, came across as something that didn't quite fit or were perhaps misplaced. Maybe I was just thrown by Noomie's insistence on being a green kitty and her meowing habit that was never addressed, or maybe they just didn't get mentioned enough for me to like them. Whatever the reason, I feel that they didn't fit. The rest of the characters I enjoyed. For example, I liked Seth's personality, Scotty's humor, Neal's straightforwardness, Georgie's wit, the mother's flamboyant sexuality, and Heather's playful humor. Additionally I really enjoyed the crazy situations Georgie finds herself in. For those who haven't read Landline yet, you can look forward to a weird, but touching pug, dryer incident; a hellacious trip to Omaha; and of course a magic phone.
Overall, I liked the book and would definitely recommend it. I would especially recommend it to those who enjoyed reading any of Rainbow Rowell's earlier works and to those craving a good book that mixes contemporary with bits of fantasy.
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