Julie's Review: Landline

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Series: None
Publication Date: July 7, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 320
Obtained: Amazon Vine
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3/5
Bottom Line: Great concept, but fell flat
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Library

Summary: From the New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, comes a hilarious, heart-wrenching take on love, marriage, and magic phones. Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That its been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply;but that almost seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point. Two days before they're supposed to visit Neals family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she cant go. Shes a TV writer, and somethings 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 without her. When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if shes finally done it. If shes ruined everything. That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. Its not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like shes been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts. Is that what shes supposed to do? Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened? ~powells.com

 Review: I have now experienced my first Rainbow Rowell novel and why I was disappointed, I won't give up on her yet. I'm willing to give her another chance. Landline was a great concept, can you save your current marriage by speaking to your husband in the past? Unfortunately, it fell flat in execution.

Both of these characters were unlikable. Now, I can read books where the main character is less than stellar but I have to be able to identify with them in some way. I just found Georgie to be unbearable. I found her whiny and self-centered. She didn't know what she wanted. Did she want a successful TV career or did she want to make her husband happy? And really what could make Neal happy?!

Neal was a wet blanket. I don't think he was going to be happy no matter what Georgie did to change. He never had a clue what he wanted in life. He was going with the flow when Georgie started to pursue him. Did he really want her or was Georgie so persistent that he gave in?

I found their relationship to revolve around Neal's moods. What Neal in a good mood? Was he in a bad one? Why was he always so foul with Georgie? Wasn't it her job that let him stay at home? Why is he so resentful?

By the time, I was at the end of the novel I knew the outcome. I knew that Ms. Rowell would take the easy way out. Now, I'm not saying marriage is easy, I'm just saying it was a great way to wrap up the book.

If you are a fan of Ms. Rowell, I can pretty much tell you (even though I haven't read her other books) that this one falls short of all of her accolades. Maybe re-reading one of her favorites would be a better use of your reading time.






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