Book Review + Giveaway: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline
by Rainbow Rowell

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Published by: St. Martin's Press on July 8, 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Women, Family Life, Fiction, Love & Romance
Pages: 320
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
My Rating: five-stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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?

Check out my ‘Make It a Movie Monday’ for LANDLINE!

Rainbow Rowell has a way of writing stories that matter when it comes to the realities of love. LANDLINE, her fourth novel, is a story that matters the most to me on a personal level.

While I write this review my six year old daughter is watching The Lego Movie. As a result, I really want to say “Everything is awesome!” and be done with it. But that’s only because I’m lazy and honestly believe that no words I type will adequately convey how I feel about this book.

LANDLINE has single-handedly knocked Eleanor & Park aside as my all-time favorite books by Rainbow Rowell so far. This is a BIG DEAL. Back in early 2013, I named Eleanor & Park “The best contemporary I have ever read.” While my love for that poignant young adult romance is no less now than it was when I first typed those words, LANDLINE has has edged its way a little deeper into my heart…

My immense love for LANDLINE probably has something to do with the fact that the characters are nearer to my own age and their situation hits much closer to home. In fact, I think that many reader’s overall enjoyment of the book will depend on whether or not they can relate to the characters (and even more importantly, to with which one they identify). It also depends on how one interprets both Georgie and Neal’s motives and needs. As someone who has been married for (almost) as long as Georgie and Neal, I found quite a lot to identify with in this novel.

Georgie is the main character of the story. She is the one whose head we are in the whole way through (although LANDLINE is told from a third-person perspective). Georgie is the “bread-winner” of the house, living out her dream career as a script writer in Los Angeles. It’s almost Christmas in the year 2013 and Georgie has just been green-lit to co-write the pilot of her very own sitcom. The problem is, she has only a handful of days to get it ready for review. Neal is her stay-at-home husband who is looking forward to spending the holidays with his wife, kids and parents in Omaha, Nebraska… Until Georgie drops the bombshell that she’s not going.

Initially, it would appear that Neal is trying to hold Georgie back – that for some reason, this unhappy little “Hobbit” of a man simply wants Georgie all to himself. She’s not doing what he wants, so he leaves without her - along with the girls… possibly for good.

I am Neal.

I currently live in Florida – and have been since 2001, which is 13+ years longer than I would have liked. I do not like Florida I despise Florida. But I am here because it is where my husband is, as well as my husband’s family and our two *knock on wood* secure jobs. Yes, it frequently makes me unhappy that I am here. We moved here at a time when I didn’t entirely have any solid focus in my life, but my husband had a secure job in a field that he loved. My husband works long hours. 75% of the time he is not home for dinner. The majority of the time he works six days a week. Sometimes he works out of town. Sometimes he is away for weeks, coming home on Friday night, only to leave again the following Monday. Wash, rinse, repeat. He wakes up at 4:30am every morning. Because of this, our time together usually involves him asleep by my side on the couch. Is this a hindrance in our relationship? Yes and no. Sometimes my husband makes me unhappy. Sometimes I vocalize my unhappiness.

I am also Georgie (but not in a good way).

I am not the best housewife. I cannot cook (well). I am selfish. I can get so caught up in what I’m doing that I sometimes forget that others depend on me. Sometimes my priorities are not what they should be. Sometimes I make my husband unhappy. He rarely vocalizes his unhappiness.

Because of this, I have occasionally worried about the longevity of my marriage. At what point will the pieces of our marriage that are not so perfect come to a head and somebody says “enough”? While I doubt that a “time-machine” rotary telephone will appear to guide me, LANDLINE itself is almost like the magical medium that anyone who is married needs to gain some perspective about their relationships, both past and present.

After reading this book, all I want to do is try to understand my husband as best as I can. I also want to be sure to let him know on a regular basis just how much I appreciate him. But not everyone is looking to learn life lessons from the fiction they read. Will people enjoy the story? Of course! I know I did. As far as adult contemporaries go, the quality of the stories out there rarely get better than this. Is Georgie living a “wonderful life”? Is this A Christmas Carol for a more technical era? I won’t say… All you need to know is that Rainbow has crafted a timeless and endearingly sweet story, a story that I plan to read and reread for years to come.

As always, Rainbow is at the top of her game coming up with a cast of characters who have both unique personalities and lives grounded in (some form of) reality. Her cast is so perfectly developed that readers will easily envision who will fill the roles of their favorite characters. The relationships and character interactions within LANDLINE are diverse and complex. While some readers may find fault with both of the main characters, Georgie and Neal, it is their personal growth that will win people over in the long run.

Over the course of the story we are also introduced to Seth, Georgie’s best friend and writing partner. He’s a bit of a lady’s man and he just might be another wrench in Georgie and Neal’s marriage. Then there is Georgie’s 18 year old sister, Heather, her pug-loving mother (who is Georgie’s polar opposite) and her (very young) step-father, Kendrick. Then there are the two kids in their lives. Georgie and Neal’s two daughters, Alice and Noomi, steal the show in every scene they are present. Namely Noomi and her purr-fect 4 year old self. She talks on the phone so much like my daughter… But I digress. Thanks to all of these characters, LANDLINE also manage to deal with the topics of overcoming obstacles and discovering oneself in young love, dealing with family differences as well as interracial marriage. In 300 pages, Rainbow effectively displays the various ways that families stick together, no matter what.

Finally, the romance is another area in which LANDLINE soars. In addition to the telephone calls to the past, we sweep back and forward between the years as Georgie reflects back on her relationship with Neal. While we begin with their problems during the 2013 holiday season, we also see how they met, snoop in on their earliest interactions and watch as they fall in love. We witness Neal’s proposal, the birth of their children and watch as their marriage becomes what it is today. Some may say that Neal is a curmudgeon, but as I explained above, I understand him for who he really is. I don’t think he’s a jerk. Neal’s little smiles were something big, something amazing. They have always reserved for Georgie, and later, their two children. His sweet side really stood out to me. My heart thumped just as much, if not more, than it did while reading Rainbow’s previous novels. More-so, really, because there was something lasting to fight for in LANDLINE. Boy, did I want it to last… Both the book and the love within its pages.

Wow. I said quite a lot up there, didn’t I? That’s what LANDLINE does to you, though. It makes you want to talk. So while my words were not as simple as “Everything is awesome!” - essentially, that’s what LANDLINE is to me. Unbelievably AWESOME.

Pros:

It is my hope that this book thaws even the most frozen, jaded heart on the planet.

Cons:

Glowing reviews are always the longest and the hardest to write.

Review.

Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Setting: 10
Pacing: 10
Style: 10

Grade: 100+

Fueled by an obsession with Pinterest…
Here are the images that came to mind as I read.

About Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell writes books. Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS and LANDLINE). Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK and FANGIRL). But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they're screwing up. And people who fall in love.

When she's not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing about things that don't really matter in the big scheme of things.

She lives in Nebraska with her husband and two sons.

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