Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Jul. 6th, 2014 11:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. It has been for a while. She still loves her husband, Neal, and he still loves her, but that almost seems beside the point now.
Just before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family for Christmas, Georgie tells him that she can’t go. Something’s come up at work. She knows that Neal will be upset – but she doesn’t expect him to pack up the kids and go without her. 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 the chance to fix her marriage before it starts.
But is that what she’s supposed to do?
Georgie McCool and her writing partner Seth write for a formulaic but popular sitcom. When a network executive offers them a chance to showrun their own sitcom, Georgie’s delighted. But the meeting’s set for 27th December and Georgie and her husband, Neal, are supposed to take their daughters to spend Christmas with Neal’s mother in Omaha. Georgie and Seth only have 9 days to finalise their scripts, which means that Georgie needs to stay in Los Angeles.
When Neal insists on taking the girls to Omaha as planned, Georgie’s devastated. She knows their marriage is been in trouble but can’t believe that this is the end. With Neal refusing to speak to her, she goes to stay with her mum. There she discovers that the old rotary phone in her bedroom allows her to speak to Neal during the week they broke up after their senior year in college 15 years ago. As she and Neal talk, Georgie sees a chance to save her marriage – but worries that maybe she isn’t supposed to …
Having enjoyed Rainbow Rowell’s YA fiction, I was keen to try her ‘grown-up’ fiction. Unfortunately this romance is a troubling read about a marriage in trouble due to a husband’s unhappiness with his decisions but where it’s up to the wife to save it. Georgie’s refusal to confront Neal about this really annoyed me, especially as Neal is such a passive aggressive jerk that I wondered what Georgie ever saw in him. Coupled with this are a couple of overly cutesy kids and a supposedly madcap ending that only highlights Georgie’s uselessness. Ultimately, much as I wanted to I couldn’t enjoy this book and while I’ll check out Rowell’s YA books I think I’ll give her grown up fiction a miss.
I found Georgie’s family to be overly kooky in a naff sitcom way but the big problem is that although Georgie’s been honest from the start about her career aspirations, Neal’s never known what he wanted to do and so flits from job to job until he eventually settles as a househusband. He never deals with this and never gets called on it, which I found unbelievable and really frustrating. Instead Rowell seems to suggest that it’s up to the woman to sacrifice her dreams to keep her husband happy and that’s a message I can’t get support.
The Verdict:
Having enjoyed Rainbow Rowell’s YA fiction, I was keen to try her ‘grown-up’ fiction. Unfortunately this romance is a troubling read about a marriage in trouble due to a husband’s unhappiness with his decisions but where it’s up to the wife to save it. Georgie’s refusal to confront Neal about this really annoyed me, especially as Neal is such a passive aggressive jerk that I wondered what Georgie ever saw in him. Coupled with this are a couple of overly cutesy kids and a supposedly madcap ending that only highlights Georgie’s uselessness. Ultimately, much as I wanted to I couldn’t enjoy this book and while I’ll check out Rowell’s YA books I think I’ll give her grown up fiction a miss.
LANDLINE was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd July 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. It has been for a while. She still loves her husband, Neal, and he still loves her, but that almost seems beside the point now.
Just before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family for Christmas, Georgie tells him that she can’t go. Something’s come up at work. She knows that Neal will be upset – but she doesn’t expect him to pack up the kids and go without her. 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 the chance to fix her marriage before it starts.
But is that what she’s supposed to do?
Georgie McCool and her writing partner Seth write for a formulaic but popular sitcom. When a network executive offers them a chance to showrun their own sitcom, Georgie’s delighted. But the meeting’s set for 27th December and Georgie and her husband, Neal, are supposed to take their daughters to spend Christmas with Neal’s mother in Omaha. Georgie and Seth only have 9 days to finalise their scripts, which means that Georgie needs to stay in Los Angeles.
When Neal insists on taking the girls to Omaha as planned, Georgie’s devastated. She knows their marriage is been in trouble but can’t believe that this is the end. With Neal refusing to speak to her, she goes to stay with her mum. There she discovers that the old rotary phone in her bedroom allows her to speak to Neal during the week they broke up after their senior year in college 15 years ago. As she and Neal talk, Georgie sees a chance to save her marriage – but worries that maybe she isn’t supposed to …
Having enjoyed Rainbow Rowell’s YA fiction, I was keen to try her ‘grown-up’ fiction. Unfortunately this romance is a troubling read about a marriage in trouble due to a husband’s unhappiness with his decisions but where it’s up to the wife to save it. Georgie’s refusal to confront Neal about this really annoyed me, especially as Neal is such a passive aggressive jerk that I wondered what Georgie ever saw in him. Coupled with this are a couple of overly cutesy kids and a supposedly madcap ending that only highlights Georgie’s uselessness. Ultimately, much as I wanted to I couldn’t enjoy this book and while I’ll check out Rowell’s YA books I think I’ll give her grown up fiction a miss.
I found Georgie’s family to be overly kooky in a naff sitcom way but the big problem is that although Georgie’s been honest from the start about her career aspirations, Neal’s never known what he wanted to do and so flits from job to job until he eventually settles as a househusband. He never deals with this and never gets called on it, which I found unbelievable and really frustrating. Instead Rowell seems to suggest that it’s up to the woman to sacrifice her dreams to keep her husband happy and that’s a message I can’t get support.
The Verdict:
Having enjoyed Rainbow Rowell’s YA fiction, I was keen to try her ‘grown-up’ fiction. Unfortunately this romance is a troubling read about a marriage in trouble due to a husband’s unhappiness with his decisions but where it’s up to the wife to save it. Georgie’s refusal to confront Neal about this really annoyed me, especially as Neal is such a passive aggressive jerk that I wondered what Georgie ever saw in him. Coupled with this are a couple of overly cutesy kids and a supposedly madcap ending that only highlights Georgie’s uselessness. Ultimately, much as I wanted to I couldn’t enjoy this book and while I’ll check out Rowell’s YA books I think I’ll give her grown up fiction a miss.
LANDLINE was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd July 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
