Landline by Rainbow RowellMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Two words that sum up this book are magical realism - magical because it's Rainbow Rowell, and realism because it's a picture of real life.
I love this author; for me, Rainbow Rowell can do no wrong. I loved Fangirl and I loved Eleanor and Park. I've only started Attachments but already like that one too. But this one? Not so much.
All the elements were classic Rowell: amazing character development, fabulous side characters, good pacing, lots of interesting introspection. I could go on and on. Instead, let me tell you what I didn't like.
Georgie and Neal are hitting a wall in their marriage. Every couple hits a wall at some point or another, usually around the 10-15 year mark. In this case, the roles are reversed somewhat. While it's usually the husband's career that costs the couple their marriage, this time it's the wife. Georgie's about to hit it big, but it's going to cost her Christmas with her family. Throw in the idea that she can talk to her husband 15 years in the past, while he was still her boyfriend, and it turns into a light-hearted look at true love.
Except that evaluating a marriage is anything but light-hearted. For Georgie, the reality is that it's going to cost much more - her marriage, because she has been slowly choosing her career (and her best friend) over her marriage from the beginning. I didn't like Georgie very much. She put up with a lot of demeaning nonsense from her best friend and writing partner. She compensated for neglecting her husband and daughters by simply feeling guilty about it. She loves her family but continues to choose her career over them again and again. So when push came to shove, she got a big wake-up call. Hello Georgie, this is what happens when you don't pay attention to the most important relationships in your life. Here you are thinking your husband may have left you - exactly what did you think would happen? Did you think feeling guilty about it would make it all better?
I loved Neal. He was patient and kind and although droll, always honest. He was sweet and endearing and had that dry wit, always funny. And what a lover - he loved Georgie and their daughters with that strong, faithful kind of love that keeps a marriage strong. I hated seeing him having to deal with this woman whose life and career were running her instead of the other way around. This was a man who decided the thing he loved the most was staying home with his young daughters. He liked to cook and do laundry and take kids to school; taking care of these things was the way he took care of the family. He didn't begrudge Georgie her dreams, or even begrudge coming in second place to them. He was solid, and most important - he loved her. His life screamed how much he loved her.
I liked Seth; at least he was true to himself. He didn't pretend to be something he wasn't and there was no pretense there. And the extraneous family members were entertaining, as were Georgie and Neal's daughters. Rowell can write people that are really, really likable.
I loved the ending of this book. The emotional journey that Georgie has been on is echoed in the events that take place - and honestly, she gets what she deserves in every sense.
My main problem with this book is simply that it is light-hearted in its approach to a very serious situation. Rainbow Rowell is an amazing writer and she did it all right. I loved this book. The only thing I didn't like about it was . . . the book.
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