{Audiobook} Review : Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Landline
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Series: n/a
Narrator: Rebecca lowman
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: July 8th, 2014
Source: Purchased Audio
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

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 beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside 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?

Landline was my second Rainbow Rowell book. I read Fangirl earlier this year, and I really liked it. Landline though, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I read the description but I totally missed the bit about “communicating with Neil in the past”. I read it as "communicating with Neil about the past". Woops.

I was so focused on the idea of Georgie trying to save her marriage. I should really read descriptions better, because had I understood what I was getting into, I might not have been in such a hurry to read it.

That being said, it still earns 4 stars from me. The writing was top notch. These characters felt so real to me. I’ve been married a long time though, so I could relate to a lot of what Georgie was going through. Marriage needs tending to. You can’t just take for granted everything will be okay, just because you love each other.

I love how Rowell takes you through Georgie and Neil’s whole relationship. From start to present. It was very realistic, and messy.

Ha ha, and I have to mention, the kids. I listened to Landline pretty much right when it came out and so were some other bloggers I follow on goodreads. I saw at least two status complaining about how annoying the kids were, especially the youngest one. Yes, they were annoying… but I’m a mom of a young girl and let me tell you… kids are annoying. Well done Rowell, substitute those meows with whines and you have my daughter 100%  at that age.

This story frustrated me though, it wasn’t perfect. I wanted to throw my phone every time she started talking to “past Neil’ Because bitch, really. Pick up your cell and get a hold of your present husband. Jeesh! I did like how it all tied in at the end though, so there is that.

As annoying as all of that was to me, the writing was enough to keep me going. It really was beautifully written. I liked Fangirl better, but fans of Rainbow Rowell will most likely enjoy this one.

About the author:



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.

Find Rainbow Rowell:

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