Landline in The Rainbow Rowell Fan Group

Aug 27, 2013 Meagan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, romance, riot-reads

Review to come tomorrow!

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Okay, so I got a little behind. Don't worry about it. But I do want to make sure I get my thoughts written down before I discuss this with the Broadway Babes, who read it at the same time.

I do love some Rainbow Rowell, but I have to admit that this was my least favorite of her books. (Not that that's saying a lot. Even the least awesome Rainbow Rowell book is way above a lot of what I've read this year.) If we had half stars (I'm shaking my fist at you, GoodReads) Review to come tomorrow!

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Okay, so I got a little behind. Don't worry about it. But I do want to make sure I get my thoughts written down before I discuss this with the Broadway Babes, who read it at the same time.

I do love some Rainbow Rowell, but I have to admit that this was my least favorite of her books. (Not that that's saying a lot. Even the least awesome Rainbow Rowell book is way above a lot of what I've read this year.) If we had half stars (I'm shaking my fist at you, GoodReads) I would give it 3.5. But since it's Rainbow, I'm rounding up.

It's hard to know for sure, but it's quite possible that I didn't connect as strongly with this book because it's so focused on marriage and parenthood. Specifically, maintaining a marriage under stressful circumstances and many years under the bridge. As an unmarried person who hangs garlic to keep the children away (that's how you do it, right?) there wasn't much to identify with in the story. But I do love the core idea of the story, and I think it translates to everyone. If you had some miraculous way to influence your past, would you? And what would you do?

Georgie is in the position to perhaps end her marriage before it begins, or to try to find a way to fix their problems before they happen. And I have to admit, these problems are largely of the type that drives me crazy in romance novels. I feel fairly certain that the marriage could be put back on track, or at least traveling in the right direction, if either of them had decided to have an honest conversation with each other. Usually that doesn't work for me as conflict, but in this case we have one major difference from the standard romance novel plot: Georgie and Neal have been married for over a decade. And I can see how you might grow accustomed to not speaking to avoid fights, or because you assume that you're on the same page, or because you're just so used to each other that you forget to talk. I don't know if that's true, but it feels true. So it didn't bother me as much as it might have.

And in the end, we get the heartfelt and emotional stuff that always makes me love Rainbow Rowell. So, favorite book ever? No. But do I regret reading it? Absolutely not. Bring on your next book, Rainbow Rowell. ...more

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Jul 20, 2014 Vida rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was interesting enough and with great dialogue as usual but I wasn't a fan of Neil just because it's hard to be fond of a character with no passion for anything else aside from Georgie ("I love you more than I hate everything else") and their daughters. I couldn't help but feel like if he just had some passion for work (or a best friend), he'd understand things better (Also the reason why he was so upset in 1998 was pretty stupid. You leave your girlfriend because she brought you to a party ...more

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May 29, 2014 Bethany Miller rated it liked it · review of another edition

Hooray!! I won!! Can't wait to get my hands on this book. I've had a streak of really good luck with goodreads giveaways lately. Thanks goodreads! ...more

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Jan 09, 2014 Deanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Finally got to finish Landline. And now I need to read it again.

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Dec 22, 2013 Alison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read this in one night (no surprise given how much I love Rainbow Rowell). I didn't like this book quite as much as Fangirl (let's face it I might not ever find a book I like quite as much as Fangirl), but in it's own way it was really perfectly crafted. It was a very interesting plot with a nice piece of magical realism and some of the smartest adult "chick lit" or "women's fiction" (for lack of a better term) that I've read. ...more

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Jun 29, 2014 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

http://www.chicklitcentral.com/2014/0... ...more

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Apr 02, 2014 Emily Ann Meyer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Not my favorite Rainbow Rowell, but still enjoyable - I particularly liked how the "supernatural" element of the story was acknowledged but wasn't the focus of the story - that was relationships, and they were real, imperfect, but necessary and ultimately ending on an element of hope. ...more

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Oct 15, 2013 Jane added it · review of another edition

I did enjoy this and I thought the premise (using the landline to talk to her husband in the past when he was her boyfriend) was cute. I'm annoyed by how the main character has to give up her career dream and seemingly her best friend, for her family's happiness. ...more

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