Becoming Books: [Review] Landline by Rainbow Rowell

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Title: Landline

Author: Rainbow Rowell [ Facebook | Twitter | Website]

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre: Adult Fiction - Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 8, 2014

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher, opinions are honest and my own. – review policy here.

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? - via Goodreads

Eight pages in these characters had already tugged a my heart strings. The workaholic mother and her need/challenge to keep work-life balance, accompanied by her dependable stay-at-home husband waiting in the wings. This dynamic is reflective of current trends in the U.S. and very much a hot topic. The idea that Georgie can have it all is the primary theme. Can she have this amazing relationship with work and her writing partner, Seth, and still be a present mother/wife to her daughters and husband?

Through Rowell's trademark humor and slew of pop culture references, readers make an instant connection to the late nineties and present day plot as the days to Christmas countdown. Knowing that the days are numbered keep the pacing steady and the reader eager to keep turning the page in search of December 25. The artful balance of laugh-out-loud and subtle humor further sells the writing as endearing, memorable and positively movie-ready moments.

In the end Landline is a winner because it hurts and wrecks you with an authentic relationship, maybe even yours.

Why I'll be reading this again...

This completes my Rainbow Rowell readings. With that said, her writing has grown exponentially since her adult debut, Attachments, without sacrificing the nuances that only Rowell can deliver. There were several moments that I could literally close my eyes and watch the scenes play out on the movie screen. This is especially true with the flashbacks of Georgie and Neal's beginnings.

Landline is more than just a love story, and it is a beautiful one, but the juxtaposition of the Can women have it all? question lingered with me longer and harder. Can Georgie be successful without having to sacrifice being a mother and dedicated wife? Can she do it without the guilt? Can Neal be content or even happy with being the primary caretaker and domestic husband? I'm not really sure there's a clear answer but I'm happy with how this unfolds.

For the YA lovers, if you liked Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, I'm fairly confident this will sit well with you and it might even give some comfort for growing up. I know it did for me.