Landline

Title: Landline

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Romance

Time: 4.6 hours

This one was from my “to-read” pile.  Let me just say, I am not a big fan of Neal.  I know, I know, the only point of view we had in the book was Georgie’s so it’s very one-sided.  But the way she described him was that he was a person who was not happy with his life.  And until he finds value in himself, he could never be happy in their marriage.   I get this vibe that he feels insecure with his wife’s success.  He could have had a successful career of his own but he doesn’t even try.  So he’s pissed off at his wife because he’s the stay-at-home dad.  He hates it but he refuses to get nannies for the kids. 

Georgie was offered a chance of a lifetime, why couldn’t Neal be supportive???  And she had a chance of a lifetime, why isn’t she focused on getting her dream???  The whole moping and being distracted just pissed me off.  Get to work woman!  And why is it that when a woman has a demanding yet flourishing career, she is made to feel guilty about not being home a lot!?  When men CEOs are going home late all the time and frequently away on business trips, they are never made to feel like a bad parent.

I know the whole fantastical plot of being able to talk to the Neal from the past (the Neal she knew before the marriage, kids and career came along) was a way for the main character to “find again the love that is supposedly lost” between her and the husband but honestly, it only convinced me that she married the wrong guy.  Probably for the wrong reasons.  I took it as a sign for Georgie to move on with her life.  Sometimes, it’s not all happily ever after.  Sometimes, things are just not meant to be.