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skyfluff's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
omnombailey's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
You ever witness something that overrides all logic and human decency to the point that you can't help but gawk? Like two middle-aged moms fighting over a TV during a Black Friday sale or people ignoring traffic laws and causing horrible accidents or the dumpster behind your work spontaneously combusting? That's what reading this book felt like.
I added this to my to-read list solely because I enjoyed Eleanor & Park so much that I more or less added everything Rainbow Rowell had written to my list (which I feel like is a book I need to reread now that I have more experience and perspective both as a reader and human being, but that's a story for another time). And with each book of hers that I've read, I've become less and less of a fan of her work. I don't even know what I had for expectations with Landline - just that I knew it was an "adult" book written by someone who typically does YA books.
I enjoy dysfunctional relationships in stories. Anything that veers from the norm catches my attention, but Landline captivated me like that elusive dumpster fire mentioned above; it was an absolute train-wreck and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. In short, this was a perfect example of why I loathe miscommunication as a form of drama.
I didn't enjoy any of the characters. I didn't expect them to be likable considering the context of the story, but when none of them struck me as interesting or even well-done in terms of how they were written? Not good. The only person I empathized with was Neal, because wow did he deserve so much better. I've seen a slew of reviews with people taking a dump on Neal and it boggles my mind, because out of everyone involved in this clusterfuck, Neal is the most stable and logical person of the bunch. And as a fellow introvert, everything he did made sense.
And then there are people like Seth, who I'm surprised Georgie didn't literally set on fire a quarter into the damn story. I felt like he should have been a massive antagonist, but then Georgie keeps him around and puts up with his douchey bullshit again and again and again? Like I understand abusive relationships, even if it's a friendship, but I felt like none of that got addressed. Like at all. And I really wish it had been. Well, I guess Heather was appalled by Seth's antics when he came over that one time, but it wasn't cathartic enough for me.
Honestly, the whole time I was reading this, I couldn't help but think, "Geez, I am not straight enough for this damn book." Like... do people actually find Georgie's scenario relatable? Not the magical telephone thing, but the bullshit that is her marriage and family? Do people read this and go, "Yeah, I can relate #mood" ??? Every chapter left me internally screaming (or externally screaming with that one chapter with Seth towards the end) over the fuckery going on. Like... just talk to each other. Or Neal, fucking answer your fucking phone this is 2013 what the fuck. Or Georgie, how the fuck have you gone this long wearing that disgusting old bra.
Speaking of being straight, that was another thing that certifiably pissed me off - the need to point out secondary/minor characters' "otherness." Scotty is gay and Indian. It's not even cleverly woven into the narrative. There is literally a sentence that goes "Scotty was gay." Like awesome job at giving the characters zero agency and assuming your readers have the intelligence of a magikarp. We can put two and two together if you cut that shit out and just have Scotty mention his hopes for a fictional male character getting a boyfriend. There were other times when it's mentioned that characters are essentially Not White and considering characters like Neal and Georgie and Seth and so forth don't get this treatment at all, it makes you wonder if it's a case of "cis straight white is the norm and anything deviating from that needs to have a spotlight on it." It's a shitty way to include diversity to a narrative.
And speaking of Scotty, he could have been replaced by a sexy lamp and I wouldn't have noticed. I couldn't help but wonder what the point of him being there was. Honestly, I thought that about a lot of things. There are so many elements which left me with more questions than answers. Like Georgie's mom is mentioned to have a job way towards the end of the book, but she more or less stays at home all the time? I figured she was some rich lady who inherited her wealth, but I guess she has a job? And what kind of income does Georgie make where her family can survive just off of her job? Yet she can't afford a new damn phone or a bra??? I guess it's mentioned she doesn't make time for that shit, but like.... really?????? For her career, I figured she'd put a little bit more effort into it.
There were some saving graces to this book which bumped up the rating from two stars to three still wasn't enough to salvage this story. I really loved the flashbacks to college. I loved the dialogue between older Georgie and younger Neal. If Rowell does something right, it's dialogue and it shows (albeit at times she does not know when to make her characters shut up, but anyhow). The chapters were paced wonderfully and I enjoyed the bite-sized chapters. The prose was lovely in that frantic, frank mess kind of way, which I can relate to (more so than the characters).
But other than that, this has to be the most stressful book I've read in a long time. Wallowing in angst is one thing, but this felt more like having Thanksgiving dinner with your toxic family and you're magically bound to your set until everyone is finished. Maybe some people enjoy that level of torturing, but I'd prefer not to read something that shaves two years of my life off.
I added this to my to-read list solely because I enjoyed Eleanor & Park so much that I more or less added everything Rainbow Rowell had written to my list (which I feel like is a book I need to reread now that I have more experience and perspective both as a reader and human being, but that's a story for another time). And with each book of hers that I've read, I've become less and less of a fan of her work. I don't even know what I had for expectations with Landline - just that I knew it was an "adult" book written by someone who typically does YA books.
I enjoy dysfunctional relationships in stories. Anything that veers from the norm catches my attention, but Landline captivated me like that elusive dumpster fire mentioned above; it was an absolute train-wreck and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. In short, this was a perfect example of why I loathe miscommunication as a form of drama.
I didn't enjoy any of the characters. I didn't expect them to be likable considering the context of the story, but when none of them struck me as interesting or even well-done in terms of how they were written? Not good. The only person I empathized with was Neal, because wow did he deserve so much better. I've seen a slew of reviews with people taking a dump on Neal and it boggles my mind, because out of everyone involved in this clusterfuck, Neal is the most stable and logical person of the bunch. And as a fellow introvert, everything he did made sense.
And then there are people like Seth, who I'm surprised Georgie didn't literally set on fire a quarter into the damn story. I felt like he should have been a massive antagonist, but then Georgie keeps him around and puts up with his douchey bullshit again and again and again? Like I understand abusive relationships, even if it's a friendship, but I felt like none of that got addressed. Like at all. And I really wish it had been. Well, I guess Heather was appalled by Seth's antics when he came over that one time, but it wasn't cathartic enough for me.
Honestly, the whole time I was reading this, I couldn't help but think, "Geez, I am not straight enough for this damn book." Like... do people actually find Georgie's scenario relatable? Not the magical telephone thing, but the bullshit that is her marriage and family? Do people read this and go, "Yeah, I can relate #mood" ??? Every chapter left me internally screaming (or externally screaming with that one chapter with Seth towards the end) over the fuckery going on. Like... just talk to each other. Or Neal, fucking answer your fucking phone this is 2013 what the fuck. Or Georgie, how the fuck have you gone this long wearing that disgusting old bra.
Speaking of being straight, that was another thing that certifiably pissed me off - the need to point out secondary/minor characters' "otherness." Scotty is gay and Indian. It's not even cleverly woven into the narrative. There is literally a sentence that goes "Scotty was gay." Like awesome job at giving the characters zero agency and assuming your readers have the intelligence of a magikarp. We can put two and two together if you cut that shit out and just have Scotty mention his hopes for a fictional male character getting a boyfriend. There were other times when it's mentioned that characters are essentially Not White and considering characters like Neal and Georgie and Seth and so forth don't get this treatment at all, it makes you wonder if it's a case of "cis straight white is the norm and anything deviating from that needs to have a spotlight on it." It's a shitty way to include diversity to a narrative.
And speaking of Scotty, he could have been replaced by a sexy lamp and I wouldn't have noticed. I couldn't help but wonder what the point of him being there was. Honestly, I thought that about a lot of things. There are so many elements which left me with more questions than answers. Like Georgie's mom is mentioned to have a job way towards the end of the book, but she more or less stays at home all the time? I figured she was some rich lady who inherited her wealth, but I guess she has a job? And what kind of income does Georgie make where her family can survive just off of her job? Yet she can't afford a new damn phone or a bra??? I guess it's mentioned she doesn't make time for that shit, but like.... really?????? For her career, I figured she'd put a little bit more effort into it.
There were some saving graces to this book which bumped up the rating from two stars to three still wasn't enough to salvage this story. I really loved the flashbacks to college. I loved the dialogue between older Georgie and younger Neal. If Rowell does something right, it's dialogue and it shows (albeit at times she does not know when to make her characters shut up, but anyhow). The chapters were paced wonderfully and I enjoyed the bite-sized chapters. The prose was lovely in that frantic, frank mess kind of way, which I can relate to (more so than the characters).
But other than that, this has to be the most stressful book I've read in a long time. Wallowing in angst is one thing, but this felt more like having Thanksgiving dinner with your toxic family and you're magically bound to your set until everyone is finished. Maybe some people enjoy that level of torturing, but I'd prefer not to read something that shaves two years of my life off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
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