Romance Annotation

Landline 

by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Romance

Publication Date: 2014

Number of Pages: 308

Geographical Setting: Los Angeles, CA and Omaha, NE

Time Period: Present Day and 1998

Appeal Terms: Nostalgic, Character Driven, Heartwarming

Synopsis: Georgie is just now realizing how in trouble her marriage is. She is pretty sure her quiet and stay-at-home husband, Neal, still loves her, because she knows she still loves him. When the chance of a lifetime comes for her and her writing partner, however, work comes between her and her family once again. This time, though, the alternative is missing Christmas with her family. When she decides to stay in LA, her husband takes the kids to Omaha without her, and he stops answering his phone once he arrives. Wondering if she made the right decision, she tries again to call Neal, this time from the old landline phone at her mother's house. Instead of reaching present-day-Neal, much to her surprise, Neal from the past answers. Georgie begins to wonder if she is just going crazy or if she is being given an opportunity to fix her marriage from the start. Lost in her memories of when she first started dating Neal, she must decide whether her marriage can be fixed or if they would have been better off never getting married in the first place.

Tone: The reader is immediately pulled into this emotional story because of its realistic and relatable stress: Work vs Family. The tone is fairly heavy, filled with strain as the protagonist grapples with the thought that her marriage may be over. The tension continues to build over the majority of the book, not releasing until the climax, that does not happen until the last few chapters. 

Characterization: Georgie must come to terms with what is truly important to her. The reader only gets to experience Georgie's perspective, and she is also the one in need of growth, as she realizes she has taken her husband for granted and not kept up her end of the promises they made to each other when they were young. 

Story Line: This book tells the story of their relationship: how it began, how it has changed, and the decisions they are making that affect its future. The driving force of the story is Georgie grappling with the memories of her relationship with her husband, but there is also interesting backstory with her writing partner and a subplot involving her much younger sister that add some extra zest to the overall story. 

Setting: As mentioned above, the story flips between the present and the past, specifically 1998, allowing the readers to really get to know the characters. The majority of the story also takes place in Los Angeles, where they went to college together, raised a family together, and where they currently live. A small portion of the story takes place in Omaha, where Neal is visiting his parents with their kids. 

Pacing: The story moves along quickly, happening over the span of only a few days. However, the flashbacks and vivid memories work to slow the pace down and allow the reader to really get to know the characters. 

Language: As with most romance stories, this one is filled with descriptive language that helps draw the reader in and taps into their emotions. While this is a romance novel, there are no erotic passages or overtly sexual scenes, so this story would appeal to a variety of audiences. 

Read-Alikes: 

Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

One Day by David Nicholls
The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani