I Write What I Read

4 stars

I always thought Rainbow as a YA fiction writer, I first read Fangirl earlier last year and that just blew me away. I was an instant fan. Then I read Eleanor & Park and then died. I cannot even elaborate how much I'm inlove with her characters and her books. I shed tears for both these books, because who didn't? First loves are eternal and beautiful and magestic, and she made a damn good job on reminding us, her readers, what it was like.

Attachments and Landline are not teen fictions, at the least, but is not in short supply of those first love mementos. Attachment is an office romance, while it's a bit creepy for me to even think about reading other people's emails, I find the things going on outside of those email exchanges/lurking as very stimulating. Mostly I found myself squeeling and twitiching from all the rush. It was, as how we say here in my country, very "kilig."

Landline differs from the other three because of the twist in the story [spoiler alert!]. A magic telephone. Seriously?? It's crazy.


Base on the earlier release of the book cover with a yellow phone, for me it was a clue that the upcoming book could be about phone pals. I deduced as much since coming from Attachments, with the whole emailing going on. Boy, was I wrong.

Another factor that differentiates it is that its about marriage. That main characters in Landline had already passed what had happened in Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, and Attachments. In the first chapters you think they'll be separating because of this cliche marital issue of the importance work over family. Neal, the husband, makes you feel everything's fine, but you know it's not, because that's how they are. They say something's fine, that they're fine but it's not, they're not. They won't say anything about what they feel. Georgie, I identify with her. Not in the work ethic sense, but with her relationship with her daughters. I always come third, the nannies are always second to my partner.

Househusbands. Yes, I do believe that is the norms these days, and there is no shame in that. Some circumstances lead some families to this so-called predicament, but for me the most improtant thing is that open communication that both the husband and the wife are okay with this situation. Again, this leads me back to the men of not expressing their feelings. John Lennon was a househusband, just FYI.

It didn't appeal to me that Georgie's bestfriend, Seth, was insinuated to should have been something more than that. Seth and Goergie were prefect together until in that childhood bedroom scene, Seth told Georgie that he should have taken her home that night in Halloween decades ago. Maybe Georgie was "inlove" with Seth when they first met, but like she said Neal cured her of that. I think it was very low for Seth's character to just express it there, upon knowing that Neal and Georgie's marriage was on the rocks. I loved Seth's character but then crumbled right at that moment.

Neal from the past. I share the same sentiments as Seth, I don't see what Georgie saw in him. She admired Neal's works, but was that enough? I don't even want to think about that right now, but clearly Georgie does something to Neal. She makes him smile and laugh, and even anger him. Slearly she made the right choice in marrying Neal because he can cook. That alone should be enough, but the fact that he can also do the laundry and take care of the kids, that's like hitting the lottery.

I can't help but compare him to my own guy. They are so alike if not exactly. He makes the best adobo I have tasted in my life, he can do the laundry- although not in a way that I would like to be done, but he does the job, and he can especially take care of our baby better than me and those nannies we've hired.

I would just like to express my deepest disgust with Georgie's hygiene. Hahaha. No underwear for days? Ew. The bra part I can relate though. I don't understand why it took her so long to do what she should have done from the start - go to Omaha. Her perspectives and her priorities are clouded... clouded by Seth. Outside her mother's house, that moment Georgie thought for herself and not let Seth addle his thinking that's when she knew what she was suppose to do.

Seth is a great character but I can't help but feel that he's the antagonist of the story. The fact that there had to be a division for Neal and Seth in Georgie's life was clue enough that she had to drop one of them. That sure as hell was not Neal. Okay maybe she doesn't have to drop his bestfriend, Seth could atleast back off a little and if truly he is a good friend, let Georgie be a good wife and mother to her family and not hog her from them by making excuses to keep her by his side for majority of hours in a day.

That young guy in the airport that lent Georgie his phone, was that Levi? And was that Cather waiting for him on the airport? I know for a fact Levi has a pickup truck they used to give Georgie a lift. That's them right?!