Author Rainbow Rowell returns to adult fiction with 'Landline'
Rowell has recently won acclaim for her young adult novels 'Eleanor & Park' and 'Fangirl.'
'Landline' is by Rainbow Rowell.
After the success of her young adult novel 鈥淓leanor & Park,鈥� author Rainbow Rowell is returning to adult fiction with her new book 鈥淟andline.鈥澛�
Rowell recently made headlines with her young adult novels 鈥淓leanor & Park鈥� and 鈥淔angirl鈥� (Monitor young adult fiction critic Katie Ward Beim-Esche called "Eleanor & Park" the best YA novel of 2013), but she鈥檇 previously released an adult title, 鈥淎ttachments,鈥� in 2011. Rowell鈥檚 new novel centers on Georgie McCool, who has been struggling in her marriage for some time. Now she's worried that it鈥檚 finally over, when she tells her husband Neal that work commitments will prevent her from going to his family鈥檚 house for Christmas 鈥� and he takes the trip without her, taking the children with him. However, she soon discovers a mysterious way to communicate with her husband 鈥� not present-day Neal, but the man she knew in college.聽
Amazon recently named the title, which is being released on July 8, one of the best books of July. Amazon's editorial director Sara Nelson said the book is 鈥渓ight but speaks some deep truths about marriage.鈥�
鈥淟andline鈥� has also gotten mostly positive reviews from other publications, with writing that 鈥淸Rowell鈥檚] characters are instantly lovable, and the story moves quickly and only a little predictably 鈥� the ending manages to surprise and satisfy all at once. Though some teens might not be interested in the story, adult fans will love Rowell's return to a story close to their hearts. The realities of a grown-up relationship are leavened by the buoyancy and wonder of falling in love all over again.鈥� gave it a starred review, with Julie Kane of Sweet Briar College Library in Virgina writing that 鈥渞eading [Rowell鈥檚] work feels like listening to your hilariously insightful best friend tell her best stories.鈥� Publishers Weekly was slightly less enamored, writing that 鈥渟omething about the relationship between Georgie and Neal feels hollow, like it鈥檚 missing the complexity of adult love, despite the plot鈥檚 special effects鈥� but adding that 鈥渢he pages whip by鈥� and 鈥淩owell is, as always, a fluent and enjoyable writer.鈥�
Rowell recently discussed her new novel with , saying she likes to subvert the idea that a love story is over once the wedding has happened or two characters have gotten together.
鈥淭hat's a fallacy because they are going to change and change and change," she says. "And you are going to change and change and change. And it's so much more like agreeing to change next to each other.鈥�