Thursday 4 December 2014

Book Review - Attachments

Title: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Orion
Release Date: 1st April 2011
ISBN13: 9781409116288

Synopsis
Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.
By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.


My Review
I have really come to be a fan of Rainbow Rowell and have now read all of her books, this was the last one I managed to find, which is ironic as it's actually her first novel.
Lincoln's life is far from perfect, the only girl he ever loved left him in college/uni, he lives at home with his mum and spends his nights sitting in an office reading other people's emails. It's not exactly hard work or challenging. Finding ways to pass the time is about as hard as it gets. 
Then he finds an email conversation between Jennifer and Beth, it's been flagged up as they are discussing things that aren't to do with work, but for some reason Lincoln doesn't report them, instead he ends up reading their conversations and even looking forward to the next time he will see one. But by the time he realises that he is falling in love with Beth it's too late - he can't confess he has broken her privacy and trust before he even met her. It would make him look like a total creep.

I wasn't sure about this book to start, it seemed a bit slow and i wasn't sure where it was going, Lincoln seemed rather pathetic and whiny which irritated me a bit. I can't stand people that moan about their lives but do nothing to change it, but as the book progresses and you learn more about his past and see him adapt and become a new person I found myself reading more and more in the hope he would get a happy ending.
I also really enjoyed reading the girls email conversations - I can see why Lincoln was intrigued. They were witty and funny but also sometimes really meaningful and made you feel for the characters. 
Rainbow tackled what is actually quite a sensitive subject here and presented it very well. I loved how well the storyline flows and develops and how the characters are so relateable.
It's not my favourite by her, but it is definitely a very good read and I would definitely call myself a fan. I look forward to seeing more from her, eagerly awaiting the next book!

My Rating
      

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