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Loading... Attachments (original 2011; edition 2011)by Rainbow Rowell
 mint910 | May 11, 2011 | 
I loved Eleanor and Park, so I was interested in reading something else by Rainbow Rowell. (Plus, I thought the cover was really cute, so I couldn't resist checking it out.) I had high expectations, and Attachments definitely did not disappoint! I enjoyed reading a book set in the '90s, and it was kind of funny to think back to all the panic about Y2K. I liked that the story was told in alternating chapters. The email exchanges from Beth and Jennifer were mixed in with chapters from Lincoln's point of view. This style of storytelling kept me reading because as soon as I read an email exchange, I wanted to read on to find out what Lincoln thoughts. I thought the characters were believable and their relationships felt very real. Check this one out if you're a fan of romantic comedies or if you're just looking for a witty, charming story! I'll be reading more from this author in the future. (  ) SuperLibBlog | May 28, 2013 | If you are looking for some light, funny, yet still intelligent chick lit, this book is for you! It was a fun book and left me feeling happy at the end! (I tend to like depressing books, so this is unusual for me). Set in 1999, in the midst of the Y2K craze, Attachments is about Lincoln, a 28 year old who works the night shift as an internet security officer. His main job: monitor his co-workers' email. Also, Lincoln is single, lives with his mom and doesn't get out much, except to play the occasional game of Dungeons and Dragons. As Lincoln monitors the office e-mail, he finds himself engrossed in the e-mails of Jennifer and Beth. And the more he reads their e-mail, the more he realizes that he is falling in love with Beth. The only problem: he has never met Beth, he has no idea what she looks like, and if he did meet her, how could he possibly explain himself? This novel is a fun twist on the traditional modern romance. It's cute and charming and funny. I recently read (and loved) Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, and I definitely like Rowell's witty style and sense of humor. I also like that she is not afraid to write real characters. Lincoln is not your typical Prince Charming. Instead he is a real guy with real issues and real insecurities. That makes his story believable but also still enjoyable to read. I will be eager to pick up Rowell's next book! ( ) em0451 | May 26, 2013 | In sweet, silly, and incredibly long digital missives, best newsroom pals Beth and Jennifer trade gossip over their romances-Beth with her marriage-phobic boyfriend, Chris, and Jennifer with her baby-mania-stricken husband, Mitch. What they don’t know is that the newly hired computer guy, Lincoln, an Internet security officer charged with weeding out all things unnecessary or pornographic, is reading their messages. But lonely Lincoln lets the gals slide on their inappropriate office mail and gets hooked on their soapy dalliances, falling head over heels for the unlucky-in-love Beth. Summary BPL Funny, witty, movie-ready,first novel by Rainbow Rowell. Aside: can that be her real name? The humour is pointed, see quote below where Beth complains about the inevitable ugly bridesmaid dress: I’m not 16 anymore….that person thought that wearing an ugly dress on the happiest day of someone else’s life was just the beginning—the line you have to stand in to get to your own happiest day. There is no such line. There’s just the waiting room scene from Beetlejuice. (Another movie where I’m not Winona.) The humour is bitchy: And when she [Beth’s sister] told us her wedding song—of course they’ve already picked their wedding song, and of course it’s “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong—I said that choosing that song is the sonic equivalent of buying picture frames and never replacing the photos of the models. Despite his obvious good looks, Lincoln, 27 and heart-shattered from a college romance, still lives with Mom. Mom can’t let go and her son is content to founder at home. Falling in love with Beth—through her emails and without actually seeing her—literally makes a man of Lincoln. The Y2K scenario almost qualifies as a period piece now. I understand that Ms Rowell needed a time when office emails would be under surveillance; now Beth and Jennifer would simply text. Only one complaint: I think readers will agree that fetal alcohol syndrome disorder is not appropriate material for humour. Page 2 (!) shows Jennifer joking that she might be pregnant after having drinks the night before. She dreads a future caring for a “special needs child”. I seriously debated whether to continue reading…. Ms Rowell, please excise this tasteless exchange. You can come up with something better! 7 out of 10 Marks off for the above mentioned mistake. Recommended to fans of romantic comedy and sharp dialogue (  ) julie10reads | Apr 27, 2013 | A friend recommended this book to me, and I was hooked after reading the first few emails between Jennifer and Beth. Lincoln is the "IT" guy at The Courier. His night job basically entails reading flagged emails that pop up in the WebFence folder. He is supposed to send warnings and report anyone who uses the company email for personal use, but the moment he begins reading Jennifer and Beth's emails to each other, he can't bring himself to report them. He continues reading their emails, each day falling more and more in love with Beth and enjoying Jennifer and Beth's friendship. I enjoyed this book because it was a very different experience getting to know two of the major characters solely through email. Jen and Beth’s conversations were very candid, and I felt just as Lincoln did, that I was spying on a very personal relationship. There are certain things you only tell your best friend, and Jen and Beth’s friendship felt so genuine because they expressed themselves, bickered, and told the honest truth to one another. And while the parts about Lincoln were interesting to read, I couldn’t wait for Lincoln to get to work each night and check the WebFence folder to read Jen and Beth’s flagged emails. Lincoln was a wonderful character. At first, I couldn’t really get a feel for his appearance, but as the story progressed, I figured out exactly who he was—the handsome and slightly awkward but comedic friend that often DOESN’T get the girl in some romantic comedies. To read about Lincoln in his present state and his past with complicated ex-girlfriend, Sam, I was worried that he would be somewhat of a whiny mama’s boy; however, I quickly grew to like Lincoln once he started taking steps to exert confidence and better his own life. I have no sympathy for characters who simply want the reader to feel sorry for them, and though it seemed like Lincoln was headed down that path, the author surprised me with Lincoln’s change in character. Lincoln is also quite the romantic. I’m not one for romance novels, but Lincoln had the tongue of a poet and always seemed to say the right thing…the perfect thing. If you’re looking for a little romance and comedy, tinged with a bit of drama, you’ll definitely enjoy this book. The characters are sincere and the email exchanges are witty and reflect a genuine friendship. Finally, I loved that practically every female character in this book was spirited, outspoken, and representative of the types of women I’ve actually met throughout my life. As you’ll often see in most romance novels and movies, the woman is the victim, cheated on, jilted at the altar, etc., by a seemingly scumbag ex-boyfriend, but I definitely think the roles are slightly reversed in this novel. It was very refreshing to see! Rainbow Rowell, you rock! ( ) russell.alynn | Apr 16, 2013 | I feel bad giving this only 3.5 stars, but as you can probably imagine from reading the overview there's not a whole lot to the story. I liked it because it was an easy read and you didn't have to think about anything. I feel like there could've been a bit more depth to the story or the emails being read. Possible spoiler...I do like the way they finally "met", or found out who each other were. Like I said, not a bad read, but not a page turner. Good summer or beach read. ( ) DogDayz | Apr 12, 2013 | Original review - In French - on my blog: Just">http://moncoinlecture.over-blog.com/article-attachments-rainbow-rowell-96078852.html Just loved this romantic comedy with atypical characters! Fun, sometimes witty, always enjoyable! I know, not my best review ;) (  ) Moncoinlecture | Apr 4, 2013 | A light- hearted read about an unconventional romance that made me feel uncomfortable at times at the way the wooing went. ( ) sally906 | Apr 3, 2013 | Y'know, this was kind of doofy, but charming. Much like the main character in it. He's a sort of IT guy who has to read employee emails that get flagged, and then he becomes fascinated by the conversations between two women that work there, and develops a crush on one of them. I especially enjoyed that he has a D&D character who is a dwarf named 'Smov. And that one of the women's boyfriend is in a metal band named Sacajawea. RAD! This is the kind of book where the ending makes or breaks it, and in this case it made it. ( ) JenneB | Apr 2, 2013 | Let me just cut to the chase, I loved this book. The blurb left me feeling there could be a creepy stalker vibe; but Ms. Rowell painted a beautful picture of a young man maturing, a young woman maturing and a lovely female friendship. Relationships between all the characters were well drawn and believable. While this novel is easily called a romance, there are many types of love and respect portrayed. Just a lovely surprise of a story. The last few pages of this book were among the most romantic I have ever read, so worthy of the setup. One of my favorite "characters" of the book was the time it was set in, very central to the story. 1999/2000 wasn't so long ago that none of us remember it, but it was just long enough to give the reader an historical perspective that the characters didn't have. Yes, they really do read your e-mails in certain companies. No, the world didn't end at midnight of January 1, 2000. It seemed like a secret that the readers were in on that the characters weren't that, again, added another fun layer to the overall vibe. Did I mention I loved this book? ( ) EllenAvondale | Mar 31, 2013 | Let me just cut to the chase, I loved this book. The blurb left me feeling there could be a creepy stalker vibe; but Ms. Rowell painted a beautful picture of a young man maturing, a young woman maturing and a lovely female friendship. Relationships between all the characters were well drawn and believable. While this novel is easily called a romance, there are many types of love and respect portrayed. Just a lovely surprise of a story. The last few pages of this book were among the most romantic I have ever read, so worthy of the setup. One of my favorite "characters" of the book was the time it was set in, very central to the story. 1999/2000 wasn't so long ago that none of us remember it, but it was just long enough to give the reader an historical perspective that the characters didn't have. Yes, they really do read your e-mails in certain companies. No, the world didn't end at midnight of January 1, 2000. It seemed like a secret that the readers were in on that the characters weren't that, again, added another fun layer to the overall vibe. Did I mention I loved this book? ( ) Ellen1213 | Mar 30, 2013 | This book was a great love story! I liked the whole concept. I would recomend this to anybody who is looking for a fun, light read! ( ) megan_harnett | Dec 17, 2012 | This book was a great love story! I liked the whole concept. I would recomend this to anybody who is looking for a fun, light read! ( ) megan_harnett | Dec 17, 2012 | this is a sweet, funny love story for modern times... Lincoln is lonely after taking a job as a computer security man at his hometown newspaper part of His job is to read emails and flag those that are considered "dangerous"...while reading peoples emails he comes across best friends Beth & Jennifer working and emailing daily about their lives at the paper, he can't help but read and follow the women in their day to day lives and eventually falling in love with Beth, what ensues is laughter and tears and, well you will just have to read it to find out. A wonderful quirky, fun first novel, I am looking forward to Rainbow’s next book Eleanor & Park ( )1  anniemichelle | Jul 23, 2012 | I have a friend, whether she's Beth to my Jennifer, or I am Beth to her Jennifer, I don't really know, but were someone to tap into our internet correspondences, (because yes, some of what we wrote would trigger the stupid internet filter at the company where these two worked), I'm pretty sure they'd fall in love with my friend, and like me a lot, too. Just like Lincoln and I did with Beth and Jennifer. Rainbow Rowell's debut novel actually gives the reader real characters that you want to have as friends (or sweethearts, if you're in the market.) My IT guy was a largish woman who stank of both her political views and the vague odor of cigarettes and Irish Spring soap. It was enough to drive me to become enough of a geek girl to handle office computer problems so there wasn't a lingering stench in the office after an IT visit. Rowell's lead character, Lincoln, (yeah, that's right. The lead in a sort of chick lit with a brain novel is the guy) is thoughtful, decent (well there's the whole reading the email thing, but it starts as part of his job description),and just seems to be a nice guy. Rumor has it he's cute in a sort of wholesome, real life way. The other two main characters, who we meet mainly through their emails, are bright, funny, caring women with real-life sounding problems. Friends who help each other out, provide sounding boards for ideas and shoulders for tears. Who are there when you need them and even if you don't. People you want to know and have in your life. Brava to Rainbow Rowell (and given that her first name is Rainbow, the discussion about what to name a child should be read in a whole different light. I have friends who felt that whatever you named your child should be able to pass the window test: You could lean out the window and shout for the name without sounding like trailer trash, or that you were calling your pet.) I found this to be the sort of book that read quickly, brought smiles, but also touched on some serious issues. The characters were endearing. The trip back to 1999 with them was delightful. I look forward to reading more from this author. I almost wish she'd had access to the email conversations with my friend. We're fabulous! ( ) bookczuk | Jul 23, 2012 | Sometimes you just need a quick summer read and this one was perfect! A man named Lincoln takes a night job doing internet security and reviewing flagged emails. After seeing quite a few between two friends, Jennifer and Beth, he begins to feel like he knows them but he isn’t sure how he would ever introduce himself. That’s not a great summary, but trust me it’s better than it sounds. I didn’t want to put it down. The chapters rotate back and forth between Lincoln’s life and email exchanges between Jennifer and Beth. This style helped the story move forward quickly. I really liked that it’s not a regular romantic comedy/chick lit kind of book. It’s all from the guy’s point of view. We only saw what Jennifer and Beth were thinking through their emails. Lincoln may have been romantically interested in Beth, but I loved that Jennifer’s story mattered too. She wasn’t just a throw away character. The author did a great job building up the supporting characters. The two leads are obviously important, but their other relationships: Lincoln’s with his mother, friends and Doris were all essential to the story. His back story was really good too. It showed how unhealthy relationship can really skew your world view. It was really more about figuring out who you are as a person, with or without love in your life, than it was just about finding love and that fixing everything else. BOTTOM LINE: The perfect summer read. Pick up a copy if you’re in the mood for something sweet and light. “‘I pictured a girl who was that alive… A girl who never got tired of her favorite movies,’ he said softly. ‘Who saved dresses like ticket stubs. Who could get high on the weather… I pictured a girl who made every moment, everything she touched, and everyone around her feel lighter and sweeter.’” (  ) bookworm12 | Jun 28, 2012 | This book delighted me more than I thought it would! It's a cute, sweet story just perfect for women in their late 20s and early 30s. The 90s setting is perfect for my generation, too. We'll get a lot of the references that will probably date the book within a few years (when the target audience may not get a lot if the references). That was part of what made the book so fun for me! The audio recording is nicely narrated, with enough differentiation in the voices that you could tell whose email was being read, etc. The author does a fine job with multiple points of view; each character's voice is distinct. This is just the ticket for a vacation read or an audiobook to listen to while you're in the middle of a bunch of projects and want to give your brain a little rest. ( ) abbylibrarian | May 1, 2012 | From my blog Sweeeeet, that is my word for this book. There were 3 star moments, 5 star highlights and many 4s tars so in the end I decided on a 4, great to the last drop. I don't do chick lit or romance often, possibly once or twice a year but I needed a light fun book and this was the perfect match. I smiled my way through this one. I found the characters to be delightful. For some that may not think Lincolns job exist but it sure does to a degree, I have had to read emails for work, not a comfortable task. He had his very own soap opera via email. He fell in love, just how we sometimes fall in love with a character, not so far fetched right. The journey of reading the emails and following the life of Lincoln was entertaining for sure. This genre is always predictable, which is what I look forward to when I choose it, you just have to love the complete silliness and joy you get out of it. We have the overbearing mom that of course the son loves, a momma's boy so to speak. Lincoln was just sweet, not many women's type but all women will enjoy being around kind of guy. Think about arguing with a soap opera fan and telling them that they don't 'know' the person and how ridiculous it would be if they met that person for real. This was Lincoln, he realised how wrong it was when he didn't give them warnings, looked forward to reading the emails and realised he was falling for her. The sweet parts were when you realised how ridiculous both of them were without knowing about the other, funny. I loved the modern touch of using emails for a novel, very now. I thought the writing was executed well, overall I think romance genre fans will love this one I think. ( ) marcejewels | Mar 21, 2012 | Brief Description: Lincoln is an underachieving IT specialist working at a Midwestern newspaper. One of his primary tasks is to monitor company e-mails and oversee the college kids who are working to prevent the Y2K meltdown (The book is set in 1999 when e-mail was still a bit of a novelty and we were all holding out breath for the end of the world when it became 2000.) Still living with his mom, Lincoln has just broken out of “permanent student” mode but is finding it hard to figure out what he wants to do in his life. One night, while monitoring e-mails, he comes across a series of exchanges between two employees, Beth and Jennifer. Beth and Jennifer are witty, honest and amusing (as only people in books seem to be), and Lincoln finds himself becoming more and more engrossed in their conversations and lives. However, when Lincoln realizes that he is beginning to fall in love with Beth and real life developments begin to intrude, he has some decisions to make about what to do next. My Thoughts: Although Lincoln might sound a little creepy and stalkerish, I swear that he isn’t. Just like Lincoln, the reader begins to get involved in Beth and Jennifer’s lives, and you begin to root for Lincoln to make contact with them. This was a fun, fast read that was one of the better “fluff’ books I’ve read in quite some time. Recommended! ( ) Jenners26 | Mar 6, 2012 | Lincoln is an internet security officer for a newspaper. It’s his job to make sure the employees aren’t misusing their email accounts. Beth and Jennifer are always misusing their email accounts by corresponding back and forth about their personal lives. A few of their emails trigger the filter, and Lincoln is hooked. Even though he knows it’s wrong, he keeps reading their emails and finds himself falling in love with Beth, a woman he’s never laid eyes on. How do you introduce yourself to the woman you love when you’ve been snooping in her email? Attachments is clever. For most of the novel, the reader only knows Beth and Jennifer through their emails -- just like Lincoln. You find yourself attached to these characters despite never meeting them directly -- just like Lincoln. Eventually and inevitably, the reader and Lincoln do get to meet these women “face-to-face.” Attachments is also a funny and sweet story. If you are looking for something light-hearted with a little romance, this debut novel is a good choice. http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-attachments.html (  ) iubookgirl | Nov 2, 2011 | Very different in how it was written. Engaging characters with an interesting plot. It did read slow at times or else I would have given in a higher rating. ( ) sunnydrk | Nov 1, 2011 | The review that led me to Attachments also made me a bit wary; the setup with protagonist Lincoln, employed to read email in order to police company policy, sounded absurd and ridiculous, like a potentially non-endearing gimmick. I am also leery of stories told through email exchanges (see Meg Cabot's insufferable Boy Meets Girl). But absurd and ridiculous turned out to be the point of career-confused, career student Lincoln's stupid job. Rowell really sells the improbable setup to bring together two endearing characters. Email dialogs are wryly funny, with a minimum of cute, and the newsroom jargon is real. Not googled-it real, but the-author-is-a-reporter real, which gives these potentially chick-lity women characters real jobs to do. ( ) universal_solvent | Jul 25, 2011 | Fun departure with email playing a central part in the romance. (  ) TerryGil | Jun 15, 2011 | Loved it-- quirky & believable. Perhaps more enriching since I was a schoolmate of Rainbow's and have a shared collection of references, places, local lore and traditions from which to pull. Regardless, Rainbow create a fabulous setting peopled with immensely likable characters. Well done!! karstelincoln | Jun 5, 2011 | This book is written by a former newspaper columnist and the protagonist of the story works for a fictional newspaper . The story is part coming of age, part romance and part slice of life in the heartland of the midwest. It is a cute story and engages emotional terrain from time to time. I am looking forward to a second effort from this author , as this, her first work, shows promise in being able to produce a more thoughtful, satisfying novel in the near future. The heartland of the country has long needed a realistic and captivating voice representing it in fiction, Rainbow Rowell may be that voice. ( ) madforbooks | May 27, 2011 | Lincoln is our 'hero' - he works web security for the local paper, and as part of his job has to read the emails that get caught in the filter. Enter Beth and Jennifer - two friends whose very-personal-emails get caught in the filter on a regular (almost daily) basis. At first Lincoln's just reading their emails as his job, but soon he is reading them for their own merit - and getting to know these two funny, vivacious women. He's especially fond of Beth's emails. We get to know Beth and Jennifer the same way Lincoln does: only through their emails, and then, somehow, by a chance encounter or two. Lincoln's chapters however, are "normal" chapters, and are the bulk of the novel. Through these, we get to know Lincoln, to work through his past and fight to find his place in the world. As Lincoln becomes more and more drawn to Beth, he realizes that the reason he's discovered her is the very reason he can never truly meet her. And so, he finally makes a decision - and leaves. But that's not the end of the novel. Oh no, there's much more to be discovered. Reading, I had no idea where the story was going to go - I found myself cheering for Lincoln, Beth and Jennifer as they worked through their own individual problems. I kept trying to guess what'd happen next, and never succeeded. And that's okay, because the ending was everything it needed to be. Everything I wanted it to be. ( ) RivkaBelle | May 23, 2011 | |
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Let's talk a little about the plot, so yes, there are those emails I was talking about between 2 friends Jennifer (who is married) and Beth (who has a long term boyfriend). Now we get to read these emails because it is Lincoln's job to monitor the emails at the newspaper they all work at and his portion of the story is told through I guess you would call it narrative? Emails with questionable content for whatever reason (flagged words etc), go to Lincoln and he is supposed to crack down on the offenders. I bet you are thinking "Say what, that's a crazy job!" And while it is, it makes a little more sense because the book takes place in 1999. So after reading a bunch of their emails Lincoln starts to feel weird about contacting them about their conduct but can't seem to stop reading their emails and ends falls for Beth in the process.
Lincoln is sort of lost in his path through life, he's gone to school A LOT, lives with his mother still (he's in his late 20s), is sort of shy and is still really affected by his one major relationship he had in his life. Basically he's a really sweet guy but no one but his small group of friends would know it and at first I don't think we the reader do either. In a lot of ways it kind of creeps me out how much I related to and understand Lincoln. And that's one thing I really loved about this book, of many.
The way the story evolves just hit all the right notes for me, seeing Lincoln starting to better himself for a woman he doesn't even really know, seeing Beth really decide what to do about her relationship... I really can't put into words how just right and wonderful this book is. It made me laugh, giggle and literally cry tears of joy over the ending of this book. I was so invested in the story. There are some wonderful twists and nuances I'm dying to tell you about but it's so much more fun if you read it yourself!
And oh that ending, talk about perfect, I finally realized, reading the ending, Attachments reminded me a lot of one of my favorite movies Amelie (the plot, the magic, the wonderful ending just so many things).
I read the book about a month ago over about 2 super busy days (every time I was at home I was reading) and whenever I think of it or mention it my heart literally leaps, I know that sounds super cheesy but I mean it. There is no way I can do this book justice so if you are at all intrigued do yourself a favor and check it out! I try not to tell people flat out, read this book, but seriously READ THIS BOOK! (