Attachments

I love this author. This could have been a light, knock-it-off-quickly sort of book, but Rainbow Rowell elevates the story to make this a book you want to hug, and take to bed with you.

Lincoln O’Neill has a job at The Courier as an “Internet Security Officer,” monitoring the emails of all the other newspaper employees for possible misuse. [They have been warned their emails are subject to scrutiny.] In time, he finds he can't resist following the ongoing correspondence between two best friends at the paper (and strangers to Lincoln), Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder. The chapters alternate between their email transcripts, and Lincoln’s story.

What’s so fun about this book is the way in which it expands the usual show more conversation between the reader and the author to a small group. It is not just Lincoln who is eavesdropping and getting to love these two women, but you as well. And when Beth starts noticing the quiet, handsome guy who works nights (who Lincoln quickly realizes is himself), your heart buoys up with Lincoln’s, and you can’t wait to find out what will happen next.

I won’t spoil what happens, but there is some of the best dialogue ever as the book reaches its denouement, and Lincoln describes how he pictured Beth.

Evaluation: Lincoln is shy but smart and funny and sensitive, and the women are both people you wish could be your best friends too. It sounds like a predictable plot, but it has some surprises, and so many laugh-out-loud and warm moments, you wouldn’t care if it didn’t. show less

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 show more 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! show less

This was one of the books I read while studying for the bar. I needed light, fluffy, and sweet and this book delivered that and much more. I loved it.

The story follows Lincoln, the IT guy of a newspaper who works overnights so he doesn't really have to deal with people and the job is fairly easy. Until the paper decides to institute a program that flags e-mails that aren't strictly about work or are inappropriate since e-mail was a fairly new office tool back then and management didn't want it abused. Back when you ask? Well, Lincoln had to oversee part of the Y2K preparation plan. Ah, Y2K. Remember when. Ick, now I'm feeling old, moving on… Even though he's very uncomfortable with reading his co-workers e-mail, Lincoln is tasked with show more reading what's flagged and sending warning e-mails to the offenders. Poor IT guys. I remember sending inappropriate e-mails at work all the time, and I would always say hi to the guys reading them later because I just knew I was getting flagged. They never said anything though, haha.

This is how Lincoln "meets" Beth. Beth and her friend Jennifer e-mail all day every day. Though he's supposed to email the two and tell them to keep it professional, there is something about the missives that draws him in and he finds himself unable to shut down his only means of contact with her. He knows his e-mail peeping is wrong and he struggles with it throughout the book, but he can't seem to help himself. Oh, yeah, I see your hand preparing for the facepalm.

I know that's what's in your head right now, but I swear he isn't YA Hero creepy (and he has found kind of a kindred spirit in Beth). [Edit: I've been reminded of some things I forgot (the hazard of writing a review eight months later) and, okay, he's slightly more stalkery than I made him out to be. Still not in an "OMG get a restraining order!" way though.] That's not to say you won't facepalm, because you will, but Lincoln is entirely relatable in a very human and realistic way. I could envision myself in the same scenario and being torn on what to do with myself.

Lincoln is absolutely adorable and probably one of the most unlikely romance Heros you'll read. He's shy, and doesn't date. He plays Dungeons and Dragons with a small group of friends and I find that so cute even though I don't know why. He lives at home with his mother and plays mediator between her and his sister. And at the beginning of the book he's not in a place to change that. He is a truly sweet guy I want to snuggle – both the Lincoln we follow and the college version we hear about throughout the story (suffering an experience that kind of puts him into this holding pattern).

I love Beth. She's such a caring character with a sharp wit. And she makes the best references. I can absolutely see why Lincoln fell for her. Hell, I started to want to date her myself. I found it strange I was able to connect with Beth the way I did since we only get glimpses into her life through her e-mails with Jennifer (who I also really liked), but it was so well done I didn't feel like I was missing out on her.

Yep, I said e-mails. A gimmick that is typically ridiculous and poorly done. Except this book is a lesson in how to pull something like that off without it feeling gimmicky at all. After reading the synopsis of the book they seemed like a natural way for that part of the story to unfold. I loved that we got to be voyeuristic with Lincoln and only know about Beth what he knows. Everything that was in the e-mails made sense. At no point was I thinking, "Who in the hell writes e-mails like this?" It was simply two close friends, who couldn't stand at each other's desks all day, writing about what's going on in their lives.

There are some great chance meetings Lincoln has with the two of them and some reveals that I won't spoil for you but I thought were great and made me giddy. While you might expect what's coming, the journey in getting there and through it was still incredibly fun.

The only thing in this book that disappointed me was the ending. And not at all in the way you think: I just needed more! We spend the entire book with Lincoln pining for her and Beth pining for him, and then we get very, very little time with them together as a couple (and God are they an adorable couple). I know that I usually want way more in a story than anyone else. Like I would have loved to read about him telling her about Sam. And him really telling her everything that went on with him during the time he was reading their e-mails, etc. But I knew I wouldn't get that. Rarely do we get things like that. I was hoping, at least, we'd get more time with them being a couple. Really falling in love with each other. Not just the image, or the words, but each other. Just…more. I think if I had gotten that it would have taken this from somewhere over four stars to a five star book for me.

Still, so much of the book made me smile and happy. It was like Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey for my brain during bar study. The writing was clean, fun and witty. I loved the characters, I even loved the POV change/e-mails. It is a light, fluffy read that I highly recommend. show less

The year is 1999. The newspaper Lincoln works IT for has only just gotten its employees on the internet, and part of his job involves reading employee emails that have been flagged for potentially inappropriate keywords and sending warnings to people believed to be misusing the system. Which is how he ends up reading an ongoing series of very personal emails between Beth the movie critic and her friend Jennifer. He finds the women and their communications so charming, though, that he can't bring himself to give them a warning and make them stop. And the more he reads, the more he finds himself charmed by Beth in particular. Or more than charmed. And, wait, who's the cute guy she keeps mentioning seeing around the office sometimes?

So, show more it's basically a rom-com, albeit a somewhat unconventional one, in that the protagonists don't even meet face-to-face for most of the book. Which is not my usual sort of thing at all, but Rainbow Rowell hooked me in so thoroughly with Fangirl that I haven't been able to resist reading her other books. Including, finally, this, her first one.

And even if it's not my thing, I did mostly enjoy it reasonably well. Lincoln is a decent character, with a gently geeky streak I appreciated. The email exchanges did keep my interest. There's some low-key but enjoyable humor. And, mercifully, both the author and the characters are fully aware of how creepy the setup is and treat that with the seriousness it deserves. Plus, it made me kind of nostalgic for 1999, when you could set a non-depressing workplace novel in a newspaper office and people still sent personal emails.

I did feel a bit disappointed by the ending, though, which seemed, I don't know, a little too abrupt, a little too conventional, and a little too pat. show less

Beth, Jennifer, and Lincoln all work for the same newspaper, but only Beth and Jennifer know each other. They send a constant stream of personal emails back and forth, using their work accounts, about every personal subject under the sun. Lincoln’s job is to monitor company emails and report usage violations. But he can’t make himself turn Beth and Jennifer in. Their conversations are funny and witty and wonderful, and he knows he shouldn’t be reading them, but he can’t seem to help himself. And then, one day, Beth emails Jennifer about the super-cute guy she saw in the break room. And it turns out she’s talking about Lincoln.

I adored this novel. Rowell has an absolute knack for clever dialogue, and also for fabulous love show more stories. I loved every single character and felt like a Lincoln myself, on the outside looking in on their lives and wanting to be a part of it. So engaging and delightful. show less

It's 1999, and the company Lincoln works for is wary of giving their employees the freedom of Internet and email. That's where Lincoln comes in. He probably wouldn't have taken the "Internet Security" job if he had known from the start that it would mean reading people's personal emails. Take, for instance, the constant stream of banter between Jennifer and Beth. Lincoln knows he should send them a form notice about not using the internal email system for personal business, but the stuff they're chatting about is so innocuous . . . and he finds that he kind of looks forward to reading their exchanges. In fact, he finds that he genuinely likes both women -- particularly Beth. But how can he ever admit to her that he became interested by show more reading her personal email?

I just loved this story. Lincoln, with his geekiness and awkwardness, and his sense of being adrift in the world, is such a great character; I just wanted to pat him on the back and tell him it would be okay. I also loved the plotting; I really couldn't tell if Lincoln and Beth would ever get together, or whether this would just be some kind of sad learning experience for Lincoln. All in all, a fantastic read, probably in my top ten this year. show less

Okay, I'm climbing back out of my rabbit hole now.
I think this is my favorite of Rowell's books, and this is another one I didn't fully appreciate when I read it in middle school(duh). While I have a very strong bias against office relationships, I tried my very best to step out of my own head for once and read this book like someone who ships Jim and Pam. And it worked. I think this story was silly, goofy, and very cute.
I think if you're going to set a story back in time, it has to contribute to the plot. You can't just say, "This story takes place in 2005!" and then it's not significant. I mean, you can, but then when I read it I'll give you a bad review which matters so much to everyone, clearly. Anyway, I think Rowell actually used show more the time period as a plot device an appropriate amount (I think she's written too many books set back but that's another issue for another time). I mean, I think it was actually so funny that Y2K wasn't catastrophic and, like, wasn't even a concern to our IT protagonist.
Last but not least, I know the title is about attachments like people attachments and relationships but...were there any email attachments in this whole book? Maybe I missed it, but I don't think I did.
ANYWAY, shut up, hanna, I liked it. I loved it, maybe even. Maybe it's my attachment to Rainbow Rowell, but 4/5. Everyone leave me alone. I'm going back to our regularly scheduled programming(non-fic & microhistories & books I've never read before) show less