Okay, so the "Big Misunderstanding" gets a bad rap from a lot of readers. Have you ever noticed? But y'all, personally I LOVE it. And I think a lot of other people must feel the same, judging from JM's success.

Other authors can keep their external plot devices, including villains, murders, kidnappings, etc etc. *yawn* Give me internal angst and misunderstandings any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Anyone can have a villain intervene--but you have to be pretty crafty to develop a believable misunderstanding that isn't flimsy, but rather is supported by layers and layers of emotion and character development.

ANYWAY. I digress.

What I am curious about is WHICH misunderstanding in a JM book did you find the MOST frustrating and heartbreaking and angsty?

<3

Well, since I'm re-reading EBYT right now, I just HAVE to chime in and say that I'm positively LIVID with Kate right now for abandoning Mitchell in Anguilla/St.Maarten without even giving him the chance to speak to her face to face. She hears all these accusations about him from Evan, calls the hotel and finds out he checked out of the hotel, and IMMEDIATELY jumps to the conclusion that he really was using her all along.

What????

You didn't have plans to meet back at the hotel, Kate! And you KNEW he was staying on a boat! Why wouldn't it cross your mind that maybe he checked out so you guys could go back to his boat or ship or yacht or whatever?????

Ugh. I literally had heart palpitations reading that part.

But yes, even though I hate it...I really do love it. It's good when a book can make me feel real emotions like that.

Ha ha unsurprisingly, you were totally the inspiration for this topic!

Evan. Ugh. I wish he would have just STAYED HOME.

I too wonder why Kate took Mitchell's having checked out of the hotel as absolute proof that he had abandoned her. She should at LEAST have gone to the wharf to make SURE.

All I can think of (aside from that she had self-confidence issues and had been half EXPECTING Mitchell to love her and leave her, lol) is that she was way too overwrought to think in a straight line. Plus, it WAS pretty damning that Mitchell had been residing in Chicago and had never mentioned it...And, moreover, had asked her how long it took to fly there. Pretty suspicious, that.

Except that when he asked her how long it takes to fly to Chicago...I don't think he was asking because he didn't know. I think he was asking to make a point to her that she shouldn't let a man fly that long just to let him down easy. And she totally understood his point because she immediately told him that it wasn't Evan on the phone, but his secretary calling to say he was already on his way.

Not very bright, are we Kate? lol

Just kidding. It's not that I hate Kate, per se...it's just that I adore Mitchell and therefore I'm very protective of him.

Well, in order to understand Kate, you need to have some really big trust issues. I get it perfectly. She doesn't expect him to love her. She believed in her heart that he couldn't love her. He is too perfect. Too big a character. Too handsome, too rich, you know? And she doesn't have the self-confidence to fight with this inner insecurity. She doesn't see herself as the sophisticated woman who Mitchell could fall in love with. And she is also emotionally too exhausted to deal with his bigger than life personality. Also the evidence was pretty damning. I mean that's what I think

The most angsty misunderstanding for me, as you can easily guess, was Julie's believing that Zack killed his brother and his wife. I just cannot believe she did believe that horrible woman, and got Zack arrested at the airport. Thinking about it, I just want to... I don't know what. It's just that, I can't abide that scene. I can't abide to think what Zack had been through. That ring, that hopelessness. Oh God. It kills me.

Oh my gosh, Didem you are so cute! I did not think you sounded like a "know it all" in any way, shape, or form. Please don't worry about offending me with your opinions. We LOVE to discuss anything and everything JM and we get passionate about it because we love her characters so much. Feel free to state your opinions in any way you'd like. No offense taken here!

WELL....My angsty moment is when Whitney receives that package in the mail from Clayton dissolving the betrothal, and then behaves in that totally carefree, flirtatious, and altogether atrocious manner at Elizabeth's reception--and then MOCKS him when he says "I love you"!!!

*banging head against tree like Heathcliff* Nooooooo!!!!!!

And THEN those weeks afterward when she is completely miserable, and he is dating Vanessa Standfield.

Oh, the angst. The angst. The ANGST!

That's what I mean about a heroine suffering. Whitney went through complete hell after she treated Clayton that way, and she had to humble herself in the most mortifying manner to get him back.

Elizabeth sooooo got off easy. She needed to suffer SO much more. Ian should have made her BEG... Instead she just basically tells him, "You'll come to your senses. And when you do, I'll be around." Argh! No. I wanted to see her try again, going to the house on Upper Brook Street to see him, thus giving him the immense satisfaction of tossing her out on her ear. And perhaps she could have approached him at a ball...and he could have had the immense satisfaction of looking straight through her as if she didn't exist.

Did I mention Ian could have been sentenced to HANG??? Yes. She needed to suffer more. I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd gone out with Jane Addison a dozen times, and positively flaunted her under Elizabeth's nose.

*calming self with effort*

I am not normally so fired up. I do love Elizabeth. I am just irked with her at the moment.

<3

Stupid, evil, viscous Margaret's lies! Agh! Clay believing her, knowing HOW MUCH she envied Whitney, and did that to Whitney... Poor Whitney, she thought she was being hauled to Claymore because of the betrothal rumor. . and then she sweetly gave herself to him...and THEN Clay realized. I'm going a bit insane just thinking of all this!

In Paradise, the misunderstanding pissed me off @ her father [obviously] but THE WORSE PART was that it remained for 11 years! 11 YEARS OF MISUNDERSTANDING......

I wouldn't have minded if Matthew could've just slammed/banged Mer's dad's head, FOR ONCE, somewhere hard!
Agh!

Though I HATE LOATHE Jennifer's so-called dad more.

Another misunderstanding that depressed the hell out of me was in KOD when Williams died.
You couldn't blame Royce because it was his first-instinct after all those years of battle. But you couldn't blame Jennifer because that was her beloved brother!

No one to blame makes it even more frustrating! :'(

HI all, I'm new here. I have just finished rereading Whitney My Love, and I must say a lot of times I would cheerfully punched Clayton in the face. I mean, if he would just stop jumping into conclusions and ASK questions, he would have avoided a lot of hurts. Like the parts when he believed the words of the jealous girl about Whitney not being a virgin and sexually abused her, and later when he assumed Whitney was carrying another man's baby and coldly rejected her. For someone who grew up in a fairly stable and loving family, as compared to other heroes like Jason Fielding and Jordan Townsende, this guy sure has a lot of issues.

Well, I answered all of them under the other topic. I can't argue (in other words, discuss *LoL*) with you under two topics at the same time about the same thing It's exhausting.

I feel like a judge. You two are the lawyers. And Elizabeth and Ian are the clients on trial.
Hmmm. . . .

Obviously you will rule in my favor. Ha ha.

I mean, reading about a little more suffering on Elizabeth's part wouldn't hurt anyone. I loveeeee suffering. (Goodness, that sounds sadistic. But YOU know what I mean )

xoxo

I might just close the case with no convictions and pronounce everyone innocent. LOL XD

hehe! Very politically correct Nazifa!

Thank you, thank you.