"Miranda's Big Mistake" was the second Jill Mansell book I read (Millie's Fling was the first one) and I have to say I have enjoyed them both and look forward to reading more of her work. For me, her novels play out like an hilarious British comedy. If you're an American and you've never seen a British comedy...you simply must! British humor is sarcastic and witty and just downright fun!! My husband's family is British (on his mother's side) and I lived in England as a child, so imagining the dialogue and scenes with the characters was easy for me do. If you read this story, you simply must read it in your head with some sort of accent. Jill Mansell has once again created a group of core characters that are easily liked and are the type of people you wish you had as your own friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and to be honest I would have given it 5 stars; but alas I have two areas of the story I found a bit lacking and confusing:First, out of respect for the author and potential future readers I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm going to try to lay out my critique without giving anything away. My biggest fault with this book was the introduction of a couple of characters who seemed to be haphazardly thrown in there, then plucked off the canvas for a hundred or so pages and then plopped back down and made an integral part of the story. The problem with that was that when major things happened to those particular characters, I didn't care and it didn't have meaning for me because those characters had not been in the story enough. That being said, the opposite is also true. I found myself completely enthralled with a few characters, only to have them disappear suddenly, leaving me wondering..."what happened to .....?" This was true even for characters that I didn't like as "persons" but thought were integral parts of the story.The second area of criticism is purely an aesthetic thing with the book, and a matter of personal preference. Now, I must digress here and say I read the e-book version on my nook, so the actual physical book may be different, I don't know. It was a bit jarring at times to have the scenes between characters change so abruptly. Often times, authors will put in some sort of squiggly line or row of asterisks or something on the page to let you know "ok, I'm done with these characters for a moment, let's see what some of the others are doing" To me, those are like the split second in a show where you know that once scene is done and another is beginning. I found myself with a bit of literary whiplash in a few places throughout the book.All in all though, a light, easy and fun book. Great for the beach or summer traveling!
Not as enjoyable as I had hoped, but ok for chick lit.STORY BRIEF:Miranda works in a hair salon washing hair and sweeping floors. She is a fun quirky personality with odd colored hair. She rents a room from and lives with Florence who is wheelchair bound due to arthritis. Miranda runs errands and does chores for Florence in return for low rent. Chloe unexpectedly becomes pregnant. Her husband Greg leaves her because he doesn’t want children. When Florence learns this she invites Chloe to live with her as well.Miranda meets and has relationships with three men. The first is Greg. He doesn’t tell her that he is married and separated. She thinks she’s in love and is devastated when she learns the truth. With the help of friends she gets revenge, but she is unhappy until she finds someone else.REVIEWER’S OPINION:I was hoping for delightful and funny, but it was just ok. The Miranda story was interesting but not memorable and not a favorite. I loved the Chloe story. There were surprises in the Chloe story. Someone ends up being attracted to her which was totally unexpected. It was the best part of the book. But it was a secondary story. I wanted more of it.Chick lit is not my preferred genre but I’m willing to give 5 stars if it’s great. But this was just ok. Chick lit means it’s more about Miranda and people in her life than the development of a romantic relationship. I think chick lit fans might like it more than I did.Miscommunication and inaccurate assumptions were the reason Miranda didn’t end up with a true love until the end. That’s an overused source of conflict in romance novels which is partly why I found this to be just average. I prefer conflict based on other things like personality, third parties, and outside events.DATA:Story length: 475 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day London, England. Copyright: 1999. Genre: chick lit.
Do You like book Miranda's Big Mistake (2000)?
This book did not disapoint. It obviously sucked me right in considering I read about 500 pages in about two days. Jill Mansell always does an astounding job with several storylines and developed characters. Two things did catch me up though: #1 the lack of Greg's reaction and status following the wedding set up trick (and will the filming air on tv? we never find out) also #2: The incident of Mile's death and Miranda's reaction to it, or lack thereof. It was explained that she didn't want to talk about it because it hurt so much, that she didn't know him that long and felt silly for her connection. She did confide in Johnnie, but I was surprised there was no mention of her having felt guilt for what happened considering he was on his way to see her when it happened...I am being very picky here because I have read so many of her works now, but I still really really enjoyed it. I still find myself laughing out loud at certain parts. Her quirky and memorable images are great.The secondary storylines were really enjoyable and heartwarming, too. Especially Fenn and Chloe.
—Mandy
This was another fun read from Jill Mansell. Again, her cast of characters are so loveable that you want them to be your friends! Miranda's life seems to be a mess - but she is surrounded by many friends who love her and care about her - from her landlady Florence, her boss at the hair salon, Fenn and her best friend Bev. Even though she seems to have her share of bad luck when it comes to men, it seems that everyone who comes in contact with her is instantly taken in by her warm and giving personality.Miranda befriends a homeless man who sits outside the salon - she gives him half her lunch whenever she sees him - and even goes so far to give him money for tea and a scarf and gloves. Of course, the gloves were left at the salon by a client, and after waiting weeks to take them and give them to this homeless man, the client phones up and wants them back! This sort of tells you how her life in general seems to go. How would you feel if you had to go back to a homeless man just minutes after giving him a warm pair of gloves and tell him that you needed them back?After Miranda finishes with Greg, the soon-to-be ex-husband baby-daddy of her new flatmate, she decides that she is happy just as she is - until, of course, she catches the eye of a very handsome, very well-known race car driver. How fast can she fall for him?I have really been enjoying Jill Mansell's books. If you missed my review of An Offer You Can't Refuse you should really go check it out too. I also did an interview with Jill Mansell - just click on her name. I am really excited to tell you she is going to have a fall release also - Millie's Fling! Watch for details.
—Kristi (Books and Needlepoint)
I have read so many of Jill's books and they are all incredible and all really heart-warming. This is the story of an eccentric and quirky Miranda and how she falls in and out of love alongside those around here.This book really makes you feel happy, sad, heartbroken, shocked and blessed, all at once. The book focuses on a few main characters which all become interlinked, which makes the book super easy to follow.This is a beautiful read, alongside any of Jill's other books, so they all come very highly recommended.
—Sarah Clarke
