Were you surprised by the outcome of Laura and Richard’s affair?

Were you surprised by the outcome of Laura and Richard's affair?

No, Richard's past reactions to conflict were the same - afraid to make an important choice.

No, but mostly because books with this theme, and there are a lot of them, sometimes have this type of outcome so I wasn't really surprising. To me, the only really redeeming quality about this book is the rich use of language. I actually had to look up some words and there were some truly beautiful quotes. But the book and its outcome were nothing new

I really wasn't surprised. As I was reading about their affair, I didn't see how it could work out. I believe they were both unrealistic to think that a brief encounter over a weekend could turn into a lasting relationship. Laura was so miserable in her own life that she would grasp at anyone who paid attention to her. Richard seemed to be spineless. After I finished reading the story I almost wondered if Richard's mode of operation was to pick up women and seduce them with his sad sack story, use them and then leave them. It just seemed strange that he had a first love that got away like Laura and his marriage was terrible. It made me ponder if Richard was really who he said he was.

Absolutely not. I found reading about their relationship very annoying. Neither seemed to have any sense of self or ability to be assertive at all. They seemed to just bond in their own misery. It was only after Richard left her that Laura came alive to me the reader. The characters all seemed pretty one dimensional to me. The story itself seemed largely formulistic.

I was not surprised and quite honestly very contented that Richard pulled the plug, so to speak.......It's interesting to me, but the only time I found Laura unlikable was her time spent with Richard...Their banter was WAY too clever and forced. Trying on new clothing with a virtual stranger was also annoying to me. Her assertiveness with such a personal experience was brazen and very familiar...
I liked her more when she was chatting with her children and her patients and her friends...I found her doubts about the happiness and contentment of her marriage honest and forthright.

No, the affair was just too predictable. I liked Laura better outside of the Richard part of the plot. He matched the horrible hotel--drab.

The only part I was surprised about was that Laura didn't share the desire to end the affair. I had foreseen BOTH of them getting cold feet and backing out. So, my surprise was that only Richard did, while Laura still remained committed to the idea that it could work. But I definitely knew a wrench was going to be thrown in there somewhere.

I wholeheartedly agree with shirleyl, barbluvstennis, and Retired Reader -- reading their relationship was the worst part of the story for me. I actually set the book down for a solid week before picking it up again. Both of them were very pompous. I was reminded of Diane Chambers from Cheers, how she would quote poetry and be a know-it-all, looking down her nose at the regular bar patrons, when she was no better than them, she just thought she was.

Richard and Laura together just brought out that part of each other. Very self important and a false sense of being worldly. It was frustrating and irritating.

I like KimL's idea that Richard does this often to seduce women.

I, too, found it odd that he just happened to have a sad story with his son being mentally ill and also had a first love that didn't work out.

HA HA, mystinamarie....".she reminded me of Diane Chambers from Cheers.." laughed out loud at that one.....

I was not surprised, I didn't feel he had the ability to change. I think the brief interlude allowerd Laura to move on more quickly but eventually she would have reached the same conclusion.

No, it appeared to be an affair from the beginning, not the end all love story that Laura thought that it was.

I was so happy to see Laura away from her husband that I was willing to see her run off with Richard. I fiqured some time would bring clarity to the relationship or lack of one. Richard was spineless but I really hoped that this was his door out of his misery too.
So, I was surprised because I was hoping for a happy ending for both of them. Even if it didn't turn out to be a long term relationship.

I felt that this "love" that they discovered happened much too quickly and seemed unrealistic. Although I've always wanted to believe in love at first sight, I've yet to experience it. I think the affair made Laura stronger and made Richard retreat to his old weak ways. It did give both of them a great lift of their self-esteem however.

I felt something unhappy would occur to end the affair, but my thoughts were more on the line of one or both having an accident or something really horrific happening--something would go wrong. But Richard's cowardliness was a turn that never crossed my mind. I was so angry with him! Both often were indecisive and weak during their lifetimes.

No, I was not surprised by the ending of their affair; however, I was cheered by Laura's decision to end her marriage and look for a more satisfying existence. To correct Thoreau ... it is not just men who live lives of quiet desperation.

As with many novels, the ending was predictable. Like "Suzanne", I thought one would have an accident to terminate the relationship. The author did hint that Richard would be the one to leave. He had lived with his grief and unhappiness far longer than Laura.

I was thinking more on the lines of Suzanne, also. I thought something would occur that would separate them but I didn't predict it would be Richard running away. Then when it did happen, I wasn't all that surprised, except I thought he was a stronger character than that. I didn't think the author put anything in about Richard that would have him run off. There was a kind of mis-match there.

I agree with CaroleC - and I loved the quote.

I think that the affair was a needed springboard for Laura and I fear that it is just part of a pattern for Richard.

I wasn't totally surprised. I thought this was one of the possible outcomes. Seldom does an author really blow me away with a true surprise. Like carolec I was glad Laura made her big decision, FINALLY, after all that pain and torment.

I guess I was the only one here who was a little surprised with Richard ending the affair. But in retrospect it made sense in that he was a weak man before and never really changed. It was sad that he was not strong enough to grasp for happiness but glad that Laura was able to.

No. This was never going to be a permanent relationship. I think Laura thought "falling in love again" was going to be an easy step..but moving on is never really easy. Must say I was pleased that Laura didn't lose "her groove" and continued moving on.

I never thought of Richard as a serial cheater but the idea certainly intrigues me. It really makes him more unlikable to me.

Not entirely. Just from my previous reading, I knew that something 'bad' was going to happen and that their affair was not going to blossom into a committed love. It was too big of a jump to go from an unhappy marriage into a perfect, loving relationship, forged in such a short length of time.

I see that I am in the minority, but I was a bit surprised that he took such a sudden turn of heart, although as I thought of it there was some for-warning that the affair might not last. I actually do believe in the possibility of love at first sight, (my husband and I experienced it), although that is not exactly what happened here. They did not really "notice" each other until their second meeting. But the circumstances were very ripe for having the relationship develop rapidly, as it did. One of the warnings would have been that Laura had to change Richard, his clothing, glasses, and style, to make him just the way she wanted him to be. They both became a different version of their former selves, certainly happier, but was it sustainable? And they made such concrete plans for their future, so quickly, as if they were afraid they would loose each other if they didn't. Considering Richard's history, after my first surprise, it did make sense that he might follow his usual pattern and go back to his wife, although it was sad for both him and Laura. However, I was very happy that Laura had the courage to realize that she needed to leave her husband and make a life on her own.