Helen Fielding (1) (1958–)

Bridget has arrived in (dreaded, outdated term imminent) middle age and is now dealing with single parenthood, moral quandaries of getting a hair blow out at the salon when your child has nits, whether or not to put on reading glasses in front of toy boy, and figuring out just how Twitter works.

Funny as always, Bridget may be in her fifties now but she still has a propensity for getting into scrapes that only she can manage. However, this novel also had the ability to influence my tear ducts show more as Bridget deals with her grief over Mark Darcy. While the ending was absolutely no surprise, the journey was a delight. If this is the last outing for Bridget, it's a fitting ending for the girl whose internal monologue reminds me that my own may not be so crazy after all. show less

Oh, Bridget. I wanted a happily ever after for you. This is not that book. Presumably it is more 'interesting' to have Bridget back on the dating market than being a smug married, and a book about grief is more textured than a book about happiness. But if you are looking for a page turning silly 'what happens next?' mummy flick about dealing with headlice, be warned that Mark Darcy is dead. I was not warned.

That aside, I don't want to be judgy, but Bridget is very annoying and self show more sabotaging in this book. I mean, I know that's the point, she's every-woman, and we laugh at her mess-ups and feel better about our own. But her swanning through privilege (she has no need to work, she messes up every meeting about her film script), obsessing about weight and clothes and boys, and not really spending that much time with the children she loves is just a bit tedious. show less

I remember reading my mother's paperback copy of Bridget Jones' Diary when I was at school and being amused while also too young to understand Bridget's lifestyle. Well, now I'm considerably older but with the same vague amusement and lack of comprehension. BJD is the ur-text of chick lit, complete with opposing love interests, gay best friend ('homosexuals and single women in their thirties have natural bonding: both being accustomed to disappointing their parents and being treated as show more freaks by society') and embarrassing mother, and her life is suitably pathetic and madcap in equal measure, but she hasn't aged well, destroying her lungs and liver one diary entry at a time.

In fact, the best way to read this once groundbreaking novel now is as historical fiction - the 90s references are hilarious! The lucky few have 'portable phones', Bridget has to compile her own 'mood playlist' on tape, and the author devotes nearly a whole page to explaining how 1471 works! I might have to read the sequels just to drag Bridget into the age of mobiles and Spotify.

I'm also glad that the film, from what I can remember, changed the story and characters in key moments - Daniel and Mark fighting over Bridget is better than the subplot straight from a 1970s sitcom of Bridget's mother running away with a Portuguese lothario and stealing money for a fake timeshare. In fact, the ending of the novel seemed rather rushed, but of course I appreciate the spin on Pride and Prejudice. As a modern day Elizabeth, Bridget wasn't given enough time to develop feelings for either 'Wickham' or Darcy and there wasn't much about her that would win over any man. Then again, weighing in at 9 stone odd would hardly make any woman class as fat either, unless they are struggling to clear 5 foot in height.

Ah, the 90s! show less

I loved Bridget Jones's Diary so much when I read it back in the 90s (before the movie). When Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason was released though, I wasn't interested. I've been burned by low quality sequels in the past and just couldn't stand to read this book and be disappointed. About ten years ago a friend gave me a copy and told me it was pretty good. I didn't want to take the risk and so it sat in my basement without any thought of me ever reading it. In the meantime, the movie show more version of The Edge of Reason came out and it was the debacle that I expected. Although it was great to see all those lovely characters again, it was just embarrassing watching them try to make a film out of that script. My shunning of this novel was justified. Or so I thought.

After my recent reread of [Bridget Jones's Diary] I thought that maybe I should give this a try. Thankfully, it's very different from the film version. Maybe it was my low expectations, but I found it delightful. In some ways I think it was better, in a literary sense, than the original. Bridget shows more character growth by the end, and there is some clever use of the Kipling poem "If". At first I was greatly frustrated by her friends sabatoging of Bridget's relationship with Mark Darcy, but as events unfolded, they redeemed themselves. Sure, Bridget really needs to toss the self help books and actually TALK to Mark (and he to her), but then there wouldn't be a story. And there were lots of laugh out loud moments. Including the scene where Bridget gets to interview Colin Firth (which unfortunately they couldn't possibly put in the movie--but they did film a version of it as an extra. Go to YouTube and search "Bridget Jones interviews Colin Firth").

In the film version, Bridget is uncomfortably cringe inducing, and I can't figure out why Mark sees anything in her whatsoever. In the book version, you see her insecurities and vulnerabilities and also see more of what he is dealing with, and they actually seem like two people that you want to cheer for. As with the first book, Bridget Jones is more relatable than in the film where she's too over the top.

I read 7/8s of this in one sitting, which is almost unheard of for me, and it was a luxury I fully enjoyed.

Recommended for: literary snobs with no sense of humour should stay away from this. show less