Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

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 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 show more 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

This is my favourite of the three Bridget Jones books. This book made me entirely happy to read and had a fantastic plot line.

Her experience on shrooms--just yes. Because it's completely normal to go to Thailand and have a shroom omelette. Just yes. All my yeses. Her thoughts afterwards and Shazz's description of how she acted were just all so hilariously accurate.

Also, the fact that she lets Gary the builder make a hole in her apartment and just leave it for a few weeks? So great. She's so gullible and it's absolutely endearing. And there was that time she was crawling in the dumpster in underwear and a jacket. And then her ex shows up. And then her other ex shows up.

I'm generally not much of a fan of diary type books that try to show more tackle complex plots, but Bridget being detained in Thailand for drug trafficking just seemed to fit in all to perfectly. Of all people, this would happen to her.

Mark Darcy is definitely the subtle star of this book and though it may have been a little predictable, I thought their relationship was really well written and had just the right amount of prominence. This is more women's fiction than romance, but romance definitely played a big role.

Bridget's obsession with self-help books isn't something I can relate to at at all but it played another hilarious role and it was intriguing to see the 'lessons' she and her friends thought they learned and how they applied to reality.

Bridget's friend Jude and her significant other, Vile Richard, had an interesting subplot weaving through that provided a really good foil to Bridget's relationship with Mark. Rebecca's character made me angry and made me squirm, because to me Bridget felt like a real friend.

Oh, and even buying condoms is an experience in Bridget Jones's world. I loved this book so much! From its hilarity to its ability to turn the most normal situation odd, this was gold. show less

No. of days this took me to read: Way too many No. of seconds I've spent writing this review: Idk,forgot to count No. of times I've started reviews this way: 0 until now

Sometimes I really wanna shake Bridget by the shoulders and tell her to think straight, go say what you feel, why must you do that, quit it! But in the end, she figures it out for herself without my saying anything at all. Given she's a book character, I don't think she'd listen or hear me to begin with anyway.

The first book was funny, not what I'm used to, but definitely enjoyable. This one was great at first, then I started reading other things and I put it off *(around the time Bridget's man problems started again btw)* and finally got back to it just now to finish show more it off.

Drugdealers, African tribes, weddings....what could possibly go wrong? .....everything.
Everything you never imagined would happen to Bridget Jones, did....
And still, she came back from it, funnier than ever.

I'm thrilled with how this book turned out and I just might read it again. Colin Firth Interview was definitely pleasing. Now I must wait for the rumored 3rd book.....14 years in the making. I'm glad I wasn't one of the first readers or I'd be kinda impatient at this point. show less

Fantastic as far a chick-lit goes. There was a bit in the middle which, although hilarious, was kind of "what the hell?" but I thoroughly enjoyed this one and hated for it to end. Really sad how badly they mucked up the movie version, especially when Helen Fielding was part of writing the screenplay.

IQ 86 (good, considering am immersed in chick lit, only down 53 points), street cred down 200 (Gah!), presents received from wife because she wanted to read them herself 1 (VG - didn't also get latest Katie Fforde), number of times told self, only staying up to 1pm to finish this so don't have to be seen with it on train 47 (v. good)

8.45 a.m. Must keep calm. Must be positive. Completely understandable that am enjoying chick lit, due to bang on head New Years Eve party (alcohol units 23)

9.15 a.m. Hah! just realised this means don't have to watch yet another film with wet lettuce, Hugh Grant in. Can say have read book already! Hurrah!

10.25 a.m. Also, no-one need ever know have read it.

11.35 a.m. Gah! Keep having urge to go out and buy show more first book. Right am going to be positive about this, no shame in enjoying popular fiction, really just like Pepys' dairy for modern age, will go Waterstones right now.

2.45 p.m. Have ordered on Amazon, in wife's name. show less

This is probably the one rare time I'd say that a book's sequel is much better than its predecessor.

In this continuation of her diary, Bridget again recounts the ups and downs of the single life, coupled by the indifference shown to her by Mark Darcy, her now established boyfriend. "Hurrah! The wilderness years are now over. For four weeks and five days now have been in functional relationship with adult male, thereby proving am not love pariah as recently feared." Add to Darcy's indifference the arrival of Rebecca, who absolutely has no girlfriend code of ethics when it comes to poaching another woman's man.

Whole dating world is like hideous game of bluff and double bluff with men and women firing at each other from opposite lines of show more sandbags. Is as if there is a set of rules that you are supposed to be sticking to, but no one knows what they are so everyone just makes up their own. Then you end up getting chucked because you didn't follow the rules correctly, but how could you be expected to, when you didn't know what they were in the first place?

Everything else also proves to be topsy-turvy, as Bridget's mother has returned from a trip to Kenya with a young Masai in tow, to her father's consternation; her best friends Jude, Shazzer, and Tom are all trapped in dating hell themselves; her apartment has a gaping hole thanks to an unreliable carpenter; an ex-boyfriend (Daniel Cleaver) has just reentered her life; and now someone is sending Bridget death threats--could it be Mark Darcy as the detectives suspected?

Bridget is a slightly silly person, a bit on the unrealistic side (who knew that she had practically bought almost the entire section of self-help books of a bookstore?), but I suppose diaries (as the format of this novel proves) may include ones ultimate unrealistic fantasies (like being rescued by Colin Firth or Prince William). While Bridget is on the edge of reason, her on-again off-again boyfriend is the voice of reason and the perfect comic foil.

Book Details:

Title Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Author Helen Fielding
Reviewed By Purplycookie show less

Again, I enjoyed this. Probably much more than I'd have enjoyed it prior to living in England and picking up on the local vernacular. Knwoing the exact meaning behind the things she says really enhanced it for me, especially since I wasn't constantly marking text to go back and look up things later. Actually I think I enjoyed this book as much as the first. Funny, very funny. The only thing that spoiled it a bit is the fact that I'd already seen the films. I do prefer to read a book and then see the film. That said, I will rewatch the second film as soon as I am able. I watched the original film years ago when it was released and again just after moving here.