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USA Today's top 100 books to read while stuck at home social distancingThe iconic #1 bestseller by Helen Fielding; Bridget Jones is now the inspiration for the September 2016 Working Title film release of Bridget Jones's Baby, starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey and Emma Thompson.
Bridget Jones's Diary is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud account of a year in the life of a thirty-something Singleton on a permanent doomed quest for self-improvement. Caught show more between the joys of Singleton fun, and the fear of dying alone and being found three weeks later half eaten by an Alsatian; tortured by Smug Married friends asking, "How's your love life?" with lascivious, yet patronizing leers, Bridget resolves to: reduce the circumference of each thigh by 1.5 inches, visit the gym three times a week not just to buy a sandwich, form a functional relationship with a responsible adult and learn to program the VCR. With a blend of flighty charm, existential gloom, and endearing self-deprecation, Bridget Jones's Diary has touched a raw nerve with millions of readers the world round. Read it and laugh—before you cry, "Bridget Jones is me!". show less
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charl08 Richard Coles is (possibly) the basis for Bridget's friend, the one-hit wonder. Both the novel and biography are laugh out loud funny.
susanbooks Another smart take on Austen, though you probably have to be a pretty huge fan to enjoy it, so be warned.
Member Reviews
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 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 show more 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
In fact, the best way to read this once groundbreaking novel show more 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
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I first read this when I was a teenager, it must have been when the film came out on home release around 2001-2 because I distinctly remember the copy I had came in a box set with the VHS of the movie! By that working out I would have been about 14!
I remember enjoying it then, and I don’t think I got anything more out of it for being closer to Bridget’s age now (actually, I’m older now, I think she’s 34 in this one). I think even at 14, I thought Bridget was immature and her obsession with calories and smoking so many cigarettes was ridiculous!
I still found it to be a very enjoyable and easy read! Bridget – for her many flaws – is an endearing character, and show more it’s amazing how much personality Fielding is able to get through for the supporting characters within the limits of the diary format. Especially for Daniel Cleaver, Perpetua and Bridget’s ridiculous mother, Pam.
There are many things about the book (and the movie) that are very dated now! The casual counting, cigarettes, friends actually speaking on the telephone, which is also a landline (including using 1471!), and a whole section where Bridget can’t work out how to record the telly on her VHS player! The stereotyping of Bridget’s gay friend Tom is also very 2000s, including the use of the word “poof.”
Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy are both still very charming in their different ways. Having so recently rewatched Pride & Prejudice (1995 BBC adaptation), the story parallels were fresh in my mind! There is even a bit where Bridget watches it and talks about her love for Colin Firth, and his real-life relationship with Jennifer Ehle!
I enjoyed it immensely, but I do always seem to end the story (and the movie) wondering quite what Mark Darcy sees in Bridget… He’s obviously wonderful, but they never communicate very well, and their connection doesn’t quite come through for me.
Quotes
Relatable, this was ages 27 to 32 for me! Page 102.
A true blast from the past, especially funny as apparently nobody know Bridget knows is able to figure this out! Page 109
I had hoped we’d moved past this kind of thinking in 2025, but I think we’re about to have a cultural regression now all the celebrities are stick thin again. Depressing. Page 178.
Loved! Page 190
# REVIEW SUMMARY
## I LIKED
- Bridget is endearing and funny.
- Side characters are wonderful and leap off the page – especially her mother, Una Alconbury, and Daniel.
- It is a grown-up love story, even if Briget is immature at times, and miscommunication is cleared up quickly when it happens.
- Very light, easy breezy reading!
# I DIDN’T LIKE
- I do think Bridget and Mark lack chemistry. (But I may just be jealous!)
View all my reviews show less
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I first read this when I was a teenager, it must have been when the film came out on home release around 2001-2 because I distinctly remember the copy I had came in a box set with the VHS of the movie! By that working out I would have been about 14!
I remember enjoying it then, and I don’t think I got anything more out of it for being closer to Bridget’s age now (actually, I’m older now, I think she’s 34 in this one). I think even at 14, I thought Bridget was immature and her obsession with calories and smoking so many cigarettes was ridiculous!
I still found it to be a very enjoyable and easy read! Bridget – for her many flaws – is an endearing character, and show more it’s amazing how much personality Fielding is able to get through for the supporting characters within the limits of the diary format. Especially for Daniel Cleaver, Perpetua and Bridget’s ridiculous mother, Pam.
There are many things about the book (and the movie) that are very dated now! The casual counting, cigarettes, friends actually speaking on the telephone, which is also a landline (including using 1471!), and a whole section where Bridget can’t work out how to record the telly on her VHS player! The stereotyping of Bridget’s gay friend Tom is also very 2000s, including the use of the word “poof.”
Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy are both still very charming in their different ways. Having so recently rewatched Pride & Prejudice (1995 BBC adaptation), the story parallels were fresh in my mind! There is even a bit where Bridget watches it and talks about her love for Colin Firth, and his real-life relationship with Jennifer Ehle!
I enjoyed it immensely, but I do always seem to end the story (and the movie) wondering quite what Mark Darcy sees in Bridget… He’s obviously wonderful, but they never communicate very well, and their connection doesn’t quite come through for me.
Quotes
You completely forget the fact that when you were twenty-two and you didn’t have boyfriend or meet anyone you remotely fancied for twenty-three months you just thought it was a bit of a drag. The whole thing builds up out of all proportion, so finding a relationship seems a dazzling, almost insurmountable goal, and when you do start going out with someone it cannot possibly live up to expectations.
Relatable, this was ages 27 to 32 for me! Page 102.
8.55 p.m. Decide to ignore that page. Turn to ‘Timer-controlled recordings with VideoPlus’: ‘1. Meet the requirements for VideoPlus.’ What requirements? Hate the stupid video. Feel exactly the same as feel when trying to follow signposts on roads. Know in heart that signposts and video manual do not make sense but still cannot believe authorities would be so cruel as to deliberately dupe us all. Feel incompetent fool and as if everyone else in world understands something which is being kept from me.
A true blast from the past, especially funny as apparently nobody know Bridget knows is able to figure this out! Page 109
I realized that I have spent so many years being on a diet that the idea that you might actually need calories to survive has been completely wiped out of my consciousness. Have reached point where believe nutritional ideal is to eat nothing at all, and that the only reason people eat is because they are so greedy they cannot stop themselves from breaking out and ruining their diets.
I had hoped we’d moved past this kind of thinking in 2025, but I think we’re about to have a cultural regression now all the celebrities are stick thin again. Depressing. Page 178.
It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It’s like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting ‘Cathy’ and banging your head against a tree.
Loved! Page 190
# REVIEW SUMMARY
## I LIKED
- Bridget is endearing and funny.
- Side characters are wonderful and leap off the page – especially her mother, Una Alconbury, and Daniel.
- It is a grown-up love story, even if Briget is immature at times, and miscommunication is cleared up quickly when it happens.
- Very light, easy breezy reading!
# I DIDN’T LIKE
- I do think Bridget and Mark lack chemistry. (But I may just be jealous!)
View all my reviews show less
Time's tight for all of us. That's why you'll be tempted to skip reading Bridget Jones's Diary if you saw the movie. Don't!
The movie is, of course, darling with cute Renee Zellwenger, uptight but decent Colin Firth and Hugh Grant as the epitome of the gorgeous, smooth-talking cad. However, the book is much, much better. You'll miss the uproariously funny details inherent in the format of Bridget's diary (e.g., counting cigarettes and calories, the despair of falling off the wagon, the recriminations common to all young women's diaries -- and low self-esteem). Reading this was like reliving my own misspent youth. By necessity, the movie had to shear big sections of the book out of the screenplay -- and you won't want to miss a juicy day show more of Bridget's year-long diary. Also, the movie treatment of some of Bridget's adventures just aren't as clever or funny as Helen Fielding's handling.
It's a cliché to say you'll laugh out loud. But in this case, it's actually true. Don't miss reading Helen Fielding's gem just because you saw the big-screen version. show less
The movie is, of course, darling with cute Renee Zellwenger, uptight but decent Colin Firth and Hugh Grant as the epitome of the gorgeous, smooth-talking cad. However, the book is much, much better. You'll miss the uproariously funny details inherent in the format of Bridget's diary (e.g., counting cigarettes and calories, the despair of falling off the wagon, the recriminations common to all young women's diaries -- and low self-esteem). Reading this was like reliving my own misspent youth. By necessity, the movie had to shear big sections of the book out of the screenplay -- and you won't want to miss a juicy day show more of Bridget's year-long diary. Also, the movie treatment of some of Bridget's adventures just aren't as clever or funny as Helen Fielding's handling.
It's a cliché to say you'll laugh out loud. But in this case, it's actually true. Don't miss reading Helen Fielding's gem just because you saw the big-screen version. show less
From my Cannonball Read V review...
This book is so good.
I saw the movie. I laughed at the idea that Renée Zellwegger was fat. I drooled a bit over Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy. I loved the screw-up at work where Bridget claimed she was on the phone with an author who had, unbeknownst to her, died three decades earlier, when the word fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck scrolled across the bottom of the screen. I recognized the friendship archetypes.
The book isn’t better, or worse. It’s different, and frankly, I thought it was fantastic. I was expecting a sad, ridiculous stereotype of a woman – instead the Bridget Jones in print is a complex woman who isn’t overly intellectual but isn’t flighty or ridiculous. She’s living in a world show more where she’s been told what her value is in terms of looks and in terms of her marriagability. She is rational, then irrational, then rational again.
The book has a somewhat similar storyline to the film – there is a relationship with her boss Daniel, there is a disdain, then attraction, then disdain, then attraction with Mark Darcy, all her friends are accounted for – but there are also some diversions. For example, she has a brother in the book. And her mother’s journey takes something of a dark turn. But the core of the book – and of Bridget herself – remains.
I’m newly married, and I only spent one year as properly single in my 30s. However, I could relate to so much of Bridget’s internal monologue. Some of it was so ridiculous – like when she leaves a potential sex partner because she doesn’t want to just fuck around, and has this triumphant feminist moment … then muses “I may have been right, but my reward, I know, will be to end up all along, half-eaten by an Alsatian” – but still relatable. She’s so hard on herself – tracking her daily food consumption, her weight, her cigarette intake – and beating herself up with each weight fluctuation.
One favorite part is when she somehow manages to get her weight down to her goal, and everyone comments that she looks a bit tired, and looked ‘better before.’ “Now I feel empty and bewildered…Eighteen years – wasted. Eighteen years of calorie- and fat-unit-base arithmetic…I feel like a scientist who discovers that his life’s work has been a total mistake.” Observations like that – as well as the one that she has lost 72 pounds and gained 74 pounds over the course of the year – are real, at least, to me, and they represent the constant struggle many women face, and how they feel they can’t win. I’ve been there. Shoot, I live there.
She’s also hard on herself when it comes to work, and men. Whenever she has a flash of self-confidence or makes an attempt to start fresh, something inevitable pops up to derail her. Sometimes it’s silly, but most of the time it seems fairly realistic. It’s not like everything is bad, always, but there is this sort of constant underlying stress. It’s not the same stress as someone who is facing poverty, or racism, or anything so serious, but it’s that steady undercurrent saying you aren’t thin enough, or smart enough, or attractive enough, or enough like society wants you to be (i.e. married and having children). It’s the stress of wanting to fit convention, then buck it, then fit it again.
The book feels light and deep at the same time. I’m sure if I spent more time analyzing it I could find some problems to dissect (is she an active agent, or does she fixate her life around finding a mate?) but I kind of don’t want to spend more time focusing on it because I don’t want to ruin a really fun reading experience. show less
This book is so good.
I saw the movie. I laughed at the idea that Renée Zellwegger was fat. I drooled a bit over Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy. I loved the screw-up at work where Bridget claimed she was on the phone with an author who had, unbeknownst to her, died three decades earlier, when the word fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck scrolled across the bottom of the screen. I recognized the friendship archetypes.
The book isn’t better, or worse. It’s different, and frankly, I thought it was fantastic. I was expecting a sad, ridiculous stereotype of a woman – instead the Bridget Jones in print is a complex woman who isn’t overly intellectual but isn’t flighty or ridiculous. She’s living in a world show more where she’s been told what her value is in terms of looks and in terms of her marriagability. She is rational, then irrational, then rational again.
The book has a somewhat similar storyline to the film – there is a relationship with her boss Daniel, there is a disdain, then attraction, then disdain, then attraction with Mark Darcy, all her friends are accounted for – but there are also some diversions. For example, she has a brother in the book. And her mother’s journey takes something of a dark turn. But the core of the book – and of Bridget herself – remains.
I’m newly married, and I only spent one year as properly single in my 30s. However, I could relate to so much of Bridget’s internal monologue. Some of it was so ridiculous – like when she leaves a potential sex partner because she doesn’t want to just fuck around, and has this triumphant feminist moment … then muses “I may have been right, but my reward, I know, will be to end up all along, half-eaten by an Alsatian” – but still relatable. She’s so hard on herself – tracking her daily food consumption, her weight, her cigarette intake – and beating herself up with each weight fluctuation.
One favorite part is when she somehow manages to get her weight down to her goal, and everyone comments that she looks a bit tired, and looked ‘better before.’ “Now I feel empty and bewildered…Eighteen years – wasted. Eighteen years of calorie- and fat-unit-base arithmetic…I feel like a scientist who discovers that his life’s work has been a total mistake.” Observations like that – as well as the one that she has lost 72 pounds and gained 74 pounds over the course of the year – are real, at least, to me, and they represent the constant struggle many women face, and how they feel they can’t win. I’ve been there. Shoot, I live there.
She’s also hard on herself when it comes to work, and men. Whenever she has a flash of self-confidence or makes an attempt to start fresh, something inevitable pops up to derail her. Sometimes it’s silly, but most of the time it seems fairly realistic. It’s not like everything is bad, always, but there is this sort of constant underlying stress. It’s not the same stress as someone who is facing poverty, or racism, or anything so serious, but it’s that steady undercurrent saying you aren’t thin enough, or smart enough, or attractive enough, or enough like society wants you to be (i.e. married and having children). It’s the stress of wanting to fit convention, then buck it, then fit it again.
The book feels light and deep at the same time. I’m sure if I spent more time analyzing it I could find some problems to dissect (is she an active agent, or does she fixate her life around finding a mate?) but I kind of don’t want to spend more time focusing on it because I don’t want to ruin a really fun reading experience. show less
Bridget Jones decides to start a diary in order to track her progress in weight loss (specifically thigh circumference), quitting smoking, drinking less and finding a man (with no emotional fuckwittage!), as she’s tired of being a thirty-something singleton.
Pretty sure you’ve all at least heard of this book and likely seen the movie. I originally read it back in high school and was recently reminded of its existence when a friend of mine began, rather obsessively, watching the movie over and over. I decided a re-read was in order, in preparation for buddy reading the second book with said friend, and I’m so happy I picked this up again.
BJD is refreshingly funny – despite the fact that I’m no longer a singleton (and perhaps show more never was) and I don’t understand many of the Britain-specific references Bridget makes, I still found her to be refreshingly relatable. I laughed more times than I can count while reading this book. As a woman, I can understand Bridget’s struggles with self-image and weight gain/loss. Her brutal honesty and blunt wit solidify her as a character and made me want to be friends with her (even though she would consider me a Smug Married now).
Like many women, Bridget longs for a man with no emotional fuckwittage, yet pursues the complete opposite when she has a fling with her boss, Daniel. Then there’s Mark Darcy, the stoic, awkward family friend that her mother keeps throwing her at every chance she gets. Here runs the parallel with Pride and Prejudice, which BJD pays homage to. Daniel is the sexy, daring, scandalous (and untrustworthy!) Wickham, while Mark is…well…Darcy! I, of course, always root for Darcy, especially because I will forever picture Mark Darcy as Colin Firth.
I like that Fielding plays with her P&P references by having Bridget comment on the fact that Mark Darcy is snobbish and standoffish at a party, much like his classic namesake, which she finds utterly ridiculous.
There are certainly a few large differences in plot between the book and movie. Overall, I prefer the book, but I do still love both. I think the book has a better climax and ending though, especially where it concerns Bridget’s relationship with Darcy – the book has many more parallels to P&P, naturally I love that.
Books with a diary format always make me yearn to pick up a notebook and chronicle my own life, but I fear it wouldn’t be even a sliver as interesting or funny as Bridget’s (not to mention I’m way too lazy to measure my thighs or count calories), so I’ll leave it to the pros. Looking forward to finally reading the second book (which will hopefully be far superior to the movie)! By the way, this Penguin Ink edition is the best and if you’re into romantic comedies, I think you should pick this up! show less
Pretty sure you’ve all at least heard of this book and likely seen the movie. I originally read it back in high school and was recently reminded of its existence when a friend of mine began, rather obsessively, watching the movie over and over. I decided a re-read was in order, in preparation for buddy reading the second book with said friend, and I’m so happy I picked this up again.
BJD is refreshingly funny – despite the fact that I’m no longer a singleton (and perhaps show more never was) and I don’t understand many of the Britain-specific references Bridget makes, I still found her to be refreshingly relatable. I laughed more times than I can count while reading this book. As a woman, I can understand Bridget’s struggles with self-image and weight gain/loss. Her brutal honesty and blunt wit solidify her as a character and made me want to be friends with her (even though she would consider me a Smug Married now).
Like many women, Bridget longs for a man with no emotional fuckwittage, yet pursues the complete opposite when she has a fling with her boss, Daniel. Then there’s Mark Darcy, the stoic, awkward family friend that her mother keeps throwing her at every chance she gets. Here runs the parallel with Pride and Prejudice, which BJD pays homage to. Daniel is the sexy, daring, scandalous (and untrustworthy!) Wickham, while Mark is…well…Darcy! I, of course, always root for Darcy, especially because I will forever picture Mark Darcy as Colin Firth.
I like that Fielding plays with her P&P references by having Bridget comment on the fact that Mark Darcy is snobbish and standoffish at a party, much like his classic namesake, which she finds utterly ridiculous.
There are certainly a few large differences in plot between the book and movie. Overall, I prefer the book, but I do still love both. I think the book has a better climax and ending though, especially where it concerns Bridget’s relationship with Darcy – the book has many more parallels to P&P, naturally I love that.
Books with a diary format always make me yearn to pick up a notebook and chronicle my own life, but I fear it wouldn’t be even a sliver as interesting or funny as Bridget’s (not to mention I’m way too lazy to measure my thighs or count calories), so I’ll leave it to the pros. Looking forward to finally reading the second book (which will hopefully be far superior to the movie)! By the way, this Penguin Ink edition is the best and if you’re into romantic comedies, I think you should pick this up! show less
The Good: Bridget Jones, as a person, was awkward - well before awkward was something people celebrated in TV shows and internet memes. It was humorous at times.
The Bad: It is really, really hard to feel Bridget's pain when her pain revolves around being 120ish pounds and the size of her couldn't-possibly-be-all-that-large thighs. Her issues do eventually move past these trivial things and turn to focus on her love life, which is just plain sad. Completely textbook choices of the whiny girl in her twenties. The fact that it was playing out in her 30s, when she should clearly know better, is more pathetic than anything else. Bridget's issues are all in her own mind and of her own doing. At least the movie managed to make it seem charming show more more often than not. show less
The Bad: It is really, really hard to feel Bridget's pain when her pain revolves around being 120ish pounds and the size of her couldn't-possibly-be-all-that-large thighs. Her issues do eventually move past these trivial things and turn to focus on her love life, which is just plain sad. Completely textbook choices of the whiny girl in her twenties. The fact that it was playing out in her 30s, when she should clearly know better, is more pathetic than anything else. Bridget's issues are all in her own mind and of her own doing. At least the movie managed to make it seem charming show more more often than not. show less
I don't know if I've ever identified more with a fictional character. Bridget Jones is a slightly older, much skinnier, equally eccentric single girl and we're practically the same person. Why did I wait so long to read this gem?! It was love from page one. The diary starts on January 1 and takes readers all the way through the year and all through her exploits, beauty and dieting struggles, dating catastrophes and more. It's zany and hilarious and I can relate on so many levels. Her parents are a little nuts (specifically her mom), her friends are all married or dating, and her coworkers are insufferable (save her super hot boss!), no wonder she drinks so much! A fantastic read, I can't wait to read the rest in the series and to watch show more all the movies. Why did I wait soo long in my life! Wonderful screwball English comedy! show less
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Author Information
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Helen Fielding was born in Morley, West Yorkshire, England on February 19, 1958. She studied English at Oxford University. After college, she got a job working for the BBC television studios. She worked for numerous years as a newspaper and TV journalist. Her first book, Cause Celeb, was based on the experiences she had while filming documentaries show more in Africa for Comic Relief. Her other books include Bridget Jones's Diary, The Edge of Reason, Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, Mad about the Boy, and Bridget Jones's Baby. She co-wrote the screenplays for the movies Bridget Jones's Diary and the sequel based on The Edge of Reason. She has received several awards including British Book of the Year in 1997 and the Evening Standard Award Best Screenplay in 2002. She works as a full-time novelist and screenwriter. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Has the adaptation
Was inspired by
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Bridget Jones's Diary;
- Original title
- Bridget Jones’s Diary
- Original publication date
- 1996
- People/Characters
- Bridget Jones; Mark Darcy; Daniel Cleaver
- Important places
- London, England, UK
- Related movies
- Bridget Jones's Diary (2001 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- [None]
- Dedication
- To my mum, Nellie, for not being like Bridget's
- First words
- I WILL NOT
Drink more than fourteen alcohol units a week. - Quotations
- It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr. Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It's like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting "Cathy" and b... (show all)anging your head against a tree.
I will not fall for any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomanics, chauvists, emotional fuckwits or freeloaders, perverts.
When someone leaves you, apart from missing them, apart from the fact that the whole little world you've created together collapses, and that everything you see or do reminds you of them, the worst is the thought that they tr... (show all)ied you out and, in the end, the whole sum of parts adds up to you got stamped REJECT by the one you love. How can you not be left with the personal confidence of a passed over British Rail sandwich?
I like you very much. Just as you are.
It seems wrong and unfair that Christmas, with its stressful and unmanageable financial and emotional challenges, should first be forced upon one wholly against one's will, then rudely snatched away just when one is starting ... (show all)to get into it. Was really beginning to enjoy the feeling that normal service was suspended and it was OK to lie in bed as long as you want, put anything you fancy into your mouth, and drink alcohol whenever it should chance to pass your way, even in the mornings. Now suddenly we are all supposed to snap into self-discipline like lean teenage greyhounds. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)An excellent year's progress.
- Blurbers
- Rushdie, Salman; Hornby, Nick; Hornby, Gill; Perrick, Penny; Shulman, Nicola; Cooper, Jilly
- Original language
- English
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- 293
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- 65