Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Book Review: Bridget Jones

Bridget Jones’s Diary (Bridget Jones #1)
Helen Fielding

Release Date: June 1, 1999

Helen Fielding

Book Description:
Meet Bridget Jones—a 30-something Singleton who is certain she would have all the answers if she could:

    a. lose 7 pounds
    b. stop smoking
    c. develop Inner Poise

"123 lbs. (how is it possible to put on 4 pounds in the middle of the night? Could flesh have somehow solidified becoming denser and heavier? Repulsive, horrifying notion), alcohol units 4 (excellent), cigarettes 21 (poor but will give up totally tomorrow), number of correct lottery numbers 2 (better, but nevertheless useless)..."

Bridget Jones' Diary is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud daily chronicle of Bridget's permanent, doomed quest for self-improvement — a year in which she 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.

Over the course of the year, Bridget loses a total of 72 pounds but gains a total of 74. She remains, however, optimistic. Through it all, Bridget will have you helpless with laughter, and — like millions of readers the world round — you'll find yourself shouting, "Bridget Jones is me!"


Amazon US | Goodreads



The Edge of Reason (Bridget Jones #2)
Helen Fielding

Release Date: February 1, 2001

Helen Fielding

Book Description:
The Wilderness Years are over! But not for long. At the end of Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget hiccuped off into the sunset with man-of-her-dreams Mark Darcy. Now, in The Edge of Reason, she discovers what it is like when you have the man of your dreams actually in your flat and he hasn't done the washing-up, not just the whole of this week, but ever.

Lurching through a morass of self-help-book theories and mad advice from Jude and Shazzer, struggling with a boyfriend-stealing ex-friend with thighs like a baby giraffe, an 8ft hole in the living-room wall, a mother obsessed with boiled-egg peelers, and a builder obsessed with large reservoir fish, Bridget embarks on a spiritual epiphany, which takes her from the cappuccino queues of Notting Hill to the palm- and magic-mushroom-kissed shores of ...

Bridget is back. V.g.


Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
In honor of the soon-to-be-released third installment in the Bridget Jones series, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on Bridget and her adventures as our favorite singleton.

MONDAY 6 MARCH

124 lbs. (v.v.g.—have realized secret of dieting is not weighing oneself).

Can officially confirm that the way to a man’s heart these days is not through beauty, food, sex or alluringness of character, but merely the ability to seem not very interested in him. Bridget Jones's Diary (p. 73).

It is only last year that I’ve finally discovered and read the Bridget Jones novels. I’ve first encountered Bridget as portrayed by Renée Zellweger in the movies of the same name, which I sincerely enjoyed. So I thought I'd give it a try, to see whether I liked the original as much as the film version of our heroine - Bridget Jones - and to my surprise I did. Helen Fielding has a talent for translating humor onto the pages of her novels, the situations and shenanigans that ensue are often laugh-out-loud funny, but yet, quite relatable and that’s what made these books and subsequent movies notable and loved.

Coming to this book franchise after having watched the movies first, I must admit I didn’t expect a drastic difference, but where the first movie closely followed events of the first novel, the second adapted text liberally. And while The Edge of Reason was vastly different from the film, I found myself enjoying the book a great deal more, as often is the case.

Bridget is always at the epicenter of a self-made crisis, whether it is her struggles with weight, her attempts at quitting smoking, or her relations with men, there is always something going on with Bridget.  Complete with a great cast of characters: the swoon-worthy barrister, Mark Darcy, Bridget’s ever-helpful circle of friends, her mum and dad, and the love-to-hate-him Daniel Cleaver, you sure to find yourself entertained by these novels. There are a great number of funny scenes and situations throughout both books. And the ever-popular Colin Firth interview is worth a read. Better yet was Bridget’s overall narration style, or rather “diary entries.” Yes, she is far from perfect, and might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she is not without charm. 

SATURDAY 19 JULY

129 lbs. (why? On bikini-purchase day, why?), confusing thoughts about Daniel: too many, bikini bottoms fitted into 1, bikini tops fitted into: half, rude thoughts about Prince William 22, no. of times wrote “Prince William and his lovely date Miss Bridget Jones at Ascot” on Hello! magazine 7.

6:30 p.m. Bloody, bloody, bloody. Have spent all day in changing rooms of Oxford Street trying to squeeze my breasts into bikini tops designed for people with breasts either arranged one on top of the other in the center of their chests or one under each arm, with the harsh downlighting making me look like River Café frittata. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (pp. 226-227).

So, are you a fellow Bridget Jones lover? I’m sure you all have seen those movies, and secretly enjoyed the stories portrayed. Then, why not give these books a whirl as well? I enjoyed reading these books myself and would recommend it to anyone wanting a fun and light read.

4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Me too! :) I'm a little afraid to see how it all plays out in Mad About the Boy. Did you hear the spoiler?

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  2. The first time I read it I laughed myself silly :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, these are very fun! I'm hoping not be disappointed with the 3rd.

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