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Summary: Young Woman's Angst
Review: This book was hilarious. It reminded me of the pages in my own diary. The observations of a single woman's life have been cleverly penned and the end result is a year's journey of funny anecdotes which every 20 or 30 something woman will be able to relate to. A top read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Quick, Fun, Hilariously Enjoyable Read!
Review: I was sort of dragged to see this film the night it came out, but I ended up enjoying it immensely. Of course, I had to buy the book next, and it kept me company on a long cross-country flight. With all the humor of Nick Hornby, the self-deprecation of Woody Allen, and a plot borrowed from a classic, Fielding's narrative moves quickly and surely; always funny and ever-endearing, Bridget Jones's attempts to move from insecure singleness make for an engaging and hilarious read.The humor of "Bridget Jones's Diary" is its strongest quality. From the exchange between Bridget and her boss, Daniel, regarding the absence-due-to-sick-leave of Bridget's apparently too-short skirt, to the Tarts and Vicars fiasco, there's a lot to laugh at in this book. Fielding does funny well, but she's also good for a pithy rejoinder in the Cruelty Department; the American woman Bridget catches her man Daniel with says, as Bridget is leaving, "I thought you said she was thin." Ouch. Some of the reviews here have bashed "Bridget" for ripping off Austen, which is a little unfair. Rewrites like this are nothing new--see Jean Rhys' "Wide Sargasso Sea," which updates "Jane Eyre," or David Lodge's "Nice Work," which does ditto for Gaskell's "North and South," or Peter Carey's "Jack Maggs," a skewed perspective on "Great Expectations." Fielding's contribution to this growing genre (the nineteenth-century rewrite) is more openly self-aware than some, and she allows herself and Bridget to have an awful lot of fun with "Pride and Prejudice," even pointing comically to other versions of this classic, like the BBC series. I don't see this in the least as a detractor from one's enjoyment of "Bridget Jones." The one thing that does detract, for me, is the incessant inclusion, at the outset of every chapter, of updated data on Bridget's running battle with her weight and waistline. There are occasional comic variations on the theme, but I felt, for the most part, that they were a distraction that I soon came to disregard. Unlike the recipes that commence every chapter of Laura Esquivel's "Like Water for Chocolate" and have significant symbolic resonance throughout the chapter they introduce, Fielding's chapter-epigraphs in lbs. and calories don't seem to add much to the ongoing story. (What's interesting is that Fielding apparently noticed this while writing the screenplay; in the film, she leaves them out after about the first five minutes, realizing that it was a trick that gets old fast.) But that's not much to complain about. Overall, I would recommend this book for its humor alone. However, add to that comedy a fairly well-crafted plot that pokes fun at a classic while yet paying it homage and bringing it up to date, and you've got a great, fun read. I totally enjoyed "Bridget Jones's Diary" and hope to read the sequel soon.
Rating:
Summary: good...but i prefered the movie
Review: This book was good. and if a movie hadn't been made about it, i probably wouldn't really miss it. however, i did read the book, then i went to the movie. the only reason i prefered the movie is because the style of writing it like a diary (which i know is half the point) got on my nerves. it made it harder to follow everything. overall, good book, pretty easy read, i read it in about a day and half.
Rating:
Summary: Bridget is parts of me
Review: Bridget Jones hase elements of just about all my single friends. Desparation, resolve, the ability to laugh, a good stiff drink every now and then, and snogging with a random guy to feel better. She was lucky to get a Mr. Darcy. We're all still looking.
Rating:
Summary: V.G. book
Review: This book is hilarious and I recommend it to everyone. It is v. different from movie, in manner of Girl, Interrupted or similar--in that it is better.
Rating:
Summary: Goofy Fun
Review: Bridget's diary reminded me of a Salvador Dali painting. It may not be the most educational read, but it sure was fun. She had sarcasm and heartache, be it from a man or her Mum, coming out of every page with somewhat eyerolling, but in a good way, results. I'm a guy, and I could relate with a few of her thoughts, so other people have to feel the same. The Daliesque imagery comes out in fully during "November" when everything suddenly begins to revolve around a crime. Sure, you'll be saying "Where'd that come from?" But go along for the ride. It's a goofy one.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many cringe moments
Review: I did not expect a literary masterpiece when I started this book, but I was expecting a bit more than what I got. The character Bridget is so "frightfully" annoying that I found myself wanting to choke her. The humor was way too obvious with only a few one-liners that managed to give the book some redeeming qualities. This is an OK read for a 14 year old who isn't an intellectual giant, but those not in that category should just give it a miss.
Rating: 
Summary: An annoying picture of femininity
Review: I find it terribly depressing that so many women see themselves in this book. As I read it, I became endlessly frustrated that Bridget couldn't pull herself together enough to worry about something more important than her weight or whether or not she has a boyfriend. That said, "Edge of Reason", where she actually DOES get a spine, and the movie, where Renee Zellweger manages a charming portrayal of Bridget, are both gems. I'd skip this book altogether if you have little tolerance for stereotyping of women and general whininess. See the movie, read Edge of Reason instead.
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Summary: Loved the book -- but I'm certainly glad I'm not her!
Review: I recently reread this book (just prior to seeing the movie), and it was just as must a "fun" read as it was two years ago. (The movie, however, is another story.) Though I am no longer a "singleton" myself, I do remember what it was like, and boy did I never have as many misadventures as Bridget! Reading this novel is like having an enjoyable vicarious experience (which is exactly what you'd expect from a good novel), even though sometimes you'd prefer not to be living Bridget's life. This isn't feminist (nor anti-feminist) bashing -- it's just escapism set in the life of a slightly neurotic and highly insecure single woman in her thirties. The fact that Helen Fielding has made us all like Bridget inspite of all her sitcom-ish predicaments, all the more makes me regard this book as one of the most enjoyable books that I have read in quite some time.
Rating:
Summary: Bridget Jones's Diary
Review: I really enjoyed this book, because it showed how an average single woman goes through struggles with empowering herself. For Bridget, she felt that dieting and sleeping with a man at her work would empower her, when in the end she found empowerment in a man she shut off from the first glance. For me, I thought that the ending, when her dieting stops, her lovelife is complete, and all family life is calm, was the best part of the novel. On the flipside, when Bridget had dieted herself into a tired looking older woman, I felt really sorry for her, and didn't find that part as enjoying as I did the others. Although this book didn't have a theme, the interesting plot and unique way the book was written;in someone's personal diary, made up for it. The book focuses on Bridget's obsession with dieting, cigarette and alcohol intake, along with her fetish with self-poise. She tries every idea thrown her way, but it isn't until a sweet man walks into her life, that all the superficial elements walk out. Throughout the book Bridget struggles with keeping her family life from interferring with her social and work lives.
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