Rating: Summary: More of the same, but strangely less enjoyable than original Review: People have compared this story to Jane Austin's Persuasion, which I haven't read (yet). Personally, I was struck by the similarity to "The Importance of Being Earnest." Bridget and friends are like the diarists in that play - nothing is real until it has been shared with the diary and with phone calls to friends. No wonder Mark Darcy feels he's being disected!The basic plot - Bridget and Mark, who got together just at the end of Bridget Jones's Diary, hit a crisis a few weeks into their relationship (one of those easily resolvable movie-type crises that could be solved in two minutes, but then how would you fill up the rest of the time?). They split up, and it's a foregone conclusion they will reunite, but the fun is in the journey. This book seems to be every bit as fun as a the first, and yet I was left, at the end, feeling like the journey wasn't as interesting. It's partly because of the unbelievable absurdity of the breakup, but more because the characters are just that much more over-the-top. The book has moved from the sublime to the rediculous, as it were. That's not to say I don't recommend the book for anyone that liked the first one. It is fun, a quick read, and will have you chuckling if not laughing out loud. Both sexes will enjoy it - if Bridget is a carricature of the modern professional woman, the men are certainly the male equivalents (if less developed). So have a seat by the pool (or heat lamp, if it's winter) and turn off your brain for a few hours.
Rating: Summary: A different interpretation of Bridget..... Review: There is very little that can be said that hasn't been already mentioned in previous reviews. However, after reading both Bridget Jones' books I have now come to the realisation that, beyond the apparent funny story of Bridget's misfortunes, this book is a mockery of the behaviour of young women. The author uses extreme situations to portray the uselessness of the generation's dependence on entities such as the circle of friends, the self-help books, etc. to interpret reality and find support to fight their feeling of inadequacy. From this perspective, more than funny chick lit, this book is a critique of how young women face the most important issues of their lives, such as relationship, insecurities, fertile years, etc. The book also observes the hypocritical basis of female friendship, which is sometimes based on envy and jealousy, and the genetic inter-women competition. Overall, I recommend this book to any person wanting to have a critical appreciation of female thinking and the futility of the strategies that women are using to cope with life. On the other hand, the movies have been unable to translate the author's critical standpoint of the books.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Review: This book is just as good as the first Bridget Jones, if not better.
Rating: Summary: sequels that do justice to the original 1 (v.g.) Review: This is a superb sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary." The characters, especially Mark, Jude and Sharon, are developed further. Bridget's mum is up to her usual antics- this time around she brings an African tribesman named Wellington home and has him stay with her and Colin. Bridget is as funny, endearing and poignant as in the first book....alternating between despair one moment and joy and hope the next....sometimes feeling she has a handle on things and at other times feeling she has no control and is at the mercy of the chaos and uncertainty of life. She is still making resolutions and breaking them. In this book, she shows her pluck by taking charge and taking action to get herself out of a Thai prison (sustained by a copy of Rudyard Kipling's "If," given to her by Mark Darcy.) She has further journalistic adventures....the funniest being her trip to Rome where she gets to interview Colin Firth. Bridget only wants to talk about Mr. Darcy from "Pride And Prejudice" (especially the wet-shirt-in-the-lake scene) and Colin's Italian girlfriend (wouldn't he be better off with a nice, British girl?- Bridget asks). Mr. Firth would really rather talk about his current projects. The interview is hilarious. If you read it at home you will laugh out loud and if you read it in public you may have to put your fist in your mouth so you don't have people thinking you're out of your mind. Bridget is also provided with a worthy adversary in the dreaded Rebecca, a tall blonde who apparently only has one goal in life- to steal Mark from our beloved Bridget. You'll want to reach into the book and slap her silly! Excellent!
Rating: Summary: FAT GIRL FINDS LOVE IN CONTRIVED SEQUEL Review: Why did BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY need a sequel? So everyone could cash in. In a blatant attempt to make a ton more money, Helen Fielding, penned this needless sequel. Still fat, Bridget finds contrived reasons to break up with Mark Darcy, stretch misunderstanding ala I LOVE LUCY, and then get back together 338 pages later. Nothing new here, but it was an entertaining read.
Anyone looking for insight into Daniel Clever will be disappointed. He appears in about 2 pages of text.
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