Bridget Jones's Diary

Rating:
Summary: A real look at Thirty-something Singleton
Review: "Bridget Jones's Diary" by Helen Fielding is such a great and funny book. Bridget Jones is thirty-something single woman living in London trying with problems that all single people face. Dating, Parents trying to fix you up, Losing weight and just trying to though each day without losing it. I think that main reason that this book works so well is that it is written in a diary form, with not to long entries. Overall, "Bridget Jones's Diary" was one of the first "chick-lit" books that set the standard for all that followed.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: Strangely enough, I didn't like the movie. The book was much better and possibly because I could take my time and savor each character. The writing is excellent and the pacing wonderful. Highly recommended

Also recommended: Life of Pi, Da Vinci Code, Bark of the Dogwood

Rating:
Summary: Engaging to the end
Review: Bridget Jones's Diary is a really fun book. Encompassing a year or so, each entry in the diary begins with Bridget's "stats" for the day (her weight, alcohol units consumed, cigarettes smoked, etc.)

Helen Fielding's writing is very readable and above all, extremely funny. In my opinion, the book's greatest asset was the time spent on developing the rapports between the characters. Hardly any time was spent on this in the film, which in my opinion was rather disappointing (although the film did have Colin Firth).

You'll want to know what's going to happen with Bridget and everyone else, and you'll be surprised how difficult it is to put this book down!

Rating:
Summary: 30 years out of date
Review: Reading this book, I had to keep checking the inside front cover to see when it was first published. It HAS to have been written in the early 1970's, at the very, very latest.

Do people really still think like that? I thought that sort of thing had gone out with our grandmothers.

It's set women back at least 30 years.

Rating:
Summary: So true and sooo funny!
Review: I loved this book! If you are (or were) single and nearing the dreaded age of 30, you must read this book! Helen does a great job of capturing what it is like to be single and the harrasment that comes from family and married friends. Always trying to set you up, pointing out men, "casually" placing you with a male guest at a party... Bridget always seems to have bad things happen to her... she's late for meetings at work, burns food when she tries to cook, lots of one time dates, no cards on valentines day, etc. The diary blurbs are hilarious as like many women, Bridget weighs herself, counts calories, number of drinks and cigarettes. I am also in the middle of Edge of Reason and it is every bit as funny!

Rating:
Summary: Uncensored, Uninhibited, and Unmarried
Review: What could be better than stuck up British people raging on a British girl about not being married yet while she is trying to find inner poise and lose 20 pounds. Although she fails many a time about such resolutions such as not falling for her boss and not smoking as much as she used to. She remains however optimistic. This book is for everyone who is over the age of thirteen even if you think that this book is to racy for them just visit there school and you will find out that there school is just as racy as this book if not more and that is saying a good bit. I would recommend this to anyone over the age of thirteen who has a spare hour or two it is a quick read that you laugh all the way through.

Rating:
Summary: Cute, but nothing great...
Review: I enjoyed this fictitious diary about Bridget, a thirtysomething stressing about men, diets, and men...did I mention that? However, since I'm not British, and a bit young for the series, it was not that easy to relate to Bridget, even though I did like her. I also knew I missed quite a few jokes with all the British slang. It has it's cute moments, but overall, it's just basically a fluffy light read, nothing more.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This book had me laughing out loud. It was a great book, I was never bored while reading it. Bridget's character is truly original and hilarious.

Rating:
Summary: Why bother?
Review: I just can't understand the hype about this book. This tedious, shallow-minded excuse for a heroine bumbles her way through an entire year, learning nothing and changing little.

On and on she moans, mostly about not being in a permanent relationship, with endless reflection about couple and 'singletons'. And why is she single, we might ask? It's because she's a child.

The book is very much in the manner of the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 14. A common device used in both books is the accumulation of facts and circumstances, all pointing to an obvious conclusion which the reader can see but the main character cannot until late in the day (we all know, long before Adrian works it out, that his sister has been fathered by a man who is not his mother's husband; we can see the signs that Bridget's mother's boyfriend is a crook long before she can). But while this touching naivety is amusing for a 14 year old, it wears pretty thin for someone in her 30s.

So when we hear her, near the end of the book, talking about going 'home' for Christmas - meaning the place where her parents live - it's no surprise. She bemoans that she isn't treated as an adult, she can't have an adult relationship; it's because she's never grown up or even tried to. She still thinks of herself living with Mummy and Daddy, even though she might sleep over in her London flat (which they probably pay for) from time to time. Emotionally, she's 14.

So, Bridget, I'm not surprised you're a 'singleton', and I don't think the relationship you've stumbled into at the end of the book will last long. Stop wallowing in your childhood and grow up.

If you're still reading this book and wondering whether to press on to the end just to see what happens, don't bother. It's not worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Vg start to day...
Review: I had read the book but listening to it on tape was vg fun. Each time I read it, listen to it, or watch it I can't wait to see what happens next, as if it would magically change. So funny!