Rating: Summary: Pity the Fool. Review: After finally finishing this book, my response is "what's the big deal?". Why have so many people come to admire the character of Bridget Jones and why is this book so popular? I honestly don't know. There isn't anything original about the book whatsoever. The paperthin plot is taken directly from Jane Austen; most of Bridget's "struggles" are nothing new; and the book contains no moral or message of any sort. This isn't a book that can help you change your life. Nevertheless, it does have it's moments (British wit: you either hate it, love it, or don't have a clue), but overall most of the humour gets lost in the blandness of Bridget's "struggles". Overall, other than a few humorous moments that made me laugh, my reaction to the book was one of pity. I pity the character of Bridget Jones and all the poor people who read this book and live like her; just existing in life but never truly living. It's sad that so many see the character of Bridget as heroic when in reality she's just a coward decorated to be a pretty model of "how life is." Oh well. Once again another book with a lot of hype, but no substance.
Rating: Summary: 8st, 13, (v.g.),alcohol 0(yet), calories enough! Review: Expected to hate it-not my thing usually. Turned out bloody marvellous! Bridget is an amalgam of myself and all of my friends and I couldn't help loving her for it. The only thing I'm missing is a Mr Darcy....
Rating: Summary: A Highly Qualified Review Review: OK, I have to confess that I saw the movie first, and then read the book. So, my reaction is very, very much effected by the flick. But since a fair number of people are going to be in the same position that I was, I thought lovers of the movie who want to know if they should pick up the novel might profit from someone else who had been in the same position.First, I utterly adored the movie, and was genuinely stunned at Renee Zellweger's performance. I have always been a fan of hers, but she is so thoroughly American that it was very, very hard to imagine her playing a Brit. I will confess that for the first 15 minutes of the movie that her accent really bothered me. No, she didn't botch it. She sounded quite acceptably English. It was simply that all these scenes from JERRY MAGUIRE and DAZED AND CONFUSED and ME, MYSELF, AND IRENE and NURSE BETTY kept playing in my mind, and in all those she spoke very, very differently. But once I adjusted, I loved her, her performance, and the movie as a whole. So much so that I wanted to read the book. Coming to the book after the movie is a mild disappointment. The primary reason is that Renee Zellweger was so utterly delightful, that the novel suffers somewhat by comparison. Nonetheless, the book itself has sufficient wit, personality, and diversity to delight someone who has seen the movie first. There are the usual variances between the events in the novel and those in the book, but a surprisingly large number of events were common to both. I found one thing utterly amazing in the novel: both of the male leads of the movie are mentioned explicitly in the book. At one point in the book Bridget decides to watch the BBC production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. She starts comparing her Mark Darcy with the Mr. Darcy of the TV series. The part of Mr. Darcy in the BBC series was played by Colin Firth, who also played Mark Darcy in the movie. Furthermore, on her job she suggests that her TV show do a segment on the real life romance between the actors who played Darcy and Elizabeth: Colin Firth and Elizabeth. The other actor mentioned was Hugh Grant, and his mention was not at all flattering. In fact, I am somewhat surprised that Hugh Grant agreed to be in the movie given his appearance in the novel. The novel has a couple of characters debating why Elizabeth Hurley stays with Hugh Grant after his high publicized encounter with a prostitute. Now, it surprises me that Grant took the role because he surely knew that the flick would increase the number of readers of the book. On the other hand, perhaps he (probably correctly) assumes that everyone already knows about that incident. And I have to admit that I do admire the fact that his willingness to be so public after an admittedly embarrassing incident like that does increase my admiration of him. Not that the incident took place, but that he is determined to get on with his life despite a mistake in judgment. So, I do think that someone who has seen the movie first, will definitely enjoy this book. And I will add to what has been said by other reviewers: this book is a very, very fast read. But also a very, very fun read.
Rating: Summary: loved it Review: Bridget Jones's Diary was one of the most entertaining books I have read in a long time. It may not be deep and philosophical, but it was enjoyable. Every female cannot help but relate to Bridget in some manner. I loved the book so much, I couldn't wait to see the film, though the book was much better.
Rating: Summary: Can't sleep? This will surely help Review: I am reading this last thing at night so as to go to sleep more quickly. Trust me, it's really effective. This book reads like the typical article in a women's magazine: we've already heard it all before. I expect the reason for the hype is that unfortunately lots of girls out there have concerns just as superficial as Bridget Jones's. The only reason I haven't yet given up on it is because my office mate so enthusiastically asked me to read it, and I don't want to offend her.
Rating: Summary: very humorous Review: I found this book to be very quick and easy reading. I found myself laughing throughout the book and could relate to Bridget very well. I love Bridget's wry sense of humor and often bizarre way of looking at life. This is a very lighthearted book and I highly recommend it. I actually read the book after seeing the movie and was surprised to find that the movie sticks pretty close to the book.
Rating: Summary: Its... hilarious!!!!!! Review: It was gifted to me by a woman, and came highly recommended. Despite being a man, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even got to understand the way women think a little better. ;)
Rating: Summary: One Word: Silly Review: Helen Fielding is an incredibly gifted writer. There's no denying that. But this book is so overhyped it's not even funny. The storyline of a self-obsessed thirty-something (the book kindly hints that when you're in your thirties you're 'old') searching for a boyfriend and complaining about her weight is so boring, so unoriginal. Yeah, 130 pounds is terribly overweight, isn't it? This book makes women look like cry babies with nothing better to do than feel sorry for themselves. Worse yet, there's a sequel coming. Oh boy...
Rating: Summary: GIVE A LISTEN, LAUGH A LOT Review: Thanks to book and movie many are now familiar with the escapades of that beguiling Brit Bridget Jones. A large portion of the above many may feel that moviedom's Renee Zellweger is Bridget incarnate on screen, and she is terrific. However, the audio book version is equally superb - Tracie Bennett has the voice of Bridget down to a fair farthing as she takes us on a joy ride through one year in Bridget's life. Whether she's plaintive, flirtatious, hopeful, or bemoaning her situation, Tracie Bennett captures our heroine perfectly. Give a listen, laugh a lot, then share with a friend.
Rating: Summary: Is it me, or... Review: I am currently slogging my way through "Diary", waiting for it to be, as promised on the cover, "screamingly funny". It's just not "v.g.". Screamingly boring is more like it. Her little notations about weight, cigarettes smoked and alcohol "units" are really pissing me off. And that's not "v.g.", either. It's made it past my 20 page rule,(if the book doesn't grab me by page 20, it goes to the local library's book sale) but only because I'm trying to find any differences between Bridget and Ally McBeal. While I'm reading it, my brain is moving ahead to my next "read", thinking anything is better than this over-rated mess. Haven't seen the movie, but hear IT was over-rated, also. "The Great Gatsby" it ain't.
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