Rating: Summary: 10 STARS! ********** Review: This is my all-time favorite book. It's an honest and hilarious look at the emotional rollercoaster ride that is Bridget's life. She's a cynical optimist who can't seem to get a break or lose those last few pounds. She alternates between despair ("Why? WHY?!?!") and enthusiasm (to cook a gourmet meal for friends, for example, or lose 7 pounds before tomorrow). The first time I read this book, several years ago, I laughed out loud -- often -- to the point of tears. It's THAT funny. If you choose to "read" it on audio book, you won't be disappointed. Barbara Rosenblat has the perfect voice for Bridget (and all the other characters). I've never been so impressed with a reading before.
Rating: Summary: Fabulous Review: Bridget is completely lovable in her little ways of doing things and the outlandish (but socially accurate) methodology of dealing with her life's problems. The idea of writing a diary about a 30-something singleton in London who wants to be young, in a committed relationship with a hot guy, in control of her habits (smoking, drinking, eating), and who cannot do any of those things is a very good one. Honestly, the entire book is funny, even in the most serious passages. It reminds us that our problems are mostly our own making, and any effort on our parts to change the cosmic balance is futile. Thus, we are led to laugh at ourselves through Bridget's stumbling path to happiness.
Rating: Summary: Gets Boring Review: Yes, it's funny. But there's only so much "shagging", drinking, and obsessions about men a woman can take. I put it down after reading almost half of it. THere wasn't any real plot I could ascertain, and the constant shagging or crying into the wine bottle over lack thereof got real old real fast. But, if you can put up with the characters's silliness, I'm sure a plot emerged somewhere. And there were funny parts. But it just didn't keep me interested enough to read the whole thing.
Rating: Summary: Not the best chic-lit out there... Review: After hearing so much about this book, I was excited to see what all the hoopla was about. As a huge fan of British chic-lit, Bridget Jones' Diary unfortunately just didn't do it for me. At times I found the way in which it was written to be kind of hard to follow and understand. The quality of writing that I was hoping for was just not there. In my opinion, this book is not all that it is cracked up to be! There are better beach books out there.
Rating: Summary: self-interest Review: the bridget jones phenomenom allowed me to feel a little happier with myself. despite all of bridget's faults and lack thereof, Fielding has made her a heroine for normal women (aside from the aquiremnet of mr. darcy)
Rating: Summary: Funny, better than the movie Review: Funny book and true to life. I think most women can relate to Bridget.
Rating: Summary: I love Her Review: What more can I say? This is the best book I have read in a long time! This was way better than any movie! I could not even compare the two! I do appologize for not having a more wordy intellingent opinion, but one such legnthy opinion is not really necessary for such an amazing book! I also enjoyed "the Nanny Diaries" by McLaughlin & Kraus.
Rating: Summary: It Was Okay Review: I did enjoy reading "Bridget Jone's Diary", it was a funny, witty & a fun reading experience. It did realistically & originally portray dating through a woman's perspective. I also found it to be repetitive, she covered the same subjects again and again. Also, Bridget's obsession with weight was just annoying, annoying enough that I wanted to skip any paragraphs that described weight issues--even though there really was no reason for it to be an issue. In addition, some parts were really boring & pointless, for example, Bridget spent half of a page describing how her fingernails were messy, & that she needed an emery board. She was a character that you loved & hated. She was witty & fun, but at the same time, she acted stupidly around men, and drank and smoked all the time.Plus, it was very dumb when she complained about smoker's rights.This is a light, fluffy, summer reading novel--don't expect anything more. But, overall, this was a novel that I hoped I would love, and tried to love, but in the end, it was just mediocre to me.
Rating: Summary: Very funny for both sexes Review: Bridget Jones is a 30-ish cog in the corporate machine who feels unappreciated, unheard, and unloved. This novel is a year in her life, written as a diary, wherein we learn the details of her alcohol intake, party meltdowns, and sexual adventures. It is all so absurdly funny that the average reader is likely to find it difficult to put the book down. There are a few basic threads that run through the book and intertwine - conflict with her immediate boss (Perpetua!), flirtation with her boss's boss, and her mother's middle-aged crisis (she runs off with a Portugese con artist). Naturally, the amount of events taking place in Bridget's life do not leave much time for career, so she does little at work except flirt with her boss's boss, then quits to take a job at a Hard Copy type show that sensationalises trivial news. Through it all, Mark Darcy keeps popping up, acting mysteriously like his namesake from Pride and Prejudice (in fact, the end of the story reads very much like a modern-day remake of that Jane Austin book). This is obviously a very British book, and there are some parts that are slightly confusing for a North American. For example, what we call "*69" in Canada (and the U.S.?) is called "1671" - i.e. dialback numbers of people that have called while you were out. However, a couple of pages will reveal the context and you can figure out the North American equivalent. The book is written in a very choppy style, as journal entries by Bridget after an event. As such, the writing is not very dense, and it's easy to breeze through pages just taking a few minutes here and there - a great book to carry in the briefcase. Men and women are likely to thoroughly enjoy the book - all the characters are slightly stereotyped, and we've all met people like them - the sleazy womaniser, the ditsy blonde, the rabid feminist, the flightly mother, etc. I would worry if you identify too closely with any of the characters! =) Therefore, it's highly recommended as a lightweight farce of life for the modern (single) professional.
Rating: Summary: Bridget Jones's Choppy Diary Review: I'm glad that I saw the movie before I read the book, otherwise the book would've been miserable and I probably would've never watched the movie (which I thought was quite good). People have compared the Shopaholic series to this book, but I don't think they are anything alike. Bridget Jones's Diary is a bit choppy. I found it difficult to get into one aspect of Bridget's life without being swept into a completely different part. Some of the characters (such as Mark Darcy and Simon) were not given enough depth. Though many of the events and situations were humorous, the reading was not "laugh out loud" material. It also seemed as if I was having to force myself to the conclusion, where I finally found some interest. When Briget and Mark's relationship finally took form was the best part of the book. I guess after seeing Bridget go from one disaster to the next, it was good for her to finally settle down. A few conflicts have been unresolved by the end of the reading: what happens to Julio and Bridget's "mum"?, did Daniel ever call back or try to pursue a relationship? what happens with Bridget's job? I was expecting much more from this book but got stiff insight instead.
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