Bridget Jones's Diary

Rating:
Summary: A FUNNY BOOK THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD
Review: Here in Brazil, English people are known by their circumspection, seriousness and bravery... And this book was a complete surprise to me, since it was written by and Englishwoman. It was a surprise because I founf myself reading out loud with the dialogues, the way the plot was written and the course the plot took.

This book is a whole unidentified world. The characters are people that at least once have crossed our lives (if you are 30+, which doesn't mean you won't enjoy if you are under 20, like me), or the lives of people we know. It's an enchanting book from beginning to end. Now all I want is to read book number two: THE EDGE OF REASON. I think it's as marvelous as the first one. Anyway, Helen Fielding is a nice writer. You'll love the characters if you are a person of this planet, there's no way to escape.

Marco Aurelio - contact: [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: VG, Could not put it down.
Review: Any single woman in her 20's or 30's MUST read this book. I was skeptical at first; my best friend told me I had to read it. I've always thought that I was a freak and that I was the only single woman around that couldn't figure out why she was single. Bridget Jones is the English version of Ally McBeal. Any single woman looking for her Prince Charming will instantly relate to Bridget. Some of the things she says are so hilarious, because you think you are the only one in the world that ever thought like that, and now you realize you are not.

Rating:
Summary: Irresistibly hilarious
Review: Bridget Jones is a girl you love to sympathize with. Who hasn't been on what seems like an eternal diet that you always break, promised that today was the day you would quit smoking, swore you would drink less, and not fall in love with the ladies' man in your office? Through Bridget's trials and errors, she learns to love herself more, and you will, too. A great summer read.

Rating:
Summary: Ditzy Charm and Fun-- But Not Written By a Ditz
Review: My sister abandoned this book in our parents' house and after reading the quote from Nick Hornby on the back ("Helen Fielding is one of the funniest writers alive and Bridget Jones is a creation of comic genius.") I decided to liberate Bridget from her cardboard box in the spare bedroom. I'm certainly glad I did so, but not enough to rave like my new idol Nick Hornby. While Fielding does give him a run for the money in the giggle department, BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY doesn't measure up to HIGH FIDELITY in belly laughs and depth of character. Nor need it--Bridget is a deliberately hyperbolized character--take her seriously as a whole and you miss the point. Be wary of similarities between her and people you know and appreciate Fielding's talent for exaggeration.

Fielding is very strong with comic repartee (if only Bridget really had answered the sneering "why aren't you married yet" question with the "Because I don't want to end up like you, you fat, boring, Sloaney milch cow" that she swallowed). Her bits on the Smug Marrieds are none the less poignant and funny for being obvious--it's just all the booze and cigarette-counting and weight-watching simply does wear thinner than Bridget herself in the end. Moreover, Bridget's love story that parallels PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is not the worthiest homage to Jane Austen. But if it manages to inspire people to read that novel--one of the five funniest written in any century--it has done great and noble service.

Bridget Jones doesn't learn as much as she should, which (while frustrating) is a fine lesson for all of us. Helen Fielding has created a memorable fictional character in Bridget Jones. Expect light, occasionally raucous fun from an intelligent writer--just don't confuse her with her creation.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Read!
Review: What an enjoyable read! A very light, humorous read that you can not put down! You can not help but root for Bridget, relate to Bridget and want to be Bridget!

Rating:
Summary: Bridget, Bridget, Bridget...
Review: She's a study in imperfection: overeating, excessive drinking, procrastination. She lacks sophistication, thrives on self improvement and obssesses over men. She's not Everywoman, but she is someone, who, in her indelicate, calorie counting, wistful self is far more realistic than the beautiful, together heroines of romance novels. She struggles with her weight, just as a lot of women do--thinking herself fat when she isn't; swears to diet and stop smoking, just as soon as she's finished her last "fag", her last "Milk Tray"; she craves after the hunk at work in the manner of a junior high school girl. Her adventures are funny and she is endearing because she is not perfect. Though she gripes about married people's smugness, her focus is not primarily on finding a man. All this is chronicled into a funny, fast read that shouldn't be taken THAT seriously--enough to say she's giving women a bad name and blah blah blah. It's just a book! And an enjoyable one.

Rating:
Summary: Way too much hype
Review: Bridget's struggle to find a man wasn't nearly as tough as my struggle to complete this book. Initially, I was amused by the premise, by Bridget's daily summaries of her calorie intake, units of alcohol, and number of cigarettes. But her pursuit of happiness wore on me.

Bridget and her friends were shallow and dull. I give her credit for retaining a dry sense of humor throughout her diary; that's about all she had going for her.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous feminist fearless!
Review: If you are female, run to get this book for your annual required dose of feel-good laughter. The cover was off-putting; I thought bodice ripper sex book. It's a feminist Monty Python stare at the dating side of a single woman's life and if you've dated anything you've thought, "God this is ludicrous, where's the camera/exit?" Fielding has miraculously distilled every one of these awkward dating/single social moments with biting wit and humour that frankly, only a Brit can write. Her writing is tight, has a great flow and is just outstanding (unlike mine:-). This is one of those writers you'll incorporate into your daily/weekly search for new books to read.

Rating:
Summary: Daughter knows best
Review: My daughter recommended this book to me, suggesting it would give me some insight into her generation and amuse me at the same time. What an understatement! I did learn a lot -- but mostly that women are still thinking the same way we did when I was Bridget's age -- and I enjoyed myself thoroughly in the process. This is a hell of a book.

The males have not been left out, however. My reading group recently read the male counterpart, so to speak -- Asher Brauner's "Love Songs of the Tone-Deaf" an equally hilarious romp through the life of a young man. Both these books are excellent, light-hearted fare for summer reading.

Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT!
Review: I loved this book! If you thought this was good, wait until you read the sequel! It's even better! Bridget Jones is such a witty, interesting character that women can relate to in one way or another. I love the character's sarcastic sense of humor. I only gave it four stars 'cause I read the sequel, and I just couldn't put the book down!