Rating: 
Summary: You'll either love it or hate it
Review: As you can see, I loved it.The struggles of a (sometimes airhead) single woman are hilarious to read about. Every day starts off with a list of statistics about Bridget's weight, cigarettes she's smoked, calories she's consumed, etc. Who hasn't had a smarmy Daniel Cleaver in her life? A jerk in the office who strings you along while he's doing some bimbo on the side? Who hasn't met a man who didn't strike you as anything special the first time around? Bridget's friends and her parents (and her parents' friends) are hilarious. Whenever someone asks me for a good "beach read" recommendation, I suggest Bridget Jones. Read it, and be ready for a rollicking good time.
Rating: 
Summary: Amusing? Annoying? Why, it's both.
Review: Helen Fielding's much-heralded screwball novel, "Bridget Jones's Diary" is told in the form of a diary over the course of one year, chronicaling Bridget's "Singleton" anxiety that she many never find Mr. Right, and her resentments that she feels she has to be on such a search at all. Each day's entry is preceded by a tally of her success, or lack thereof, in the struggle against the vices of smoking, drinking and calories. On one particularly stressful day, she records "cigarettes 40 (but have stopped inhaling in order to smoke more.)" Some of the entries cheat on the diary concept, in that they seem to have been written moments after the events took place, but that's no matte. Nearly all of tem have to do with men, sex ("shagging", as the Brits put it)jealousies, and her mother's attempts to force a wealthy lawyer on her. "I don't know why she didn't jsut come out with it and say, "Darling, do shag Mark Darcy over the turkey curry, won't you? He's very rich." And so it goes, from Janary 1 to December 26, detailing her Singleton's "fears of dying alone and being found three weeks later half-eaten by an Alsatian" and her resentment / envy of the Smug Marrieds: hurrying to a pary, Bridget writes, "Heart was sinking at thought of being late and hungover, surrounded by ex-carrer-girl mothers and their Competitive Childrearing." Still, what is worse than not being a Smug Married yourself is the possiblity that one of your unmarried friends might become one: "If you are single the last thing you want is your best friend forming a functional relationship with somebody else." What it all boils down to is a 90's spin on the boy-gets-girl-gets-boy story.With 'deep regret, rage, and and overwhelming sense of defeat'Bridget learns that "the secret of happiness with men" comes through a variation on an ancient moral: Mother knows best. As a single American woman of roughly Bridget's age, there are many parts of this book that I could strongly relate to, but just as many times as I nodded in agreement with her diary entries, I found myself saying "You stupid, stupid girl!". Altogether an entertaining read, but not groundbreaking. With summer comining up, I would certainly recommend it as a good beach book, but not more than that.
Rating:
Summary: Been There--But this was still LOL Funny!
Review: How funny is it to have a look ANOTHER life in singleton-ville? I was amazed that while the cliches were there, they were all presented in a way that was either so fresh or so funny that I just loved reading about Bridget's crazy (like all of ours) life and equally crazy (like all of ours) love-life. I'd recommend this book to anyone. (Or at least anyone with a sense of humor!) It is just brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but somewhat annoying at times
Review: Although I found the story to be somewhat entertaining and the witty remarks rather unique, I was thoroughly annoyed by the self-pitying theme. I am not very tolerant of women who have a low self esteem and don't wish to improve themselves by any other way than losing weight or counting cigarettes. So, needless to say, the calorie counting banter was not my cup of tea. Bridget did get a little more self sufficient by the end of the novel, even though the dependence on male interactions was still apparent, so I calmly dealt with her until the end. So, it is not the best book I have ever read, but it is somewhat entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: A ridiculous work of fiction
Review: I, too, was mislead by the Bestseller's List status of this book and foolishy bought it myself. I will admit that I enjoyed the first few chapters, but by the end I was disgusted. If I had wanted to read a Danielle Steel book, I would have bought one. Don't waste your time reading this book....it is a sheer disappointment. Oh, and the reviewer above who said that the author would not be receiving so many bad reviews were she a man....what a cop out! Bad writing is bad writing regardless of what's between your legs.
Rating: 
Summary: She Grows on You!
Review: Bridget Jones definitely reminded me of someone I know: me in college! I know several of you can agree.... Of course, I didn't keep a running log of how much I weighed, how many calories I ingested, or how many times I dialed *69, but in general, the theme is the same. Learning who you are isn't an easy task, and I think a diary is a healthy way of monitoring progress, not to mention hilarious for the readers. The tendency to think Bridget was a ditz, a wimp, a bore showed me that I was as hard on her as I was on myself, making me love her even more. The mom was such a flake I had a hard time not falling in love with her too. Bridget's bestfriend Tom was an absolute hoot, especially with the "black eye" incident. And Mark Darcy evolved into a prince among men, and I couldn't have picked a better beau for her myself... Great job, Ms. Fielding! Looking forward to reading Edge of Reason.
Rating:
Summary: Oy.
Review: The beginning of the novel elicited a few smirks, but what initially seems like tongue-in-cheek fun quickly degenerates into annoyingly juvenile, self-obsessed whining that drags on interminably. I kept slogging through, thinking that perhaps the payoff to all of the internalized-sexist crud would be that the main character finally grows up and gets a clue, but, alas, that is not the case. Don't waste your time or your money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Bridget Jones' Never-ending Pity Party (read-v.b.)
Review: I think this book bit. Plain and simple. I laughed out loud one time toward the beginning of the book, and then I just got queasy. I thought the end should have contained a certificate, signed by Fielding herself, for all the time I shot reading this drivel. If "Bridget" is the future of women, then we're in a lot of trouble. Bridget's behavior was unbecoming a thirtysomething. She should at least have had a clue as to who she is and what motivates her. I remember acting like this in high school, and even on my worst day, I couldn't hold a candle to this nut. There's nothing wrong with wanting a man in your life, there's nothing wrong with wanting marriage and stability and kids. But must it be EVERYTHING? For Pete's sake, get a hobby! Boozing doesn't count! Bridget was weak and whiny. She failed to learn from the bad things that happened to her, causing her to repeat her stupidity over and over again (dumb dinner parties). The only thing I was compelled to do was set her on fire and leave her for dead. Her mother treated her like a lump, and she just took it. Daniel treated her like a piece, and while she originally said no (I almost liked her then,) she eventually just took that too, and had the nerve to be upset about Jude and Vile Richard. You can't walk around acting like a pathetic loser and expect the people you come in contact with to treat you with dignity and respect. It just doesn't work that way, no matter how many times you announce that you have inner poise. Her friends didn't love her enough to really tell her like it is. Women in my social circle sympathize, and then they smack you around until you get your act together. And what was up with Darcy? He starts off as this aloof little geek, and all of a sudden he's just this wonderful guy? Hello, character development? I love a good book. I love a stark treatise on modern culture. I adored "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole." I adored "Pride and Prejudice" (and I resent the comparison.) I did NOT adore "Bridget." When she learns to successfully integrate her search for Mr. Right with other things in her life that make her happy (not to mention interesting), then it'll be worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Bridget is the 2000 girl!
Review: How many times have I slid the bathroom scale all over the floor trying to find the spot I weigh the least? More than I care to disclose. But, Bridget Jones' Diary made me feel like I wasn't alone! Bridget's daily caloric intake and "fat units" carefully tallied in her journal made me laugh out loud. It also truthfully shows how our g-friends can be our best relationship advocates or our worst relationship fumblers (with the best intentions). Any woman (Singelton or "Smug Married") will appreciate Bridget's struggles with boyfriends, weight, and the terror of running into a "rooftop giantess"! Power to the girlies, Bridge! Oh, and by the way- I love Colin Firth, too!
Rating:
Summary: Great Light Reading
Review: Bridget's Diary was certainly entertaining. It had me laughing out loud in several scenes, and I enjoyed its parallels to Pride and Prejudice. Definitly worth your time if you are looking for something fun to read. Any woman can relate to at least some part of Bridget's life.
|
