Bridget Jones's Diary

Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones is a single, thirty something woman living in England and working as an editor for a publishing company. She spends her life on a perpetual diet and trying to improve herself. She'd love to find a good, possibly permanent relationship. Her parents and their friends keep trying to marry her off.

This is Bridget's account of a year in her life. During this year, she expresses her New Year's resolutions for self improvement, falls in love, and watches her parents' marriage of almost 40 years fall apart. She has some close friends who help her through the good times and the bad. She laughs, sings, moans, and whines throughout the year. Her diary is the place for her to record all.

This is a light hearted, funny book. The reader can easily identify with the emotions and actions Bridget experiences. Each entry starts with the number of calories eaten for the day, alcohol units consumed, and cigarettes smoked. When they're low, she applauds herself. When they're high, she'll excuse herself. She questions herself constantly. She records her mother's new life from a grown daughter's perspective. She recounts her own love life, along with the highs and lows. Bridget is a normal, typical person for her circumstances.

This book (I understand) was originally a weekly serial in an English newspaper. I can understand how the readers looked forward to the next week's happenings. This is a fun, light read. Be prepared to laugh at Bridget and probably at yourself as well.

Notice: Suggestive dialogue or situations

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella