Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

This novel spoke to me on such a personal level, it was almost scary at times. I thoroughly enjoyed this book – the characters, the weird references to 1990s British pop culture that I usually didn’t get, the wildly inventive cursing, and (of course) the humour. One perfect example : "The rich, divorced-by-cruel-wife Mark Darcy --quite tall-- was standing with his back to the room, scrutizing the contents of the Alconbury's booksheleves . . . It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr. Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It's like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting 'Cathy' and banging your head against a tree."

Bridget is a 32-year-old career girl who lives in London and is pining for a boyfriend. This novel, written in diary form, chronicles just over one year in her life, during which she loses a total of 72 pounds (but gains a total of 74); quits her job in publishing because she shagged her boss; demonstrates that she is an appallingly bad public speaker; starts a career as a television reporter; finds herself caught between two sets of friends – the Singletons and the Smug Marrieds (whose dinner parties offer ever-new opportunities for humiliation); and is finally asked out by a normal, kind, and very handsome man called Mark Darcy. This novel did cause a bit of a commotion when it was first published in England in 1996, because it was one of the first to openly and without apology talk about the fact that there were – are - hundreds, if not thousands, of thirty-something career women who are still Singletons, and who are starting to worry because they haven’t found The One yet. Bridget Jones is a wonderful role model, in a weird anti-herione sort of way, because no matter how horrible her situation becomes, she pulls herself together and convinces herself that everything will be better in the morning. Even though I thought this book was wonderfully hilarious, I will admit that I was frightened at times, because I am worried I might end up like Bridget. Yes, I do tend to over-exaggerate things, since I am only a twenty-something and do not live in London; however, I have been a Singleton for more than three years, and fear that that lifestyle won’t change even after I finish all my schooling. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy Bridget’s escapades and the movie versions of the books as well.

If you enjoyed this book, please consider reading:

Fiction Recommendation #1 : Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Like Bridget Jones’s Diary, this book is a light, funny novel set in England. Rebecca writes for a financial planning magazine, yet has huge credit card debt from which she cannot seem to break free. Hilarity and chaos ensues.
Fiction Recommendation #2 : Bridget Jones’s Guide to Life by Helen Fielding. This slim volume is a collection of some of the original newspaper columns Fielding wrote about Bridget, which prompted her to write a full-length novel in the first place.
Nonfiction Recommendation #1 : Becoming a Goddess of Inner Poise: Spirituality for the Bridget Jones in All of Us by Donna Freitas. For those readers who completely identify with Bridget, but have failed in capturing their own Mr. Darcy, then this self-help book may be right for them.