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A review by jeanwatts
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I loved and hated this book equally. I’ve never seen the movie but plan to after this reading simply because….well. It’s funny. It a funny book. You feel like Bridget (if you are a white woman in a western culture). And I immediately related to a lot of what she thinks and feels and how she overreacts or underreacts. For being written in the 90s…it hold up
But that’s also why I hate it. It holds up. A woman who constantly stresses about her weight, finding a man, being a better career woman, not getting drunk, being poised and graceful and good and attractive….why is this what stands the test of time? Why is a woman who writes “123 lbs., thigh circumference 18 inches (honestly, what is the bloody point) … negative thoughts: approx. 445 per hour, positive thoughts 0” funny? Why is her planning a perfect birthday by the hour just for us to read it go horribly wrong funny?
It makes me wonder what keeps women in this repetitive mindset focused on weight and jobs and men? And why do we obsess and then go the opposite and promise to stop only to go back again? The fact that this book is still relatable is an issue. Also the fact is: it’s relatable to straight, white, middle class, cis women. So for it to be the “female experience” is wrong.
At the same time….it’s….funny. And I enjoyed a lot of it.
It’s hard to balance my love and hate for this book. I will not say any more on the matter.
But that’s also why I hate it. It holds up. A woman who constantly stresses about her weight, finding a man, being a better career woman, not getting drunk, being poised and graceful and good and attractive….why is this what stands the test of time? Why is a woman who writes “123 lbs., thigh circumference 18 inches (honestly, what is the bloody point) … negative thoughts: approx. 445 per hour, positive thoughts 0” funny? Why is her planning a perfect birthday by the hour just for us to read it go horribly wrong funny?
It makes me wonder what keeps women in this repetitive mindset focused on weight and jobs and men? And why do we obsess and then go the opposite and promise to stop only to go back again? The fact that this book is still relatable is an issue. Also the fact is: it’s relatable to straight, white, middle class, cis women. So for it to be the “female experience” is wrong.
At the same time….it’s….funny. And I enjoyed a lot of it.
It’s hard to balance my love and hate for this book. I will not say any more on the matter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Eating disorder and Dysphoria