Review by rkiveofpages - Bridget Jones's Diary

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rkiveofpages 's review for:

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

3.25

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I was destroyed by the 4th movie in the franchise two weeks ago, so it was only fitting that I finally see what the books are about!

Overall, I think this was a fun and quick reading experience. The diary format took a bit to get used to— as a non-native speaker of English, the sentence structures often looked foreign and weird to me, but it was not a particularly difficult obstacle.

I really enjoyed how the plot differs from the movies; it follows the Pride & Prejudice formula much more closely, and on one hand seeing the changes made me appreciate the screenwriters who adapted this source material, and on the other, it also kept me interested enough to finish this book, because I maybe wouldn’t have otherwise, to be honest. At times, it was quite flat, and to me, this was one case where I think the movie is immensely more funny and enjoyable.

In the book though, I mostly enjoyed the subplots, for example the mayhem caused by Pam and Julio and the day Tom “went missing” because they were entirely new and quite witty! I found it funny how both of the male lead actors are mentioned at some point in the book, so I need to report that I’m as in love with book Mark Darcy’s as I am in love with movie Mark Darcy,

even if he’s barely around,

and I even found myself enjoying the Daniel Cleaver-era,

maybe because he was around much less than in the films after the relationship ended 🙃

But all-in-all I fear the book lacks the excitement factor and “twist” that one would find familiar from the movies, and the humour depended on Bridget’s inner monologue more than situational comedy. That’s not to say it wasn’t funny AT ALL, I had great laughs, (though some jokes were… a bit questionable… or maybe tasteless?? ignorant?? when it came to Bridget and the Middle East… or other women’s bodies…)

Also, another note: maybe it’s because I don’t have the proper lenses to look at popular women’s literature from before I was even born, but the way the topic of feminism was handled in this book was so????? Silly??? Superficial??? I seriously thought in the beginning that it’s used as a gag and that Sharon’s character is a caricature lmaooo 😭 but then I realized the idea of the modern, independent woman that Fielding depicts might’ve been revolutionary at that time. I don’t know.

Anyways… gonna pick up the second book sometime!!

Also, an endnote: please keep an eye out that Bridget has body dysmorphia and crazy rampant fatphobia directed at herself, and it’s a central part of the book!!

Content Warnings