Throwback Thursday Chick Lit Book Review: Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

It’s no secret to anyone who reads this blog that I am a big fan of romantic comedies and anything Jane Austen. And so, when Helen Felding wrote “Bridget Jones’s Diary” I was ecstatic because it combined my two great loves into one fabulous book.

What is there to say about this book that hasn’t been said before. First of all, Bridget is absolutely LOVABLE. From the first few lines of the book, I immediately saw myself in Bridget.  Who hasn’t struggled with weight issues, the insecurities of being single and the anxiety of finding true love?  Bridget is brutally honest and very perceptive, but most importantly, she doesn’t take herself too seriously and she tries her best to enjoy life (even when that life has a few surprises for her along the way!)  Her diary entries are so hysterical-but in a good way-that by the end of the book, I saw myself  hurrying to the nearest stationary store to buy my own diary!

And I haven’t even talked about the best part of the book (or should I say the best man in this book).  Daniel Cleaver is the quintessential bad boy. You know Bridget should stay away from him.  You know he’s up to no-good, and yet you can’t help but secretly, deep down inside, root for him a little bit.  And then there’s Mark Darcy. I sigh every time I say his name.  He comes across as haughty and aloof and very stuck-up (sounds familiar, Jane Austen?).  He wears ridiculous sweaters and he is very reserved.  And yet, we love him.  Why?  Because he’s Darcy.  He’s loving and chivalrous.  He’s the knight in shining armor that comes to Bridget’s rescue more than once.

So, even though I have long since become a Smug Married, I can still pick up this book and read it over and over again; and laugh.  How can you not with diary entries such as: “I will not fall for any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomaniacs, chauvinists, emotional fuckwits or freeloaders, perverts.”