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I’ve told men that if they want to learn about women, they should read
Bridget Jones’s. Of course afterwards I wished I had further explained
myself a bit more, distanced myself a bit from Bridget—at least from parts
of her. It’s true, of course, that most women can relate to at least something
in this book, but it’s also true that a lot of it is substantially hyperbolized. So men
who read this book to understand women should take it with several grains of salt.
At any rate, it’s a funny book for both genders. Its exaggeration is exactly
what will leave you holding your sides with laughter as Bridget writes exactly
what she thinks in her diary entries. As a reader, you follow Bridget, a thirty-something
singleton living in London, through the erratic ups and downs of her life during
the course of a single year (which follows an amazingly similar, though modern and very loosely connected,
path to Elizabeth’s in Jane Austen’s Pride
and Prejudice, which BBC TV series is discussed quite freely in the
book).
One of my favorite things about this novel is its use of stats. Bridget compulsively
weighs herself and counts her caloric, nicotine, and alcohol intake throughout
the year in an attempt to keep her New Year’s resolutions (listed at the
beginning of the book and totaled at the end). She’s breathtakingly honest
in her stats keeping, which is quite amusing. Even more telling are her notations
showing her reactions to each figure, showing often in a single abbreviation
whether she’s being hard on herself or lenient that day and therefore telling
you a lot before you even get into the entry.
The telegraphic diary-entry style makes this a lovely read that doesn’t
last nearly long enough. Of course, if you’re incredibly lazy, there’s
a marvelous movie adaptation, but of course you still have to read the book
because like most movie adaptations, it’s quite a bit different. If you loved
the first book, there’s a sequel: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
