Bridget Jones's Diary : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Predictably average summer read
Review: This book came highly recommended from a friend, and I was disappointed. I did laugh at some points, but found most of the book predictable and whiny. I personally thought "Alice K's Guide to Life" by Caroline Knapp did a better job of capturing the neurotic nature of the 30something single, female mind.

Rating:
Summary: Believe what you hear
Review: If you're looking into this book, it's probably because you've been told over and over again to read it. Let me just say this: listen to your friends. This book is funny and that's it. Just wait until you hear the reason why she was stood up. I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: Just about the worst book I've ever read.
Review: I had high hopes for this book. It got rave reviews on NPR and it was supposed to be the hottest thing in London. What an incredible disappointment! Incredibly pretentious and a real bore to read.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't stop laughing
Review: I highly recommend reading this book. I found it very funny, and have already lent it to 7 women who also loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Contrived, shallow and predictable.
Review: I for one will not be at all surprised if I read one day that Helen Fielding is the pseudonym for a shrewd but misogynistic male writer. It's a clever bit of marketing, though. It aims at the same areas that the supermarket magazines for women also aim at. The title character, Bridget Jones, seems to care only about her weight and getting a man while she's in her 30s and (phew) still young enough to have children. I say it wouldn't surprise me if a man wrote this book, because Bridget seems a composite of all the answers in magazine quizzes: "I think my thighs are (a) Just Right (b) Horrid, (c) Illegally Huge", etc. All the writer would have to do is buy a few magazines at the supermarket checkout counter. Voila -- instant character development. I notice I'm in the minority with a negative review...I'm not surprised, just saddened.

Rating:
Summary: Outrageous...hilarious
Review: This book was very very funny. Great wit...Outrageous is the word that comes to mind to describe it.This IS being single

Rating:
Summary: Love this book! Read my review for a new title you MUSTread
Review: To my fellow friends that loved Bridget's hysterical novel, wouldn't you just love it if you could dive into another great read like this?!?!? If so, I have the answer -- THE TRIALS OF TIFFANY TROTT. It is very funny, charming, real and is sure to make you laugh as loud as you did reading BJones's Diary - Dates from hell are Universal - Let's all laugh together!!!!

Rating:
Summary: It made me laugh out loud!
Review: Sure, it's not Shakespeare and probably won't be around ten years from now but it is quite funny and a perfect mindless summer read. I liked it quite a bit!

Rating:
Summary: It's Great! Why is everyone complaining?
Review: This book is incredibly funny, I rarely, ok never, buy humor books but I couldn't resist. I can completely relate to this book and I think anyone who has been in their early 30s and still single will too. Or, if you've ever stumbled into an office romance, via email no less. Or, if you've ever told yourself that it doesn't matter how much you weigh only to weigh yourself three times in one night. Or, if you've ever gone to your friends and spouted strident feminist wisdom after a particularily bad date, you WILL relate. And you will laugh at Bridget the same way you laugh at yourself the next day. It's not at all depressing even when Bridget hits a stumbling block she does it with a sort of "Absolutely Fabulous" humor. Buy it, buy it for your friend!

Rating:
Summary: Close enough
Review: As a 30ish Singleton, I can safely say that there's a bit of Bridget in me and almost all of my friends. That doesn't mean I identify with her; she does some really stupid things and is tremendously lacking in true self confidence. But I do recognize her--for example, I like the way I look but keep obsessing over five pounds. It's just a lot funnier when Fielding tells it than when I do. This book is not an indictment of feminism, nor is it greatly insightful. But it is enjoyable and lighthearted--a good read for those who don't take themselves or their entertainment too seriously.