Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason – Helen Fielding

Hurrah for Bridget Jones!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Purchased

(Note: This review is by a person who has enjoyed viewing the movie on numerous occasions prior to having the pleasure of reading the novel. However, because the movie version and novel version are vastly different, there is likely to be very little partiality or prejudice in this review, if any).

In this gloriously funny sequel to Bridget Jones’s Diary, readers find themselves, once again, immersed in the chaotic and comedic world of Bridget Jones. If you expected Bridget to lose some of her neuroses or her proclivity of winding up in humiliating and awkward situations because she is now in a relationship with Mark Darcy, you were wrong my friend! Bridget is still Bridget, weighing herself daily and smoking too many cigarettes; but this time instead of obsessing about finding a boyfriend, she is consumed with doubts and insecurities about the relationship she is already in.

The signs are there… Mark Darcy is a commitment phobic! With the help of her relationship experts/best friends, Shazzer and Jude, Bridget’s eyes are opened to the fact that her relationship with Mark is precariously hanging by a thread. She realizes that she is his “Just For Now Girl” and that he is probably thinking about sleeping with other women due to his “Mentionitis.” Not to mention that he is oblivious to this other woman’s attempts to get her claws on him. After some unfortunate misunderstandings and misconceptions, Bridget decides the best thing for her to do is to “detach” from Mark Darcy. But when Mark no longer calls her and is rumored to be seeing this other woman, Bridget wonders if this “detachment” theory was a good idea after all…

For me, this is one of those times where I enjoyed the sequel more than the first novel. What I liked most about Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason is that there was more of the sexy and intelligent Mark Darcy! I was delighted that Mark Darcy’s character was distinctly developed and received more page time in this novel. I greatly enjoyed how the reader was able to discover and perceive things about Mark Darcy that Bridget was completely unaware of (like his feelings for her).

Another aspect of this novel that I loved was the frequent use of references and plot devices borrowed from both Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. For example: Bridget being persuaded to break up with Mark by her friends; Mark’s work colleague Giles Benwick (Captain Benwick) relying on self-help books (not poetry) to help him through his difficult divorce; and, Rebecca, the woman chasing after Mark, possessing some of Louisa Musgrove’s flirtatiousness and stubborn willfulness.

I found Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason to be a delightfully and amusing sequel. If you have seen the film, be prepared for the book to be nothing like it. In my opinion, the book beats the pants off of the movie! I loved all the absurd and amusing escapades Bridget gets herself into, my favorite being the Colin Firth Interview. Eight brilliant pages of Bridget asking Colin Firth questions like: “How many takes diving into the lake did you have to do?” and “Do you think Mr. Darcy would have slept with Elizabeth Bennet before the wedding?” I highly recommend this novel!

7 comments

  1. I will maintain that Bridget’s interview with Colin Firth is the most hilarious thing I’ve ever read in any book. I laughed out loud so many times it was embarrassing. I’m glad you enjoyed this book. Great review! =)

  2. I haven’t read none of the two unfortunately, but only watched the movies at the cinema when they were released. I liked the first one much more than the second but it seems it goes just the opposite with the books. I think I have to give them a try or at least, read this sequel. I definitely want to read Bridget’s interview with Colin Firth! (BTW, I’ve just posted about him!)
    Thanks, Meredith, for another brilliant review!
    Take care
    MG

  3. TEOR was the first BJ novel I’ve read, even before watching the films, and I absolutely loved it. It was funny, witty, and full of quotations from well known and beloved novels. It was through its frequent references that I became aware of a “new” TV version of P&P – at least, new to me, at the time – and I knew I had to fill the gap. My entire life has changed since then, and for the better! 🙂
    I can’t say I’ve liked the first novel as much as I loved the second, but speaking of the movies, it’s just the opposite. TEOR is really an appalling movie, IMHO. I think the director is to blame for this mess, and I still can’t forgive her after all these years. In fact, the *only* good scenes are those she cut away: luckily she gacefully informs us that we can watch most of them in the DVD’s ‘deleted scenes’ section. There you can find the loveliest and cutiest deleted (why????) scenes, as ‘at the movies’, ‘the dustbin’, ‘the christening’, ‘the interview’ (not as funny as in the novel, but…).

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