Bridget Jones; The edge of Reason
by Helen Fielding
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Book Summary Information
Author: Helen FieldingEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-05
ISBN: 014303443X
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Bridget Jones; The edge of Reason
Book Review: Hurrah for Bridget Jones!
Summary: 5 Stars
(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!
Austenesque Reviews
Summary of Bridget Jones; The edge of Reason
Lurching from the cappuccino bars of Notting Hill to the blissed-out shores of Thailand, everyone's favorite Singleton Bridget Jones begins her search for The Truth in spite of pathetically unevolved men, insane dating theories, and Smug Married advice. She experiences a zeitgeist-esque Spiritual Epiphany somewhere between the pages of How to Find the Love You Want Without Seeking It (can self-help books really help self?), protective custody, and a lightly chilled Chardonnay.Fans of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary will recall that at the end of that sly and funny version of Pride and Prejudice, singleton heroine Bridget landed her Mr. Darcy at last--Mark Darcy, that is. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason picks up four weeks later, and already the honeymoon is over. In addition to discovering that the man of her dreams votes conservative, left-leaning Bridget is also feeling just a mite uncomfortable with the realities of sharing bed and board with another person:
V. complicated actually having man in house as cannot freely spend requisite amount of time in bathroom or turn into gas chamber as conscious of other person late for work, desperate for pee etc.; also disturbed by Mark folding up underpants at night, rendering it strangely embarrassing now simply to keep all own clothes in pile on floor.But all of these problems pale to insignificance with the arrival on the scene of Rebecca, a beautiful, man-hunting arch-nemesis with "thighs like a baby giraffe" and absolutely no girlfriend code of ethics when it comes to poaching another woman's man. Before long, Rebecca's manipulations, Bridget's own insecurities, and a string of misunderstandings (starting with a naked Filipino boy in Mark Darcy's bed and ending with a suggestive valentine from Bridget's dry cleaner) result in "128 lbs. (good), alcohol units 0 (excellent), cigarettes 5 (a pleasant, healthy number), no. times driven past Mark Darcy's house 2 (v.g.), no. of times looked up Mark Darcy's name in phone book to prove still exists 18 (v.g.), 1471 calls 12 (better), no. of phone calls from Mark 0 (tragic).
Fortunately, Bridget has plenty of other problems to distract her. Her mother has returned from a trip to Kenya with a young Masai in tow--to her father's consternation; her best friends Jude, Shazzer, and Tom are all trapped in dating hell themselves; her apartment is in shambles thanks to a dotty carpenter; an unreliable ex-boyfriend has just reentered her life; and now someone is sending Bridget death threats--could it be Mark Darcy? If Bridget Jones's Diary was a modern riff on Pride and Prejudice, its sequel borrows several themes and devices (not to mention a section heading) from another Austen novel, Persuasion. And as in Austen's fiction, here the journey is the destination. A happy ending for Bridget and her pals is a foregone conclusion; how they get there, however, will have you on the edge of your chair--if you haven't already fallen off of it laughing. --Alix Wilber
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