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Helen Fielding
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Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel Paperback – 20 Jun. 1997

by Helen Fielding (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,496 ratings
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Bridget Jones's Diary was first published in 1996 and applauded by critics from Salman Rushdie to Jilly Cooper. A number one best-seller, Helen Fielding's book has sold over fifteen million copies worldwide and has been turned into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Bridget Jones's Diary is followed by Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Bridget Jones is everyone's favourite spinster. In Bridget Jones's Diary she documents her struggles through the social minefield of her 30s and tries to weigh up the eternal question: Daniel Cleaver of Mark Darcy? She is supported through the whole process by four indispensable friends, Shazzer, Jude, Tom and a bottle of chardonnay. A dazzling urban satire of modern relationships? An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family? Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something?
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  1. Book 1 of 4
    Bridget Jones
  2. Print length
    310 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Picador
  5. Publication date
    20 Jun. 1997
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    13 x 2 x 19.8 cm
  8. ISBN-10
    9780330332774
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0330332774
  10. See all details
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Product description

Amazon Review

In the course of the year recorded in Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget confides her hopes, her dreams, and her monstrously fluctuating poundage, not to mention her consumption of 5277 cigarettes and "Fat units 3457 (approx.) (hideous in every way)." In 365 days, she gains 74 pounds. On the other hand, she loses 72! There is also the unspoken New Year's resolution--the quest for the right man. Alas, here Bridget goes severely off course when she has an affair with her charming cad of a boss. But who would be without their e-mail flirtation focused on a short black skirt? The boss even contends that it is so short as to be nonexistent.

At the beginning of Helen Fielding's exceptionally funny second novel, the thirtyish publishing puffette is suffering from postholiday stress syndrome but determined to find Inner Peace and poise. Bridget will, for instance, "get up straight away when wake up in mornings." Now if only she can survive the party her mother has tricked her into--a suburban fest full of "Smug Marrieds" professing concern for her and her fellow "Singletons"--she'll have made a good start. As far as she's concerned, "We wouldn't rush up to them and roar, 'How's your marriage going? Still having sex?'"

This is only the first of many disgraces Bridget will suffer in her year of performance anxiety (at work and at play, though less often in bed) and living through other people's "emotional fuckwittage." Her twin-set-wearing suburban mother, for instance, suddenly becomes a chat-show hostess and unrepentant adulteress, while our heroine herself spends half the time overdosing on Chardonnay and feeling like "a tragic freak." Bridget Jones's Diary began as a column in the London Independent and struck a chord with readers of all sexes and sizes. In strokes simultaneously broad and subtle, Helen Fielding reveals the lighter side of despair, self-doubt, and obsession, and also satirizes everything from self-help books (they don't sound half as sensible to Bridget when she's sober) to feng shui, Cosmopolitan-style. She is the Nancy Mitford of the 1990s, and it's impossible not to root for her endearing heroine. On the other hand, one can only hope that Bridget will continue to screw up and tell us all about it for years and books to come. --Kerry Fried

Review

'Helen Fielding is one of the funniest writers in Britain and Bridget Jones is a creation of comic genius' Nick Hornby

'I cannot recommend a book more joyfully . . . Hilariously funny, miraculously observed, endlessly touching' Jilly Cooper, Daily Telegraph

'The best, the original, the seminal' Mail on Sunday

'A brilliant comic creation. Even men will laugh' Salman Rushdie

'Effortlessly addictive . . . [Bridget Jones's] hilarious diary presents a perfect zeitgeist of single female woes' Sunday Express

‘Wild comedy . . . observed with merciless, flamboyant wit. A gloriously funny book’ Sunday Times

‘A brilliant evocation of life as a single girl in a certain time . . . reads like Anita Loos out of Jane Austen, and any woman who has ever had a job, a relationship or indeed a mother will read it and roar’ The Times

'Bridget Jones's Diary rings with the unmistakable tone of something that is true to the marrow. It defines what it describes' Nicola Shulman, Times Literary Supplement

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0330332775
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; First Thus edition (20 Jun. 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780330332774
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0330332774
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13 x 2 x 19.8 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,496 ratings

About the author

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Helen Fielding

Helen Fielding

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Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, and a sequence of novels and films beginning with the life of a thirtysomething singleton in London trying to make sense of life and love.

Bridget Jones's Diary (1996) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (1999) were published in 40 countries and sold more than 15 million copies. The two films of the same name achieved worldwide success. In a survey conducted by The Guardian newspaper, Bridget Jones’s Diary was named as one of the ten novels that best defined the 20th century.

In November 2012, Fielding announced she had begun writing the third instalment in the Bridget Jones series. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was published in Autumn 2013 with first-day sales in the UK exceeding 46,000 copies. It was the second biggest selling novel of 2013 in the UK, occupied the number one spot on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a total of 26 weeks and has sold over two million copies in 36 countries. In her review for The New York Times Book Review, Sarah Lyall called the novel 'sharp and humorous' and said that Fielding had 'allowed her heroine to grow up into someone funnier and more interesting than she was before.'

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo from Goodreads.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,496 global ratings
Fun, British and so relatable
4 Stars
Fun, British and so relatable
Did I enjoy this because of the film or did I really like the book? I’m not really sure and it’s hard to tell, but either way, Bridget Jones is a lovable character, finding humour in even the most tragic situations.“Oh God, what’s wrong with me? Why does nothing ever work out?”When we first meet Bridget it’s New Year’s Day and she’s set herself a number of resolutions that she’s determined to stick to. Of course, that’s easier said than done for the best of us. If Bridget’s not obsessing over her weight, she’s out buying scratch cards, smoking endless packets of cigarettes and drinking away her sorrows, desperately trying to improve herself.“It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.”And because of all of this, Bridget’s diary is so relatable. She’s a normal woman who over-eats, dates awful men and feels pressured into inviting people she doesn’t really like to her dinner parties. Being in her mid-30s, her parents are desperate to see her happily settled down and take every opportunity to question her love life and try to set her up with eligible men.This book is light-hearted and I see from some of the reviews onGoodreads that several people are criticizing it for this, but why take life so seriously? Bridget is adorable, British, witty and good-natured and her diary is a fine piece of heart-warming chick-lit.Overall rating: Bridget Jones’s Diary was an easy four star read for me. It’s certainly not the best book ever written, but it’s fun, British and so relatable. Who hasn’t had body insecurities, faced a stinking hangover or felt the judgement of others? I’d recommend this book for fans of the film – read it and fall in love with Bridget all over again!
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

lilou789
5.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable classic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2024
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I very much enjoyed this classic read, having watched the film but never read the book.

A flash back to that period in time and evocative of those early career days. You realise that she was never fat, just hugely insecure. Whilst I enjoyed the film, the book at great depth and I’m glad to have read it
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Shelby
4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2024
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Hilarious even though some of it is now slightly dated. Bridget is relatable, funny and sad all at the same time. I found myself giggling away, cussing characters out and rooting for, as ever, Mr Mark Darcy. We need more Darcys in the world!
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Wendy
5.0 out of 5 stars Bridget Jones diary
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2024
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Excellent book and delivery.
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Cooljules
5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out load funny in parts
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2011
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I had resisted buying this book for a long time due to the 'chick flick' film that came out a few years ago. Finally I downloaded it to my Kindle. I was more than pleasantly surprised - the book is really, really good. I love the way she catalogues her day (ciggies, calories, screatch cards, times dialled 1471 etc). The writing is very honest and very believable in the way it is delivered. As you read it you find that we all have a bit of 'Bridget' in our personalities and our lives. I found myself laughing out load in some parts - I loved the way she managed to find anything to do to avoid working (ringing friends, painting nails) or the morning panic where she has to go through several pairs of tight until she finds one with holes that will be hidden...
5 people found this helpful
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miss K. Rogers
3.0 out of 5 stars Love the film so thought I'd give the book a go
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2024
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This book is very different to the film, some chapters have their similarities but over all very different. I was dissapointed with this book .
Her mum in the book was too much for me. She's an irritating character. Thank god it was short.
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talmine
5.0 out of 5 stars The Book of the Film
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2014
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This an account of a year in the life of a young (30+) woman looking for a man she can love and trust. She is also worried about her weight, complexion and allied matters; and equally important, about her parents whose marriage is breaking down.

The events described invite comments such as Hilarious, Exaggerated, Ridiculous, Outrageous and Exhausting.

One event which made me smile was when Bridget is being quizzed for a post as Commentator on some whacky TV show. It concerns some celebrity English actor who had been arrested for having oral sex with a prostitute in a car parked up somewhere in Hollywood Hills; "Why?" said her interviewer, "Why, three months later, is he still with his equally famous English girlfriend. How did he get away with it?" "Any suggestions Bridget?"

Bridget hesitated and said "Perhaps someone swallowed the evidence?". "Brilliant" said the interviewer and laughed out loud.

I myself never saw the Film but I do remember the lead actress being interviewed by Parkinson, who confronted the audience with a clip from the film in which Bridget is shown in bed with her boyfriend when the phone rings. "Oh! its you Mum". The Film differs somewhat from the Book but the script was also written by the Helen Fielding.

The Book is a "Must Read" and the Film is a "Must Watch".
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Dalila - The Book Club
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and entertaining
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2021
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Bridget Jones is funny and honest book and I think that it doesn’t matter at which stage in your life you read it, everyone can kind of relate to a certain extent. I, in particularly, could see my own struggles sometimes toward the old mentality that in your 30s you gotta be in a long lasting relationship and start to think about having kids cause the clock it ticking.. I know now things in society are getting better so there isn’t as much pressure as before, but it still gets annoying sometimes to be asked 😂 I could as well relate to her struggles in accepting her body, I think everyone has been at that stage in life where you are comparing yourself to other women and wish you could loose wight or have higher cheekbones or have better hair etc.. been there done that, then hopefully growing up you start loving yourself and accepting all your flows, but let’s be real social media aren’t helping women in accepting their self images. This book is real and I loved it.

For sure the book goes more in depth in Bridget’s life compared to the movie so If you have watched it but not read the book, I would suggest you do cause you will have lots to think about, I can assure you!

I’m certainly looking forward to read the next books in the series.
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Sian Matthews
5.0 out of 5 stars Late to the party!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2014
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I'd meant to read this book for ages, but never quite got around to it. With the recent release of the third book in this series, I decided I'd better get on with it!

The film adaptation of the book has stayed very close to the story in the book, so if you have seen the film (as I have), you will already know how the story goes; despite this, I still really enjoyed reading it. Bridget Jones's Diary is funny and heart-warming and the title character's observations of day-to-day life are very close-to-the-mark, so much so that I had to smile at the number of times her diary entries reflected my own opinions and experiences. Bridget is very down to earth and her worries and insecurities are an echo of those experienced by women of all ages.

Well worth the purchase price, will now progress to Edge of Reason!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Michelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Signed!
Reviewed in Canada on 16 December 2022
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Not only was my copy in great shape, but it was actually signed by the author 🤣 It was a nice little bonus.
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Buena compra
Reviewed in Spain on 21 April 2024
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Buena compra.
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Jorge Becerra
5.0 out of 5 stars Super Funny book
Reviewed in Mexico on 9 April 2021
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This was my second book to improve my English, although it has a lot of vocabulary and phrasal verbs I enjoyed it, it has been one of the funniest book that I have read it
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Ambreena
5.0 out of 5 stars A quality to read.
Reviewed in India on 25 November 2021
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Amazing book.
Amazing quality.
Worth fir prize.
:)
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Dino Sarma
5.0 out of 5 stars Not at all like the movie (in a good way)
Reviewed in the United States on 25 August 2019
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I loved watching the movie version of this book, and I enjoyed how the characters were varied, but recognisable. The book, however, is far more raunchy, and goes into a really dark place towards the end. There are scenes I can recall from the movie showing up in the book (or vice versa really), and by and large the general thrust of the story still follows pretty closely. However, there are details that you can't quite show in the movie that show up in the book that fill in the blanks. The movie presents Bridget and Daniel's initial relationship as a whirlwind romance, whereas in the book, it paints a much sadder picture. Bridget clearly wants /something/ out of it, and Daniel is interested in either a hook up, or watching TV. He can barely hold a conversation with Bridget, and the guy has all the romance of a teenage boy. It makes their relationship all the more depressing, but also fleshes it out way more clearly when we figure out that Daniel's been with that other woman all along. It makes more /sense/ for that Daniel to do what he did.

Same goes for Mark. In the movie, it seems like all of a sudden there's this switch that flips, where Mark and Bridget are into each other. In the book, you see that cat and mouse game carry through, which makes their eventual getting together make way more sense. It's a series of they tried to get together, but either circumstances, Natasha, or International embezzlement and fraud would get in the way of that magic happening. It wasn't some snooty prince come down off his high horse to fraternise with the commoners. It was more of a slow burn that had been building throughout the story, with a much more satisfying conclusion.

If you like the movie (or even if you didn't like the movie), definitely give the book a read. It's very enjoyable.
14 people found this helpful
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