MONITOR: BOOK REVIEW

`BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY', (US EDITION) BY HELEN FIELDING

Amazon.com

(Internet)

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 satirises everything from self-help books (they don't sound half as sensible to Bridget when she's sober) to feng shui, Cosmopolitan-style.

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Dallas Morning News

Bridget's romantic misadventures are not quite resolved by the final chapter, but she appears well on the road to a happily-ever-after conclusion. The Pride and Prejudice hints notwithstanding, it was still a little disappointing to see a character so fresh headed toward an ending rather like the Jane Austen adaptations Bridget admires on the telly. Even a too-tidy ending can't dilute the cheeky charm of this book, however.

Philadelphia Enquirer

You'll be hanging on her every breathless, self-loathing utterance - hoping, as you hope for a friend, that she'll find happiness, true love, and a way to eat Milk Tray chocolates without beating herself up afterwards.

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New York Times

It would be a shame to spend too much time searching for meaning in a book that's this much fun to zip through, but we're going to be hearing a lot about Bridget (and Fielding) in the coming months, so here goes. People will be passing around copies of Bridget Jones's Diary for a reason: it captures neatly the way modern women teeter between "I am a woman" independence and a pathetic girlie desire to be all things to all men.