Despite being such a cultural landmark, I hadn’t consumed any version of Bridget Jones’s Diary – neither the novels, nor the popular movie series until very recently. However, I was always aware of its existence and after a good friend of mine recommended it to me, I decided I’d finally give it a go – and I had a lot of fun with it.
The book is presented literally as diary entries from Bridget Jones herself and they’re filled with things that a lot of readers (especially women) are going to find relatable. At the same time, Bridget herself is a deeply flawed and not at all aspirational figure. That might sound like I’m being mean about the millions of fans who find her relatable, and I’m not – I actually also found her quite relatable in a lot of ways. She embodies a lot of fears and anxieties that society places on women and she always gives into the unhelpful little voice in her head that’s telling her the worst thing to do, and she’s relatable because we all do that at some point or another… even if we probably don’t do it to the same extent as Bridget.
A good example, I think, is her obsession with weight loss. She’s always worried that she’s “fat” and counting her calories or weighing herself with every diary entry. If she loses a few pounds, she’s absolutely delighted, but if she gains any she’s miserable and then starts starving herself for a few days – which inevitably leads to a binge eating session later on, and the cycle then begins anew. She’ll make excuses to herself about why it was okay to have a treat (when, obviously, no excuse is needed) and obsessive list out her meals. I related to that very much, and I’m sure it’s a pretty broadly relatable experience, so you feel for her. Helen Fielding does an excellent job of underlining the pointless absurdity of it.
Her obsession with food and weight is a result of her being told from all angles that that is what she should care about. That’s pretty much true for all her flaws, and while she occasionally says and does eye-roll inducing things, we know her whole personality is basically the result of societal pressures. You feel for her because, as most people in a happy state of mind will know, it takes a lot of work to break free from society’s chains, and why should anyone have to put into that amount of work just to be happy in themselves?
She’s also likeable because she’s quite funny – both in an intentional self-deprecating way (and in the way she criticises people she doesn’t like) and also in an unintentional melodramatic kind of way. Aside from being obsessed with food, she’s also obsessed with her romantic relationships and starts dating someone who is pretty obviously not right for her and yet she lets the relationship consume her whole life and her reflections on being miserable and dying alone are kind of amusing (partly because of how easy it is for her to get into those rabbit holes) even if you do feel bad for her. This is something else which I’m sure most people will have had at least a little taste of in their life.
I’ve not said that much about the actual plot, because really I think it’s secondary to the character of Bridget herself. There are bizarre and amusing family dramas, problems at work, and a time when one of her friends seems to go missing (one of the best bits), but it’s more about Bridget navigating these things and her perspectives on them all. In many ways, as a woman in her 30s, the way she lives her life is quite similar to how a lot of people live now (30 years later!) but there is also a distinctive 90s charm to it (especially in regard to the technology of the time) and that gives it quite a nice nostalgic element for me (as it will for other readers of a certain age).
I know that some people might describe this book as “trashy” and look down on it, but I feel like it has a fair bit of substance to it – it’s a social commentary and it’s easy to see how it has resonated with so many people. For that reason, it’s quite an important piece of literature, but it’s also quite an easy read, so I recommend giving it a go, whatever your interests. Also, as a quick side note, like Pride and Prejudice it has a Mr. Darcy, and the Fielding Mr. Darcy is better than the Austen Mr. Darcy (and I love Jane Austen).
Rating: 8.5/10
