Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: A Novel

by Helen Fielding

Paperback, 2001

Status

Available

Publication

Penguin Books (2001), Edition: Reprint, 352 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Romance. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: With another devastatingly hilarious, ridiculous, unnervingly accurate take on modern womanhood, Bridget Jones is back. (v.g.) Monday 27 January "7:15 a.m. Hurrah! The wilderness years are over. For four weeks and five days now have been in functional relationship with adult male, thereby proving am not love pariah as recently feared." Wednesday 5 March "7:08 p.m. Am assured, receptive, responsive woman of substance. My sense of self comes not from other people but ...from ...myself? That can't be right." 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..… (more)

Rating

(2384 ratings; 3.4)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Nickelini
I loved Bridget Jones's Diary so much when I read it back in the 90s (before the movie). When Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason was released though, I wasn't interested. I've been burned by low quality sequels in the past and just couldn't stand to read this book and be disappointed. About ten
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years ago a friend gave me a copy and told me it was pretty good. I didn't want to take the risk and so it sat in my basement without any thought of me ever reading it. In the meantime, the movie version of The Edge of Reason came out and it was the debacle that I expected. Although it was great to see all those lovely characters again, it was just embarrassing watching them try to make a film out of that script. My shunning of this novel was justified. Or so I thought.

After my recent reread of [Bridget Jones's Diary] I thought that maybe I should give this a try. Thankfully, it's very different from the film version. Maybe it was my low expectations, but I found it delightful. In some ways I think it was better, in a literary sense, than the original. Bridget shows more character growth by the end, and there is some clever use of the Kipling poem "If". At first I was greatly frustrated by her friends sabatoging of Bridget's relationship with Mark Darcy, but as events unfolded, they redeemed themselves. Sure, Bridget really needs to toss the self help books and actually TALK to Mark (and he to her), but then there wouldn't be a story. And there were lots of laugh out loud moments. Including the scene where Bridget gets to interview Colin Firth (which unfortunately they couldn't possibly put in the movie--but they did film a version of it as an extra. Go to YouTube and search "Bridget Jones interviews Colin Firth").

In the film version, Bridget is uncomfortably cringe inducing, and I can't figure out why Mark sees anything in her whatsoever. In the book version, you see her insecurities and vulnerabilities and also see more of what he is dealing with, and they actually seem like two people that you want to cheer for. As with the first book, Bridget Jones is more relatable than in the film where she's too over the top.

I read 7/8s of this in one sitting, which is almost unheard of for me, and it was a luxury I fully enjoyed.

Recommended for: literary snobs with no sense of humour should stay away from this.
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LibraryThing member vfranklyn
Cute book. MUCH better than the movie.
LibraryThing member babydraco
I enjoyed the second book a whole lot more than I enjoyed the second movie. It has some gross moments but overall, it was very funny. I'm sorry some of the funniest moments got left out of the movie (such as Bridget totally misunderstanding a particular scene in Darcy's apartment).

I first read
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this book in London when I visited my sister there. The end of the book has a beautiful extra chapter where Bridget and her friends react to the death of Princess Diana.

Imagine my disappointment when I returned to the States and purchased the American copy. The extra chapter is not there.

Apparently nobody thought Americans would want to read it. Because, you know, we only care about ourselves.
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LibraryThing member pdxwoman
I love the movies so I'm surprised I waited so long to pick up the books. I wasn't over-awed by the first book. The second book -- Edge of Reason -- is much better. The writting isn't as choppy, there's more dialogue, and a stronger plot line. I'd read this one again if I was looking for a familiar
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beach/travel read.
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LibraryThing member lostinmommydom
Nice by the pool or bored sunday afternoon read, nothing thought prevoking or contemplative, sort of like reading a fashion magazine, you know you won't learn anything by it, but it fills up the time. It is a fun book.
LibraryThing member rampaginglibrarian
i think i liked this one even better than the first--the book that is
LibraryThing member kellibee
Of course this book has more outlandish circumstances, but it shows further developement of my favorite character, so I am still very glad it was written and that I read it.
LibraryThing member Katissima
It seems I am going against the crowd, but I think Edge of Reason is better written than its predecessor.
LibraryThing member Wanderlust_Lost
The book was good, but not as good as the first one. I'd recommend not reading it. It's much better than the film but that doesn't say much.
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Some of this was pretty funny. Like the scary pants episode at the law function with Mark. The fact that she refers to things as scary is itself funny.

She is growing though – she seems a bit more at home with herself and at the end of the book when she ends up at 130lbs again – she accepts it.
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Bad hair, drunkenness, work disasters – nothing fazes her anymore. I was so embarrassed for her at times – even though it is fiction. But, she brazens it out and goes on. Funny how she never understands that people are laughing at her and not with her most of the time.
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LibraryThing member sarathena1
A good sequel, if you haven't had enough of the heroine from the first read. I don't think that it dramatically advances Jones's story line or anything, but again, if you need more Bridgit Jone's after the first one, the second one delivers.
LibraryThing member hockeycrew
As clever as the first book, but less realistic. I havn't even watched the second movie yet because previews didn't make it seem true to the book.
LibraryThing member RoseCityReader
V. good in manner of drinking binge weekend with girlfriends.
LibraryThing member sslibrary
Bridget is back and is as Bridget as ever. She’s still obsessing over her weight and Mark Darcy. The story is very humorous as you read Bridget’s take on life.
LibraryThing member lenabq
Not as funny as the first. It has some embarrasing situations I don´t want to read about. It has some enjoyable patches.
LibraryThing member wordygirl39
This one wasn't quite as good as the first book, but it still had some glorious moments. The book was way better than the movie, though. Fun summer read.
LibraryThing member t1bnotown
This sequal is as good as the original, and we have the final, ultimate relief of seeing our heroine finally settled (really, really settled). Her friend Magda makes an excellent point- why does she sit there taking so much advice from friends who haven't got their own love lives together? Anyway,
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this book will have readers just as amused as the movie (though it is just as different as the first was from the movie- one of the main differences in both being that in the books Bridget's relationship with her friends is way more prominant).
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LibraryThing member ursula
Not as funny as the original novel, but still with some laugh-out-loud moments.
LibraryThing member bookmagic
This wasn't quite as good as the original but for those of us that fell in love with Bridget Jones, it gives us the fix that we need. Now Bridget is in a real relationship with Mark Darcy but is very misguided due to her many self-help books and well-meaning friends. A lovely read. V. Good as
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Bridget would say.
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LibraryThing member MsNikki
Wasn't as funny as the first book...but a fun read none the less
LibraryThing member carioca
Impossible not to have a great time while reading this book. Helen Fielding managed to come up with the perfect imperfect heroine and Bridget Jones is a true delight. Can't say the same about her sequels, but that's another review...
LibraryThing member rbtwinky
Fun but lackluster. I enjoyed this book, indeed I read it in two days, but I just found that it didn’t have that something special that the original Bridget Jones had. There was also a bit too much repetition of past themes. The majority of the book Birdget and Mark are apart, there’s another
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woman who is trying to steal his heart, and lots of misunderstandings. Although I must say the writing style is fabulous and very quick.
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LibraryThing member cefeick
A cute follow-up to the original Diary, but not as good. I thought the Thailand storyline was a bit much.
LibraryThing member russelllindsey
Not nearly as good as the original. That said, the book is much, much better than the movie. It is fun to see how Bridget gets on as she ages.
LibraryThing member chicklit
Not as good as the first, but it isn't the usual sequel material.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1999

Physical description

352 p.; 8.04 inches

ISBN

0140298479 / 9780140298475
Page: 1.6054 seconds