Review of 'Mad About the Boy (Bridget Jones, #3)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
A good many people don't like the idea of Bridget Jones without her dream man, but since I barely remember him from the movie (I don't think I ever read the book, although if it's similar to this one I can see forgetting I read it), I don't mind her having to start over.
While disposable, the movie is generally quite entertaining. At times it gets a little repetitive, and Bridget is exasperating and sometimes embarrassing, but she is generally sympathetic.
Unfortunately, the book slows towards the end, and the last part is so absurd that it seems like something you'd get in a romance novel. It's unfortunate, because if it didn't somewhat fall apart in the last 50 pages it would have been a much better book.
Review of 'Mad About the Boy (Bridget Jones, #3)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Commute audiobook.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I am always a bit skeptical of authors/other creative types choosing to revisit their old works and update them after many years away--the results are often anticlimactic at best (see, e.g., George Lucas and Star Wars). But I loved the original Bridget Jones and ultimately I had to give this a chance.
The good: 1. I laughed out loud, hard, a few times--particularly in the first half of the book.
2. It was, frankly, quite nice--comforting, even-- to hear Bridget's voice again.
The not-so-good: 1. It is basically Bridget Jones's Diary all over again, with stand-ins for Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy. I could have just reread BJD. And might just do that yet.
2. Bridget has become completely unrelatable--a wealthy north London mother who doesn't have to work (but still has a nanny and cleaner) despite having no …
Commute audiobook.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I am always a bit skeptical of authors/other creative types choosing to revisit their old works and update them after many years away--the results are often anticlimactic at best (see, e.g., George Lucas and Star Wars). But I loved the original Bridget Jones and ultimately I had to give this a chance.
The good: 1. I laughed out loud, hard, a few times--particularly in the first half of the book.
2. It was, frankly, quite nice--comforting, even-- to hear Bridget's voice again.
The not-so-good: 1. It is basically Bridget Jones's Diary all over again, with stand-ins for Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy. I could have just reread BJD. And might just do that yet.
2. Bridget has become completely unrelatable--a wealthy north London mother who doesn't have to work (but still has a nanny and cleaner) despite having no apparent means of income.
3. I'm also confused about the weight storyline. This is a woman who spent her entire life struggling to keep her weight down. Suddenly she is able to lose 40 pounds in 3 months, and keep it off effortlessly despite a steady diet of pizza, chocolate, and wine in massive quantities.
4. Husband died what, 5 years ago? What has she been doing since then? I realize that everyone grieves differently, but really this whole story--Bridget's and children's behavior, friends' "helpful" meddling, etc--plays out as if he died about a year ago. Did everyone go into a time warp/sleeping beauty coma thing after husband died and they've suddenly reawakened without having actually experienced the passage of time?
5. Completely did not understand the purpose of the feeble "Bridget attempts a career in screenwriting" subplot. Not interesting, not essential to the plot, not essential for character development.
6. The names of the other north London mothers and children are absurd. I think this is supposed to be a joke about trendy parenting, but it was hard to tell and mostly just distracting. Cosmata? Really?
In sum, this installment of Bridget jones isn't very good. But it was enjoyable enough to keep me wide awake during my commute, and I enjoyed it--I can't help but wish Bridget well.
