Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination [Hardcover]

Helen FIELDING (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (2003)
• ISBN-10: 0230530370
• ISBN-13: 978-0230530379
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced but misses something, June 3, 2004

By 

Lesley West (St James, Western Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Hardcover)

I adored the Bridget Jones diaries, which I think are among the cleverest of the genre, so it was with great anticipation that I picked up Helen Fielding's latest effort. I was disappointed.

Sure the book delivers all that it promises - fast paced action in the beautiful parts of the world, potentially evil terrorists (or playboys?), big terrorist attacks, sub plots and red herrings. But somewhere along the way, I really began to find the book was quite hard going. I think I just stopped being interested in, or caring about our hero Olivia.

It is certainly mildly entertaining, and as a smallish book it is a quick read, great for lying on a beach somewhere. But I think it is also a great opportunity missed. Perhaps it will translate better into a movie - this is a screenplay waiting in the wings.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly surprised, October 8, 2004

By 

Lisa (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Hardcover)

I had heard bad things about this book but I loved it - let's add Olivia Joules to the list of great iconic female leads. Up there with Bridget Jones (obviously), Jane Eyre, Catherine Earnshaw (Wuthering Heights), Isadora Peabody (The Charm School) and my other new star Elsie Roundbottom (You Are Here)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suddenly there is more criticism of Ms Fielding everywhere, August 8, 2004

By 

Melissa C Hall (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Hardcover)

But I am not here to add to it. This book is fluff, but it is my kind of fluff. I was not all that fond of Bridget Jones, I found her whiny. Perhaps this is why I like Olivia, she is a Bridget who actually has managed to keep her resolutions and transform her outer self. Her inner self might still be a bit of a mess, but her confidence makes up for it.

This spy story does involve actual threats, but that is true to the tradition of spy stories, when Ian Fleming was writing Russians was just as scary as middle-eastern terrorists are now. A good spy story should create a hero(ine) that can make you feel safer in the face of a real threat. Olivia is not quite as reassuring as the ultra-competent James Bond, but her ability to not panic and remain curious even in difficult situations is a saving grace.

On another level this novel is a Jack tale, and Olivia's bumbling success follows that pattern. She charges in and get over her head and somehow comes out the better for it.