Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination [Mass Market Paperback]

Helen Fielding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2005

With the irrepressible Bridget Jones, bestselling author Helen Fielding created an unforgettable one-of-a-kind female character beloved by millions the world over. Now, Fielding gives us a sensational new heroine for a new era. From the white heat of Miami to the implants of L.A., from the glittering waters of the Caribbean to the scorching deserts of Arabia, journalist-turned-master-spy Olivia Joules pits herself against the forces of terror armed with her own pocket survival kit, her Rules for Living, her infamous overactive imagination, and a very special underwire bra. Join Olivia in her heart-stopping, hilarious, nerve-frazzling quest from hip hotel to ecolodge to underwater cave, by light aircraft, speedboat, helicopter, and horse, in this witty, contemporary, and utterly unputdownable novel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dependably delicious . . . Pitch perfect. (Newsweek) It’s hard to imagine a more appealing heroine than Olivia. (San Francisco Chronicle)

About the Author

Helen Fielding, a journalist and novelist, is the author of three previous novels—Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and Cause Celeb—which together have sold more than 15 million copies in thirty- five countries.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143035363
• ISBN-13: 978-0143035367
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book was great despite some misconceptions :), May 30, 2005

By 

Sarah Marie "Chick Lit Babe" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Mass Market Paperback)

I think the reason some people do not like this book is because they are expecting Bridget Jones. While the main character, Olivia, is somewhat similar to Bridget, she is a totally different character and this books reads a lot differenly than the Bridget Jones series. I believe this misconception that this book is along the same lines is why some people did not like the book. I admit the book was slow at the beginning, but once I got into it, I could not put it down and I was laughing out loud right until the end. The plot was very unique and combined serious issues with a daring female spy. Good read!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars for Fun and Indulgence, July 22, 2005

By 

aschie30 (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Mass Market Paperback)

Olivia Joules, a spy in the making, varies from Helen Fielding's other literary counterpart, Bridget Jones, in that Olivia is gorgeous, reasonably confident and capable whereas Bridget was unsure, average-looking and a bumbler, EXCEPT, like Bridget, Olivia has an overactive imagination.

Olivia Joules is primarily a modern spy thriller, conscious of the post-9/11 era. In the beginning, we meet journalist Olivia after she's been demoted by her pompous boss (a recurring character in Fielding's books) to covering launches of facial creams. She is assigned to a launch in South Beach.

Here is where the book gets fun. She whisks off to South Beach, where she meets a dashing gentlemen, then to Catalina Island, then Honduras, and, before you know it, you're in the midst of escapist beach reading where you can feel the sun and see the blue-green water. Of course, in the end, our hero Olivia's overactive imagination is validated and saves the day.

This book is light; it's meant to be so. Fielding can write this type of lit and she is truly humorous. I think the only criteria for a book like this is "was it fun?" For me, yes.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and exiting...perfect for Alias fans!, July 14, 2005

By 

J. Salvetti (GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination (Mass Market Paperback)

Wow, seems like people either loved it or hated it....well...I LOVED THIS BOOK. I flew through it in three days...couldn't put it down! It has parts that are just hilarious, it is suspenseful and I really didn't expect a lot of what happened. Although, I didn't try to analyze it too much either. It is simply a fun read. If you like the show Alias, you will love this. I have loved all of Helen Feildings books and will continue to buy them...in hardcover at that! There is more to be said about this book, but not without giving too much away. And I agree, I hate that.