Bridget Jones : The Edge of Reason (Hardcover)

by Helen Fielding (Author), Helen Fielding (Author) "7:15 a.m..." (more)
Key Phrases: infill extension, alcohol units, gym visits, Mark Darcy, Richard Finch, Vile Richard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Fans of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary will recall that at the end of that sly and funny version of Pride and Prejudice, singleton heroine Bridget landed her Mr. Darcy at last--Mark Darcy, that is. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason picks up four weeks later, and already the honeymoon is over. In addition to discovering that the man of her dreams votes conservative, left-leaning Bridget is also feeling just a mite uncomfortable with the realities of sharing bed and board with another person:

V. complicated actually having man in house as cannot freely spend requisite amount of time in bathroom or turn into gas chamber as conscious of other person late for work, desperate for pee etc.; also disturbed by Mark folding up underpants at night, rendering it strangely embarrassing now simply to keep all own clothes in pile on floor.

But all of these problems pale to insignificance with the arrival on the scene of Rebecca, a beautiful, man-hunting arch-nemesis with "thighs like a baby giraffe" and absolutely no girlfriend code of ethics when it comes to poaching another woman's man. Before long, Rebecca's manipulations, Bridget's own insecurities, and a string of misunderstandings (starting with a naked Filipino boy in Mark Darcy's bed and ending with a suggestive valentine from Bridget's dry cleaner) result in "128 lbs. (good), alcohol units 0 (excellent), cigarettes 5 (a pleasant, healthy number), no. times driven past Mark Darcy's house 2 (v.g.), no. of times looked up Mark Darcy's name in phone book to prove still exists 18 (v.g.), 1471 calls 12 (better), no. of phone calls from Mark 0 (tragic).

Fortunately, Bridget has plenty of other problems to distract her. Her mother has returned from a trip to Kenya with a young Masai in tow--to her father's consternation; her best friends Jude, Shazzer, and Tom are all trapped in dating hell themselves; her apartment is in shambles thanks to a dotty carpenter; an unreliable ex-boyfriend has just reentered her life; and now someone is sending Bridget death threats--could it be Mark Darcy? If Bridget Jones's Diary was a modern riff on Pride and Prejudice, its sequel borrows several themes and devices (not to mention a section heading) from another Austen novel, Persuasion. And as in Austen's fiction, here the journey is the destination. A happy ending for Bridget and her pals is a foregone conclusion; how they get there, however, will have you on the edge of your chair--if you haven't already fallen off of it laughing. --Alix Wilber

From Library Journal
This sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary actually has more of a plot than the original, though Bridget is still the dumb, ditzy journalist wannabe in search of a real relationship. If she seems dumber and ditzier here, it's not necessarily a drawback: she has some of the same charm as Anita Loo's Lorelei in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The novel is not just diary format, though the breakdown here is not just daily but, annoyingly, often minute by minute; inexplicably, Fielding has decided to drop subjects and begin sentencews with verbs (e.g., "Is relief..."). Nevertheless, the sidesplitting humor is still present, particularly in a hysterical interview with actor Colin Firth, who plays Mr. Darcy in the BBC-TV version of Pride and Prejudice. The interview is printed unedited in the Independent (and in the novel), when Briget fails to turn in her article in time. It begins with the incisive "What is your favorite color?" (blue) and "What is your favorite pudding?" (creme brulee). Fans will adore this. For popular fiction collections. [Literary Guild main selection.]-Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal.
--Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1st Am. ed. edition (February 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670892963
• ISBN-13: 978-0670892969
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (474 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #786,700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saturday, April 22, April 22, 2000

By	Jennifer Elizabeth (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

130 lbs. (gaah!), alcohol units 7 (entranced by book, and therefore not accountable for actions), cigarettes 0 (hurrah!), calories 1500 (v.g.), no. of times found self mooning over Colin Firth 42 (tragic)

11 a.m. Traveling with Mum from New York to Virginia and in desperate need of entertainment. Must busy self. Idleness only leaves time to contemplate terrifying slide into obesity (Why? Why?). Search plastic bag quickly tearing itself into shreds for relief (blurry wimpy plastic), found Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and began to read. Refreshing change from self-help books, as actually might help.

Noon Stopped for gas. Laughing hysterically now (v.g. as laughing burns calories) and wondering at the comic genius of Helen Fie--Gaaaaah! Was Mum getting back into car. Would recommend to everyone (Reading book, not getting back into car).

3 p.m. Feel very comfortable with self after reading about Bridget Jones. Life can't possibly be as bad (v.g.). Not better or worse than the first, simply a well written continuation. Hurrah for Helen Fielding! Bridge's travel misadventures might be pushing it a little, but the further connection to Austen is bloody marvelous, this one paralelling Persuasion. The old Bridge is back!

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Words of Hope from the British Ally McBeal, February 28, 2000

By	Janice Davis "travelin' mom" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When handed the original Bridget Jones Diary by a friend a year or so ago, I found myself enjoying it but certainly not classifying it as Great Literature. It took a year or so of thinking back on it (when repeatedly finding myself in situations similar to those in the book), and the release of the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, to make me realize just how cleverly drawn the characters are. A NYTimes book review last weekend noted that we can enjoy Bridget even though this book reveals that she is "not very bright", but I believe it's not dullness but fallibility that makes me, and apparently millions of other women, relate to her; Helen Fielding apparently striking the same chord as David Kelley did when he came up with Ally McBeal and friends. With Bridget, we get the added benefit of happy endings, which is always what one wants for a character one is relating to! This book is marvellous fun (and of course a terrific lift for all "Singletons" who have been recent victims of "emotional f--kwittage"), and felt like a fun-filled reunion with the characters who two years ago (I now realize)became life-long friends!

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sequel That Delivers, February 29, 2000

By	U2 Tassoula (USA) - See all my reviews

Helen Fielding has done it again! With all of the brilliance and comic genius she displayed in Bridget Jones's Diary, this second book Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, is just as much of a wild ride as the first. It is true the character of Bridget speaks primarily to single women, but there is no doubt any reader could enjoy the silly escapades that result from this thirtysomething simply living her life and taking advice from her 'singleton' friends. Frequent references to current events and trends in England and America make this diary easy to believe as non-fiction, although of course it is not. Getting lost in it's spider-web of events is only half the fun - when nearing the end, you will want it to slow down, as to preserve your need for more. Another highlight in this volume is the character of her mother taking a back-burner role, and letting the real star shine along with her friends and boyfriends alike. Read this book, laugh out loud, and be challenged to find at least one way Bridget doesn't remind you of someone you know. Perhaps even yourself!