Bridget Jones Diary: Mad About the Boy

     Author                              Helen Fielding

     County                             United Kingdom

     Genre                               Fiction

     Publication Date              2013

     Pages                                386








And there are times when all of us should just read a chic flick! That's how I would define this book. Doesn't take away from the fact that this was a lot of fun and an unbelievably quick read.

Being a believer of 'happily ever after'; I detested the fact that the happy ending of book 2 was completely overthrown by this book which sees our very own lovable Bridget widowed at 51 with 2 young kids. And this book is all about her struggle as a mommy, as a script writer and as a woman who wants a man (desperately). In Helen's own fun way, each page makes one relate incredibly with Bridget and thus, this book makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.

While most of the book is indeed about internet dating, competing with other moms and so on, one message that the book beautifully communicates at a more profound level is the fact that ones long term emotional health depends on the quality of relationships that she maintains with a range of friends (not just her spouse). Bridget's strong network of friends are the ones who keep her sane and cheerful in the most pressing of situations. 

On a more serious note while one fells terrible for Bridget when she misses Mark like crazy, somewhere the book (like the earlier ones) continues to insist that a woman is incomplete without a man. The feminist in me would have loved Bridget to become a strong, career focused, independent woman who knows that life doesn't end without a man.

But then, who am I to judge? 

Maybe this book is meant to be chic flick and should be enjoyed in that spirit alone.