Comic Relief: Bridget Jones's Guide to Life

Bridget Jones

by Helen Fielding

No one will be fooled by this little piece of ephemera. This is not anything like a new Bridget Jones book. It's a revisiting of old jokes, old characters, old stories. That said, there's something curiously addictive about Helen Fielding's creation, and this bonbon should satisfy a Jones jones until the (inevitable) next full-length novel comes along. The Guide to Life is a brief (64 pages) how-to manual from the notoriously inept singleton. To wit: In her chapter on homemaking (titled "The Fragrant Home"), Bridget gives her reader advice on the atmospheric charm of a cozy fire. "The key words here are 'in the grate.'" As to food, she largely confines herself to finding a piece of old cheese in the fridge and cutting off the moldy bits. She does, however, get in one really useful suggestion when she explains how to play the parlor game Shag, Marry or Push off a Cliff. The rules? "Each of the players suggests three names.... The person on the player's right must then decide, if they absolutely had to shag one of them, marry another, and push another off a cliff, which it would be. It is usually best to pick three which are similar in some way." Examples: Russell Crowe, Mr. Darcy, Hugh Grant. Or, Muammar al-Qaddafi, Ayatollah Khomeini, Idi Amin. The author then adds a caveat of typically Jonesian sensitivity: "It doesn't matter if any of them are dead as it is only a game." For those who cry foul at Helen Fielding's cashing in on her phenomenal franchise, it should be noted that some of the proceeds from the book will go to Comic Relief. That's the very organization, incidentally, that the author sends up in her non-Jones novel Cause Celeb--a smart, highly entertaining book that also makes a decent stopgap for Bridgetphiliacs. --Claire Dederer

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Humor, Romance, Contemporary, Modern, Novels

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Helen Fielding was born in Yorkshire. She worked for many years in London as a newspaper and TV journalist, travelling as wildly and as often as possibly to Africa, India and Central America. She is the author of four novels: Cause Celeb, Bridget Jones’ s Diary, Bridget Jones:The Edge of Reason and Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, and co-wrote the screenplays for the movie of Bridget Jones’s Diary and the sequel based on The Edge of Reason. She now works full-time as a novelist and screenwriter and lives in London and Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short, but funny book told through the eyes of Bridget Jones. It was funny because it was pretty much the first two books combined into a concise guide book on how to live like Bridget. She has always made me laugh and this book did not disappoint. The way she views life; from food and finance to romance is hilarious and could probably make anyone laugh. If you have read the Bridget Jones's books and have seen the movies, then this book is sure to make you laugh.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't really a book, so much as it was a short booklet intended to wring money out of Helen Fielding fans. It's about 50 pages long and averages maybe 50 words per page in which Bridget offers advice on topics from Cheese ("1. Find bit of cheese in fridge. 2. Cut off mold. 3. Eat.") to Feng Shui ("Don't put a wastepaper basket in your relationship corner.") It's fairly dumb, but at the time that I bought it, $1.00 of the cover price went to famine relief in Africa. This is no longer true (as near as I can tell, the book is now out of print), so if you see it in a used bookstore, you shouldn't feel guilty about standing there and reading it for free, as it will only take five minutes.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so funny and quirky, and actually has some sound advice. It's almost as if your best friend is talking to you through this book. This is the only Bridget Jones book I've read but I absolutely love the movies💕 can't wait to read the rest of the series!!

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and full of "useful" tips for every modern woman :p.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It's British so lots of F words and it is pretty much about sex so.... yah.

[Daiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect much (differently than many other readers out there, especially those who left reviews here), so I wasn't disappointed. It is just Bridget Jones like stuff, probably how her journal would actually look like. Very quick, funny at times, overall enjoyable read. Would I read this again? Of course not. Would I recommend it to someone who hasn't read all Bridget Jones books (I definitely wouldn't.)
But for the time being, this one time reading experience was alright.

[Roseby Valencia · Rating 3 out of 5]

short and fun read

[Natasha M. Nurse, Esq. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and relevant ✅

[Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning to potential readers; this guilty pleasure pamphlet does not constitute the label 'book'.

A worryingly accurate portrayal of the decay of the modern woman! I will demonstrate with the following small extract:


The Store Cupboard

"A well-stocked store cupboard is the key to not having to go out to the shops too much. Here are my top five store cupboard must-haves:

- Silk Cut

- 4 bottles of white wine
(at least - you never know who will come round)

- Matches

- Canapes (i.e. crisps)

- Not Marmite*

- Fridge magnets are nice.


*As may make one depressed if no bread."


Need I say more?

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridget Jones, the heroine from Helen Fielding's popular novels, takes it upon herself to write a self-help book for thirty-something-year old single women like herself. I would recommend reading this before reading Bridget Jones's Diary; otherwise you'll just get a 60-page rehashing of some of the novel's funnier parts. luckily, that's how I read it in the first place, so there were no problems for me.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hum. Well, this was fairly fun. But the price tag of $5.99 (I didn't pay this) is a bit steep. I think if I'd paid this much I'd feel a bit duped. It's really short with lots of pictures and blank spaces. It feels like Helen Fielding saw an opportunity (and good for her, who an blame her) with the current, at the time, success of her other Bridget Jones books. So, I had to only give this 2 stars. Fair? The way it is.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, witty, insubstantial. I remember when I first bought this over 10 years ago I thought it was just as funny and brilliant as the Bridget Jones novels. Now it’s enough to entertain me for 45 minutes or so while waiting for my car to be serviced, but it didn’t make me laugh out loud like it used to – probably because it’s a very condensed version of recycled ideas from the novels, and contains very little new content.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrated by Bridget Jones, and taking place somewhere within the chronology of The Edge of Reason, this book- err... novella- err... collection of short satires in the fashion that Helen Fielding is so masterful at executing. The prose sings and brings forth recollections from Mark Twain's "A Gentleman's Burlesque" and Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary. Packaged with pictures, this 55 page volume holds a mirror to our society that now is so often found within the recesses of the Internet.

[Barbara A]

I have read this book before and found ot very funny while i wouldnt take it on holiday unless in e book form its fab to read on a wet weekend when youre full of cold have supplies of chosen drink and snacks at the ready because you will not want to put it down

[E.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's nothing like reading a book and laughing along from start to end and not putting it down 'til it's finished. Helen Fielding is incomparable with the wit and guile of her hilarious style. The only downside is length -- there needs to be an extended manual with Bridget's POV all over it!

[Bonnie Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and a quick read. More entertaining really.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was funny, for two seconds. It is only a few pages long and really no one would follow the advice because it's meant to be comical.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ditto to the first one.

[Amon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I refer to it religiously

[Raelene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious.

[Heather Jaynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the bridget jones series, but I had to check it out.

[Qui2 · Rating 1 out of 5]

What crap. THis wasn't even really a book. Seems like a really cheap way to make some money. It took me less than an hour to read that book.

[Kristine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sucked.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a booklet than book. Still a cute and funny read for the fans of Bridget Jones.

[Kat C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book at a second hand store because it has a funny dedication on the inside jacket. I wasn't really that amused but my expectations weren't very high either. Just not my style I guess.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute read

[MaryA · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to read this book

[Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

messy, blonde, disaster of a girl as a reference to bridget jones

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny little add-on to the Bridget Jones's books. Re-read while watching UCONN vs. WVA.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever, light, and funny.