Everyone’s favourite heroine Bridget Jones is back and, contrary to rumour, is as brilliant as ever. The arrival of the lastest installment of the Jones saga has been hotly anticipated since stories of it’s release broke in early October and, once published was devoured by myself in only two sittings. Considering my gnat-like attention span this was a serious feat.

We return to find Bridget (semi) alone again, in her fifties and with two children in toe. Mark Darcy, (WARNING PLOT SPOILER) is dead. Despite this obviously troubling blow, Jones manages to remain relatively upbeat attempting to keep her affairs in order as best she knows how. For those disconcerted by change, worry not she is reliable as ever in many attributes; still ‘just a little bit fat’, still a wonderfully loyal friend and still utterly chaotic. Watching her navigate the dating scene, which has changed dramatically since she last checked, is suitably hilarious and best of all, there’s a happy ending and you couldn’t wish for anything else for loveable Bridget.

Certain commentators have lambasted Fielding for killing off one of the main characters, but as the premise of the series is that Jones is single, a book about her happily married would make little sense. Fielding spares her readers the torment of a ‘happily ever after’ broken by self-inflicted heartbreak, instead opting for the more romantic route of tragedy. Whilst this is arguably a cheap move, the series has never hoped to provide anything more than cheap thrills.

The fast pace makes the book easily digestible and instantly re-readable, the perfect antidote to a heavy university workload. Is it a literary masterpiece? No. Is it predictable and rather repetitive? Yes. Yet it makes no promise to be anything more than this. Helen Fielding knows exactly what her readers are looking for and undeniably delivers. Now all is left is to sit back and await the cinematic adaption.

Lillie van den Berg

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