Gaah! Guess who's having a birthday on November 9?
Helen Fielding's plucky gal isn't telling how many candles are on the cake this year, but you can count on this: Bridget Jones is sure to be celebrating with a glass of Chardonnay and her closest friends.
Believe it or not, it's been nearly 20 years since our self-deprecating Singleton stumbled onto the literary scene in Bridget Jones's Diary.
Admit it. You chuckled knowingly at Bridget's romantic foibles, resentment of Smug Marrieds and struggles to achieve "inner poise." You could kind of relate to her fear of dying alone and being eaten by alsatians (i.e. wild dogs). And come on, now—who hasn't battled the scale or wished she could get it together like her more successful friends?
If you've already found the novels of Candace Bushnell, Sophie Kinsella and Jennifer Weiner, honor the birthday girl with one of these irresistible reads also featuring Bridget-like quirk and charm:
Told in a series of office communiqués (think emails, instant messages and legal transcripts), Boy Meets Girl tells the story of twentysomething Kate Mackenzie's misadventures with a devious boss, a dessert cart lady and a devastatingly handsome lawyer. Delectable fun, right? Bridget would be proud.
When she comes to Cold Comfort Farm, 19-year-old socialite Flora Poste finds her relatives in a frenzy. Romantic overload? Yep. Domestic disarray? Yes. Crazy lady in the attic? You bet! It's down to Flora to help everyone avert disaster in this classic tale of life and love on the English countryside. If only our Bridget had a Flora to help keep her feet on the ground...
A send-up to Jane Austen's final novel, Persuading Annie follows a heroine whose fairy tale is unraveling. Annie Markham and Jake Mead finally called it quits, but their paths cross again when Annie's wealthy family faces a financial crisis. So what'll it be—romance or revenge? (Fun fact: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is loosely based on Austen's Persuasion. Makes you want to pick this one up, huh?)
In Sushi for Beginners, Lisa Edwards, Ashling Kennedy and Clodagh Kelly are far from enchanted with the Emerald Isle. Lisa is bitter about heading up a new Irish fashion magazine. Her assistant, Ashling, covets Clodagh's domestic life, which isn't all it's cracked up to be. Toss in one handsome boss, a sprinkle of envy and a handful of surprises, then mix well for a Bridget-style slice of single life in the city.
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