The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It’s rare that I actually prefer a sequel of a series over the premier book but this time I do! These books are so well crafted and so much fun to read, I love being able to write these 5 star reviews!
I’m really glad I saw the movie prior to reading the book; this way I was able to enjoy the film for what it was on it’s own merits, blissfully ignorant of all the missing content from the book. Now, I wish they had included so much more in the film, it could have been even better…but I still love the film anyway.
Now, to the book! Ms. Fielding has a real talent for creating characters that are so very relatable. I can’t think of a single female friend of mine who wouldn’t be able to relate to Bridget and her friends as I do. In Rebecca she has done it again by creating that backstabbing social climber so many of us has come across. You know the one, the girl who is only worried about how others perceive her and how she can use people around her to obtain what she wants. Rebecca is THAT girl, she’s the character you absolutely love to hate. She is so transparent, conniving, and manipulative that you find yourself thinking “Bridget, just deck her already!” The Rebecca in the book is completely different from the Rebecca portrayed in the movie but that was actually kind of fun for me…it made this book a new experience for me having the book and the movie depart so drastically with this character.
Naturally the up’s and down’s and awkward tension between Bridget and Mark remains in spades with Rebecca complicating things exponentially. Their bumbling miscommunications and misinterpretations are of course an integral part of the plot with this book often leaving the reader never precisely sure if things will work out for them or not.
As with the first book, once again I really love Bridget’s voice. She’s so real, so flawed, so utterly messed up and charming while she strives to improve herself and maintain some type of calm composer at the same time. So often saying exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time….but this is one of those things that makes her so endearing. We’ve all had that moment of instant regret when we think “Did I really just say that? Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!” and Ms. Fielding lets us into Bridget’s mind as she has that realistic inner dialogue.
If you liked the first book, definitely….get the second! It will leave you chomping at the bit to get your hands on the third in the series (Mad About The Boy) to see what happens to Bridget next.
Green Eyed Irish Lass's Book Reviews & More 