Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy by Helen Fielding

Hardback: 386 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Jonathan Cape 2013
Source:  Tywyn Public Library.
First Sentences: Prologue Thursday 18 April 2013 2.30pm. Talitha just called, talking in that urgent, 'let's-be-discreet-but wildly-overdramatic' voice she always has. 'Darling, I just want to let you know that it's my sixtieth on the 24th of May. I'm not SAYING it's my sixtieth, obviously. And keep it quiet because I' not asking everyone.
Favourite Quote:'They need to understand, now, that there will always - always - be someone greater and lesser than themselves and that their self-worth lies in their contentment with who they are, what they are doing and their increasing competence in doing it.'
Review Quote: "In this third instalment of the diaries, our hapless heroine continues to agonise over the tribulations of modern life large and small, from single parenthood and dating in the age of social media to the perils of the skinny jean." (Justine Jordan Guardian)
My Opinion: As a long time fan of 'Bridget Jones' it was impossible not to enjoy this laugh out loud sequel. 


As a long time fan of 'Bridget Jones' it was impossible not to enjoy this laugh out loud sequel.  Sadly to enable Helen Fielding to write the novel she wanted to about the plight of the single older woman, she had to kill off our favourite hero Darcy. Her wonderful gentlemanly husband would never have left her so despite knowing she would  upset her many fans, it is a shadow that hangs over this sequel. It is not a spoiler having told you this as the news was literally all over the media before publication.  However much you were a fan of Darcy do not let put you off this the return of Bridget with her latest diary.


Bridget, now 51 a widow for a few years, feels ready to start dating again. Despite the lack of plot and the somewhat unbelievable situations she gets herself into this is still a highly entertaining read. Not all of it is unbelievable though as her Twitter addiction, panic attacks over the children and her inability to cope with a plethora of electronic gadgets all ring very true!

If you are looking for a light hearted view of life for a single, middle aged Mum, then you will not in my opinion go far wrong by catching up with Bridget Jones. Just maybe do not take it too seriously then you will not be disappointed.

Helen Fielding Introduces Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy

NB: This video shows in draft form but does not seem to be appearing in published version, so have added link to YouTube as well. Helen Fielding Introduces Bridget Jones:Mad About The Boy

Author Profile

Helen Fielding was born in Morley, West Yorkshire, UK on February 19th 1958.   After attending Wakefield Girls High School, she then studied English at St Anne's College, Oxford and was part of the Oxford revue at the 1978 Edinburgh Festival, forming a continuing friendship with a group of comic performers and writers including Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson.

Fielding began work at the BBC in 1979 as a regional researcher on the news magazine Nationwide. She progressed to working as a production manager on various children’s and light entertainment shows. In 1985 Fielding produced a live satellite broadcast from a refugee camp in Eastern Sudan for the launch of Comic Relief. She also wrote and produced documentaries in Africa for the first two Comic Relief fundraising broadcasts. In 1989 she was a researcher on the Thames TV documentary “Where Hunger is a Weapon” about the Southern Sudan rebel war. These experiences formed the basis for her first novel, Cause Celeb.

From 1990 - 1999 she worked as a journalist and columnist on several national newspapers, including The Sunday Times, The Independent and The Telegraph. Her best-known work, Bridget Jones's Diary, began its life as an anonymous column in The Independent in 1995. The success of the column led to two novels and their film adaptations of which she was part of the scriptwriting team. 

Married from 1999 - 2010 to Kevin Curran, a writer/executive producer on The Simpsons, They have  two children, Dashiell, born in February 2004, and Romy born in July 2006.

Helen Fielding now works full time as a novelist and screen writer and divides her time between London and Los Angeles. 

The biographical information photo and video used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing.

Goodreads - Author Profile   Books by Helen Fielding  Wikipedia - Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones is on Facebook    YouTube - Publicity Video