2013 somehow got away without my having picked up Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. As most females in my generation did, I absolutely adored Bridget. Never has there been a more perfect mess of a neurotic character written. So I loaded up my iPod with the audiobook of the newest installment in the series this past week and held my breath.
With such an iconic character, one is always afraid of disappointment in the second or third book. Not that I didn’t trust Ms. Fielding, but surely Bridget had grown up and matured with age, which I was afraid would completely ruin her self-obsessed existence.
To my delight, I soon discovered that she was the same old fantastic, hysterical, hot mess that she always was. Shew!
(SPOILER ALERT! I mean, it’s not like I tell the ending here, but I do mention a couple of things about the book.)
Now 50 years old, widowed and a mother of two, Bridget still keeps a diary, that includes alcohol units and calories, but cigarettes are replaced by doses of Nicorette. At first, I was afraid it was going to be too mom-friendly for my taste, knowing Bridget would have to be responsible for these two kids, but Ms. Fielding gives us a perfect balance between crazy Bridget and responsible mom, thankfully not going overboard either way.
And I love that she’s 50. It seems like most romance and women’s fiction novels I read cap the heroine’s age at 35. Bridget doesn’t act like she’s 50, which I LOVE. I believe it speaks to my generation and our refusal to become old. I was once assured by a person about 15 years older than me that I would stop liking rock music once I got in my thirties (I was 31 at the time). I was told once I started having kids I would “mellow out” and want to settle into my age. Let’s see, that was a decade ago, and I have only since expanded the amount of rock groups I love. Look around at fellow Gen X’ers. Do we look like we’re ready for polyester elastic-waist pants pulled up to our belly buttons?
Bridget’s still got it at 50, attracting younger men while somehow staying sane and grounded as she navigates through the ups and downs of the daily loss and gain of Twitter followers. She wears these reading glasses, that give her a distinguished and elegant look. Usually, reading glasses can give a person an elderly look, but apparently, if you choose the right frame for your face (to learn more, click this link here now), it can actually make you look quite youthful instead.
While the hilarity is there, so is the poignancy. Bridget deals with great loss, and you absolutely feel her pain right alongside her. As I listened, I wanted to hug Bridget, be her friend and tell her I would be her tried and true Twitter follower! Once you read the book, you’ll see how much this would mean to her. 
So needless to say, if you haven’t already picked this one up, I highly recommend you do so. However, I will warn you. As long as you are reading it, and for days and maybe even weeks afterward, it will leave you scratching your head.