Well, it
had to happen, I suppose. After thirteen years, she's back. No, not Donna
Tartt. Although she is too, with a new novel, The Goldfinch, also out in
October. I'm talking about the altogether less literary but, arguably, more
fun, Helen Fielding, who yesterday announced the title and publication date of
her third Bridget Jones novel: Mad About The Boy, to be published on October
10th.
Whatever
you think of Bridget Jones - and If you are one of those unfun people
("smug married", probably) who thinks one Bridget novel is already
more than the world needs you should refer back to last week's Bazaar on Books blog and buy
yourself a weighty American tome - you can't deny the fact that Bridget Jones
defined a generation. For the first time, there we were; grown up but not grown
up, love lives a mess, careers all over the place, independent and loving it -
but struggling with it all at the same time. Late twentieth century woman in
all our messy, um, glory.
So, I confess,
I have a soft spot for Bridget. I loved the newspaper column and first book. I
even don't hate the movie (although that turkey curry buffet scene...) I was
even prepared to give the not-that-great-to-be-honest Edge of Reason the
benefit of the doubt. But Bridget three? Bridget Jones in her early forties?
Smug married herself, perhaps? The knackered mum trying to Lean In but really
just wanting a lie down? Or worse: Bridget having IVF? Or Bridget having
climbed TV's greasy pole, reaching the top and realising, well, the view's not
all that from up here? I could almost cry. But this is real life. And that was
one of Brigid's great USPs, she was real.
But that
isn't what I want for forty something Brigid. So this extract gives me hope.
Wednesday 24th October, 11.27pm.
Just presse d SEND. Iss fineisn't it?
You see, this is the trouble with the modern world. If it
was the days of letter-writing,I would never even have started to find his
address, a pen, a piece of paper, an envelope, a stamp, and gone outside at
11.30pm, to find a postbox. A text is gone at the brush of a fingertip, like a
nuclear bomb or Exocet missile.
DATING RULE NO:1
DO NOT TEXT WHEN DRUNK
Bridget
Jones, meet twitter. The mind boggles.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy will be published by Jonathan Cape on October 10th.
(This piece was first published on Bazaar on Books blog www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/blogs, 29th May 2013.)
No comments:
Post a Comment