Bridget Jones, singleton

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Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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Of all the single figures in (chick) literature, Bridget Jones possibly hit the zeitgeist of the folorn singleton in need of a good romping. (This was back in the 1990s when anyone single over 30 was met with tutting disapproval by smug marrieds in British circles.)

Her diaries got made into movies and that spawned more books and also Colin Firths movie career.

Anyway, I thought I had read all of Helen Fieldings books watched the movies, but I missed out on the one where she actually did marry Mark Darcy, had two kids, and was promptly widowed two years later.

so I am reading it now and Im thinking, I dont believe anyone (single) seriously thinks like this, or do they. If they do, its kind of worrying. Why because it is kind of frankly tiring and idiotic to be inside Bridget Jones headspace all the time.

its funny, but its also probably the reason why the Bible mentioned silly and foolish women ever learning but never coming to the truth and wearing themselves out on their lusts. Or something like that.

Anybody know what Im talking about? I dont mean to be judgy...but reading it as a christian I just wondered if you were Bridgets friend how would you show her theres more to life than shagging and getting drunk.
 
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am halfway through Mad about the Boy.
I dont know if I will finish
its terrible, the Bridget Jones who was funny and vulnerable and desperate for Darcy you know and love is gone, shes now a widow in her 50s but doesnt actually seem to despondent about it, cos now she is a cougar with a toyboy. Like really? and she can afford home help, a nanny, babysitter, doesnt have a real job unless writing a screenplay in spare time is a job...her two kids dont even seem to have grandparents huh and dont seem to figure much in her thoughts except when they are vomitting on her shoes while she is also vomitting from being drunk.

and she still hooks up with Daniel from time to time. what. I know its fiction, but this is like waaaaay off. I. am predictabling half way through the responsible teacher like man she sees at her kids school will step in and save the day cos you know, hes a man and not a boy. Like she cant learn anything on her own?!
 
by grandparents I mean darcys parents, where are they. when you die leaving a five year old and 2 year old I just wonder dont you leave a guardian in your will or something to help your spouse with your children under 18.

oop spoiler. Young widowhood huh? Well actually not really that young. I mean for the children.
 
If you found it so tiring to be in this woman's head space, why in the name of all efficiency did you read the book? I would much rather do something I enjoy than read a book I hate and complain about it.
 
I like reading books sir
even bad ones I give it a go. Its also part of my job.

I dont play video games all day like you do.
 
anyway Bridgets Jones the first two books were brilliant, even the one after, Bridget Jones baby diary. But this one..

I don't think her being single again after Mark Darcy dying (shot down saving refugees in the Sudan no less) anybody would want to read!

Confessions of a bad widow, now that one was an eye opener. This one was a true story and I think, possibly in the 'silly young widows who must marry again' category. When one marries and has zero life or job experience and raising young children on their own, and their spouse goes into a dangerous work situation or crashes the car and dies, because of his own foolishness, THEN you have a situation.

And if anyone doesn't think this is close to home. Well my next door neighbour age 25 passed away the other month, from cancer left a widow children two daughters 1-2 years and 3 months, they are being cared for by their grandparents I don't know how how his widowed wife is coping, but I don't know if she'll be the one going round trying to get dates in a few months time.

I don't think so. I would think, even genuine love and parental responsiblity would prevent that rather than desperate desire for sex??
How would YOU console a widow.

Otherwise I bring this up in the singles forum cos its an interesting topic. Unless you wanna talk about Plants vs Zombies. Make your own thread.
 
The book was called 'Confessions of a mediocre widow, or, how I lost my husband and lost my sanity' by Catherine Tidd.
Just as a comparison.
 
I like reading books sir
even bad ones I give it a go. Its also part of my job.

I dont play video games all day like you do.
Nah, I just play them when I have some free time to kill. I got this thing called a job, see, and it takes up a lot of time. Church stuff too... and family stuff... I don't even have half a day for games, much less ALL day. I average maybe a couple or three hours a night, on a boring week.
 
Bridget Jones as a widowed single, made me think of...
other famous widows who remarried, and everyone kind of hated their new spouse....

Prince Charles
Jackie Kennedy

although...this one kind of worked. Captain Von Trapp.

Otherwise, I guess if youve never been in that situation, you dont really understand it. I wonder if kids really do try to set their single parents up, like in The Parent Trap. Although that was divorced parents with each other.

From what Ive observed, children never have the choice. They dont go picking out dates for their parents. They dont particularly WANT new parents. They just want their own ones that theyve got to be good enough.
 
famous widowed single in the Bible - Ruth. But. dont know for sure SHE really wantd marry Boaz as much as he wanted to marry her. She could have stayed gleaning the rest of her life I suppose and become top Gleaner of the Barley Harvest. But her mother in law was like noooo Ruth the clock is ticking...dont let him get cold feet...
 
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ok finished now

still a terrible book, even with so called happy ending. Bridget ends up ditching cougar boy (dumped her for being too old) and going for Mr sensible school teacher, who happens to like her precisely because shes a mess. While he is, of course perfect. And I was thinking, what. No way.

If he read her diaries it would just kill him. Of course the book ends without all the annoying details of them living together and farting and vomittting what not that is told in explicit detail in her diaries. Gaah.

I will now read something morally improving.
 
for the single 14 year old. (singleness starts young these days)

I give you....DORK DIARIES by Rachel Renee Russell

The adventures of Nicki Maxwell as she laments about her utter dorkiness an her crush on super honey Brandon in science class is rounded out by fights with her little sister Brianna, clueless best friends Chloe and Zoey. and total nemesis and class war with mean girl Mackenzie.
 
I remember watching the Bridget Jones films. Well the first two. The films themselves are Ok, and quite funny (I think more of a women's type film??).

It's a very good question " how would I/we would show her there's more to life"? Without sounding cliched the answer can only be found in the Gospel.. the good news.

Where ultimately can we find Joy, peace and love (John 14:27; Rom 15:13).

Where Ultimately can we find the healing balm for our brokenness of heart? (Matthew 11:28; Psalm 147:3).

Where do we find our ultimate Identity? (Gen 1:27; Jer 1:5; Eph 2:10; Philippians 3:20).

We only find true meaning in our lives in the Person and work of Christ Jesus, no matter whether we are a Bridget Jones or even a Walter Mitty.

My advice to Bridget Jones would be to find peace with Jesus. And to walk in His love.
 
actually in the book, Bridget is meant to belong to the Church Of England.
At the end, she gets her kids christened. She doesnt marry again though, she just lives with her new sensible boyfriend and his kids too.

In Bridget Jones baby diary, I recall, when she gets married to Mark Darcy, the wedding is a church wedding. Possibly Darcy is a christian, but its never explicitly mentioned, though of course, he is too good to be true.

Of course, this may mean Bridget is an agnostic unbeliever and Darcy is a believer, and the entire book would then be about forgivng when we mess up...but...it doesnt come across this way! Bridgets faith, as it is, is only in men. And men let you down or die. OF course. But they offer sex, which is what Bridget likes the most.
 
spoiler alert. ok its spoiled anyway, but you can totally delete this after reading.

The new sensible boyfriend does something very heroic and saves some kids from being crushed by an out of control car, but other than that, he is a sarcastic know it all type who doesnt have any personality and constantly tells Bridget he can see her knickers. (this is code for 'I fancy you' in Britain)
 
Ok Bridget Jones is a total idiot and I am for reading any of the books and watching movie. again.

if the novels were based on Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion or even Northhanger Abbey...I surely didnt pick that up either.

and Renee Zellweger, well, good try with the brit accent and weight gain, but only thing she got right was the blonde hair. Which I dont recall she ever mentioned she even had in the book.

But then sometimes you need to laugh at something huh.
 
Ok I think thing with Bridget Jones is, because shes writing all her embarassing thoughts in a diary, no holds barred, maybe shes writing them for....God. Cos who is going to read it?

Ok even when she is saying OMG and praying to hindu gods for luck that she doesnt believe in.

So my thing is when shes writing the cajillionth time I need a man blah blah blah Im soooo lonely

God just says to Bridget stop twittering and follow ME

Then the next day the sun comes out and she falls into a pond with a fountain in it in those fancy estates as you do in Britain and gets baptised.
 
I watched the first film again when I had the cold and I have to say the movie didnt quite capture all the brilliant madness of the first book.

At the end, Mark Darcy finds Bridgets Diary where she had written how much she hated him, and then he leaves her. Bridget, who was just getting into clean underpants so she can have sex, sees he has left without telling her and runs out into the snow to find him in her undies. He is just buying her a new diary.

They kiss and then its the end. I do not remember that happening in the diary. lol

he probably didnt even read it, just saw it was full of her terrible handwriting and that she needed a new one.

Unlike the diaries of adrian mole or the wimpy kid or dork diaries, Bridgets doesnt go on for 15 books....
 
It's a rainy day.
I thought about some movies I'd like to watch, and I put on Netflix and remembered it had Mad About the Boy. Since I last wrote this thread, a movie had been made of the book, with the original characters played by the same actors, because how could anyone else be Bridget Jones save Renee Zellweger??

Reese Witherspoon could try, but I don't think she could have perfected being overweight and speaking with a British accent.

Anyway, the movie was a pleasant surprise, it captured the spirit of the first movie and it wasn't as cringey as the book was, it was amusing, and it was also kinda sad, because Darcy (the well loved Colin Firth) had died. Also, the children were a bit more grown up in this one than the book (If I recall) and funny in their own right.

Also, it celebrated family though I think by the time they had made the film, the Bridget's mother had died (or the actress who played her) but the dad was still alive, and when he consoled Bridget that was an awww moment.

Bridgets intrusive thoughts were kept to a minimum, but she still had the penguin pyjamas, the clumsiness, and the shamelessness of her younger self. I suppose as we age, some of us never really grow up, even when we marry and have children.

If you've seen the movies and/or read the books, feel free to comment, and also the original question, how would you show Bridget Jones there is more to life than shagging and being drunk? In the movie, her best buds constantly tell her she needs to go out and get laid, but when she does, she gets her heart broken all over again with the younger toyboy. However, with the sensible teacher she finds lasting love (we hope).