Chick Literate

No serious discussion of chick lit can take place without mention of Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding, which pretty much started the entire genre. There’s nothing I can say about this book that hasn’t been said – it’s side-splittingly funny, and it’s playful and clever and escapist and just downright fun. It’s the first chick lit book I read, and it’s still one of my very favorites, partly because I relate to so much in it. Several years ago, an English acquaintance of mine said something about how Bridget Jones is “so British,” but I’m not really sure what that means. I mean, sure, she talks about “snogging” and “shagging” rather than “kissing” and “screwing,” but other than that, there’s not much difference between her and lots of 20- and 30-somethings I know. We all have bad hair days, struggle with our weight, complain about work, and seek that perfect someone to spend our days (and nights) with. I was engaged when I read it Bridget Jones’s Diary for the first (and second, and third) time, and I’m married now, but I still feel that Bridget Jones is something of an Everywoman for all of us, no matter where we were born and what our marital status might be.