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Book Review

Helen Fielding's latest novel "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" picks up where her last work left off - as Jones, armed with all her typical neuroses, deals with life with new boyfriend Mark Darcy.

Fielding's best-selling novel "Bridget Jones' Diary," introduced the public to the obsessive calorie-counting self-esteem issues and self-help book devotion of its perpetually single heroine Jones.

That novel hit a chord with single women everywhere with its portrayal of Jones as a hip Singleton (single people) in a world of Smug Marrieds (married couples who constantly ask Singletons when they will tie the knot).

It was a new feminism where women were financially independent and emotionally secure but still really desired a man in their life.

"Hurrah! The wilderness years are over. For four weeks and five days now have been in functional relationship with adult male thereby proving am not love pariah as previously feared," Bridget proclaimed at the novel's opening.

Things do not remain so cheery for Bridget for long though. Over the course of the novel, she struggles with the shifting dynamics in her romance with Darcy - displayed by her caloric intake and in her cigarette consumption.

Moreover, in a string of unbelievable situations, Jones endures death threats, unemployment and fallouts with friends, always with "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and Darcy in mind.

The plot often takes the reader to the "edge of reason." Jones' reaction to some extremely dire situations are almost flagrantly superficial and unbelievable.

Moreover, the resolutions come with the simplicity of a sitcom.

The joy of this book, however, lies in Jones' droll and utterly charming humor. Her self-deprecation and obsessive self-doubt endear her to readers.

The audience's own insecurities are played out in Jones' compulsion to check the answering machine for calls from boyfriend and her exhaustive search for meaning in every gesture, phone call and action.

At 338 pages, "Edge of Reason" is longer than the first novel, and as a result, Bridget's diary entries grow increasingly tedious. It begins to seem one-note as the reader easily recognizes the material.

While the humor remains fresh throughout the book, Fielding resists delving deeply into the relationships and minds of her characters. Much of the book remains on the surface, albeit a delightful surface.

Fielding does not fully explore the couple's relationship, preferring to keep Bridget agonizing over their time spent apart.

These are only afterthoughts though. Mid-read, "Edge of Reason" consumes the reader in Jones' enchanting world. She embodies the modern women struggling to balance own domestic desires with professional ambition.

It is about wanting it all and not knowing the path to get there - hence, the self-help book refuge.

The novel is uplifting and riotously funny. The outlandish situations that Jones gets caught up in may seem cartoonish, but they are always engaging and leave the reader begging, through tears of laughter, for more.