If you haven't read "Bridget Jones's Diary", and are looking for a review on the two books by Helen Fielding, you're in the right place. Please forgive the writing style gained from reading Jones's diary. I shall try and rate the books out of 5.

I found the diary very personal. Naturally, it's a diary, so that's how it should be. Just there, and it gets a point for being so personal with its reader. The writing way Fielding used for developing the story does not require one to keep reading page after page to keep up with what's going on. In other words, very easy read.

I'd like to give the books another point for being very humorous. Fielding found a very effective way of preparing a setting in modern-age England, where a 30 year-old single woman is hopelessly trying to end up in a story of "..And they lived happily ever after."

Bridget has a group of friends, each one being more interesting than the other. Their advice sometimes drives Bridget crazy. The bad thing is, their advice doesn't always help poor "Bridgy" in finding The One. The good thing is, you will find a surprise in the sequel of the book, The Edge of Reason. I will not spoil the surprise for you, since a surprise wouldn't be a surprise if I told you.

I will, however, take a point away from Fielding's writing for her "maniac-like" keeping up with the weight that poor Bridget goes through, how many cigarettes she smokes, and how many drinks she has. She certainly wrote realistically, but all of us look for an imaginary world when reading, and tobacco counts, weight loss, number of drinks just didn't cut it for me.

The story of Bridget has a number of realistic themes, one of them being anxiety of being a single woman, "battles" over finding true love and living in a world of feminism. Certainly, if you're not a feminist, it would be interesting reading the book as you try to find the ending. Being a feminist myself, I give the book another point for encouraging women in balancing with men. (VVG) Very, Very Good, as Bridget would say.

I recommend you read the book before you watch the movie with Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth (who Fielding talks about in the book) and Hugh Grant. There are certain scenes and parts that I enjoyed in the book, more than I did in the movie. The adventures that Bridget goes through for following her friends' advice are just more interesting in the book. So, there, another point for its content.

Out of a scale of 5, I give the books a 4.5. Excellent!