Oh baby

I picked up Bridget Jones’ baby on a whim while on a 6-hour layover. After the behemoth that was the Southern Reach trilogy I needed something light and fun. And this book was both.

I don’t think I’ve read all three previous Bridget Jones books but that didn’t matter. I gathered pretty quickly that Bridget used to be engaged to Mark and that they broke off the engagement because of Daniel Cleaver. This takes place five years later. Bridget is single and about to become someone’s godmother for the umpteenth time. Her own biological clock is ticking, as everyone (including the clock itself) is telling her. And then, quite unexpectedly, she gets pregnant. But who’s the father?

This isn’t some essay on how your life will change if you have kids. We all know that. What this is is that when you’re Bridget Jones, your life will change in hilarious ways. Forever the clumsy, cheerful-despite-everything, stiff-upper-lipped singleton, she gets into all sorts of situations. Yet this time around she’s possibly one of the very few responsible adults in the book. While everyone else is freaking out, she’s dealing with her own doubts in a calm way. Her voice is as funny as always (I sat in a relatively deserted area of the airport so thankfully I could laugh out loud every other page without attracting any curious looks), yet she seems to be settling into this new role almost effortlessly.

I don’t really have any complaints about this book. It doesn’t set out to change the world or ask any deep philosophical questions. It is the perfect summer read if you need to give your mind a rest from reality. It’s fluff, but well-written fluff. And, if you still need to find some deeper social issues, how about Bridget as the single mother, who…

*SPOILERS*

..finally realises that she’s strong enough to do this without any man by her side.

*END SPOILERS*

Bridget Jones is all grown-up. And she’s still fun.