'Bridget Jones’s Diary': 9 Books Like the Iconic Heroine
When Bridget Jones stumbled onto the scene in the 1996, she changed the world of literature as we knew it. Helen Fielding’s first Bridget book, the aptly-titled Bridget Jones’s Diary, gave us a heroine who felt genuine, who wasn’t a one-dimensional romantic heroine, who did really, really stupid things but came through all right in the end. The book may have been pigeonholed into the maddening genre they call “chick lit,” but Bridget and her diary were so funny, relatable, and successful that she (and her creator) breathed new life into the fiction genre as a whole. It was an imperfect, refreshing voice that many readers felt like they hadn’t seen in a while.
Did you fall in love with Bridget through her diaries? If you can’t wait to get your fix of Bridget-esque hijinks and personal confessions when Bridget Jones’s Baby hits theaters on Sept. 16, pick up one of these novels from Bridget’s counterparts of past and present.
1/11When Bridget Jones stumbled onto the scene in the 1996, she changed the world of literature as we knew it. Helen Fielding’s first Bridget book, the aptly-titled Bridget Jones’s Diary, gave us a heroine who felt genuine, who wasn’t a one-dimensional romantic heroine, who did really, really stupid things but came through all right in the end. The book may have been pigeonholed into the maddening genre they call “chick lit,” but Bridget and her diary were so funny, relatable, and successful that she (and her creator) breathed new life into the fiction genre as a whole. It was an imperfect, refreshing voice that readers felt like they hadn’t seen in a while.
Did you fall in love with Bridget through her diaries? If you can’t wait to get your fix of Bridget-esque hijinks and personal confessions when Bridget Jones’s Baby hits theaters on Sept. 16, pick up one of these novels from Bridget’s counterparts of past and present.
2/11Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Georgia Nicholson is the teenage Bridget Jones. They’re both British, both hilarious, and both more than a little awkward. In her series of diaries, Georgia chronicles all the best (and the worst) things about being a teenage girl, from feeling way embarrassed by your family to navigating your first real crush. Best of all? There are ten (!!) Georgia books in the series.
3/11Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
No, it’s not *technically * YA, but without Elizabeth Bennet and her romantic adventures, we wouldn’t have Bridget Jones. Um, hello, Mr. Darcy = Mark Darcy. *Bridget Jones’ Diary * was one of the first “modern retellings” of the classic story, and still one of the best.
4/11The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
British teen Adrian Mole is *kiiiiiind * of dramatic, but that’s OK, because where can you be dramatic if not in your private diary? Bridget would definitely consider Adrian a kindred spirit, as Adrian’s writing gets more hilarious as his life unravels.
5/11Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw
Scarlett’s story may have echoes of *Harriet the Spy, * but her snarky, hilarious, and *real * voice is all Bridget.
6/11The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
At first, Andie seems to be the anti-Bridget Jones. She has her life together, a straightforward plan for her future, an absent politician father, and a great summer internship awaiting her. Of course, things in life never go exactly as you’ve planned, and when things fall apart for Andie, she has to break out of her comfort zone of perfection.
7/11I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Cassandra Mortmain is definitely the precursor to Bridget Jones. In this 1948 novel by the author of *101 Dalmations, * Cassandra and her family are living in a decaying English castle. They were once quite wealthy, but the money’s gone and now leaky ceilings and no heat is their reality. The self-assured, poised, and thoughtful Cassandra keeps a diary, and when two young American men move in next door, Cassandra and her sister, Rose, learn how quickly life can change when romance is involved.
8/11Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Gabi, a high school senior, is trying to decide where to attend college, but she thinks she’s “too Mexican” for her chosen school, Berkeley. What else is going on in Gabi’s life? Well, her best friend is pregnant, she thinks she’s overweight, and she struggles with the line between the religion she grew up with and the life she leads as a modern teen girl. In her diary, Gabi chronicles everything with a huge dose of honesty and humor; she’s one of the most memorable teenage diarists we’ve read in a long time.
9/11The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel about an eccentric British family and its wild, witty daughters is a classic you should read immediately. Narrator Fanny chronicles her Radlett cousins’ aristocratic escapades with a wry, tongue-in-cheek style that Mitford made her signature; you can see its echoes in Bridget’s books.
10/11Confessions of a High School Disaster by Emma Chastain
*Confessions of a High School Disaster * will be released in March, but it’s already gaining praise as a teenage answer to *Bridget Jones’s Diary. * Chloe Snow’s mom told her to write down everything that happens, so she’s listening and penning a diary about her high school life, which involves falling in love with the most popular boy, freaking out because she’s never kissed anyone before, and dealing with family drama. Sounds like something Bridget would approve of.
