For My First Englisch Bookreport in 'Atheneum' 5 I choose the book: Bridget Jones's Diary. And with your assignment this is what 'came out' My favourite "It took me a while to locate the terracotta oil burner, as it had been shoved near the back, but when I did I simply poured a little milk on t ht teaspoon, tilted it and held it against the edge of the hole where you put the candle in. I couldn't believe it. The Essential Oil burner was taking in milk. You could actually see the milk disappearing from the teaspoon. 'Oh my God, it's a miracle,' I exclaimed. How was I to know that was when Mark Darcy would be bloody well walking past? 'What are you doing?' he said, standing in the doorway. I didn't know what to say. He obviously thought I was trying to steal the presents. 'Mmmm?' he said.' The Essential Oil Burner I bought your mother is taking in mild,' I muttered sulkily. 'Oh don't be ridiculous,' he said, laughing. 'It is taking milk,' I said indignantly. 'Look" I put some more milk on the teaspoon, tilted the spoon and sure enough the oil burner slowly started to take it in. 'You see,' I said proudly. 'It's a miracle' He was pretty impressed, I can tell you. 'You're right,' he said softly. 'It is a miracle. Just then Natasha appeared in the doorway.' Oh, hi' she said, seeing me. 'Not in your bunny girl outfit today, then,' and gave a little laugh to disguise her bitchy comment as an amusing joke. 'Actually we bunnies wear these in the winter for warmth,' I said." I like this part very much because this is the first time that they (Bridget and Mark Darcy) 'talk' to each other in a way that is not just formal or something like that. Later on this party they arrange a date and I think that this was the very beginning of their relationship. And I think that the Joke in the end is really very funny because it is about the terrible embarrassing experience Bridget had at the Tarts and Vicars party. You can read something about that later on in this report. Good or bad?? There are not really aspects that I don't appreciate in this book (part from it being English!!) But there were a few things that I didn't read anymore after a while because they weren't very interesting. Before she started to write about what she did that day she writes something like this for example: " 8st 11 (hmm must get 1 lb off), alcohol units 2, cigarettes 7, calories 1562". When I just started reading the book It was kind of funny but after 50 times something like this it gets boring. I don't have any other 'complains' about this book, I didn't mind reading it and I think I might even had enjoyed it if it was written in Dutch instead of in English. There are so many funny, nice and appealing events and things that I can't write them all down without almost overwriting the biggest part of the book. But I will write down some of them. There is a real funny part about Briget climbing up the firepole instead of sliding down of it. She had to slide down a firepole for a newsreport but she started out a little to earlie and she noticed that when she was only a few feet down and she thought she would have the time to climb back but she didn't. The cameras were already rolling and someone toldher she had to slide down NOW! When she is finally down it appears that there is no time for the interview she was supposed to give with a fireman so she says: " And now back to the studio". That sentence turned into a new catchphrase in the office. Any time anyone gets asked a guestion they don't know the answer to they go.' Errr.... and now back to the studio,' and burst out laughing. Before Daniel and Bridget had an relationship. They were messaging a lot via the network at work. Daniel is Bridgets boss. They have lots of funny 'conversations' about Bridgets skirt. The skirt would be sick and missing according to Daniel but it was apperantly there according to Bridget.
Events that stand out. One of the events that stand out is when she goes to some sort of party. She was told that everyone should come dressed as Tarts and Vicars. Her boyfriend Daniel will go with her and together they look for a good 'costume' for Bridget. But a only a day before the day of the party Daniel says that he can not join her because he has to work. She doesn't like that at all because she was looking forward to finally be able to show off her boyfriend and now everyone will doubt her having one. But it gets worse. She arrives at the party and then she suddenly notices that nobody is dressed as a tart or a vicar! She feels very embarrassed because she is wearing a body stocking with a bunny tail on her bottom and bunny ears on her head. Her uncle Geoffrey forgot to call her to tell her that they decided to not have a Tarts and Vicars party but just a normal one because of all the scandals there've been with vicars. Fortunately she can get one of her aunts dresses : "a puff-sleeved, floral-sprig Laura Ashley bridesmaid dress", but it's better than her own 'bunny-outfit'. The reason I chose this event is that I think that it is very funny. I also saw the movie and in the movie this event was even more funny than in the book because in the movie you could really see her outfit and the embarrassed look on her face. But on the other hand I liked it better in the book because there it was made very clear that she didn't like the dress she could borrow, I can't remember any dress in the movie. The other event that stands out (according to me) is when she finds out that Daniel is cheating on her and she sees this "bronzed, long limbed, blonde-haired, stark-naked woman". And if it wasn't just enough to just cheat on her, he is even going to marry the girl with whom he was cheating on her!! The reason that I choose this event is that I really felt sorry for Bridget while she could have seen this coming. When she arrives at his place he doesn't let her in because he's is having a phone call with America. At first she believes him and she wants to go to the pub like where he said he would meet her in half an hour, but then she doesn't believe him because he keeps looking at her when she goes back to her car and drives away and he keeps standing there. When he is gone she comes back and rings the doorbell again, she says that the pub isn't opened yet and that is true. She insists on coming in and he lets her in. She is looking everywhere (in closets and rooms) and tries to do that without Daniel noticing. Then she thinks that 'she' could be on the roof terrace. She says to Daniel that it's a bit to hot inside and she wants to go to the roof. He tries to block her way and then she is almost sure, she sees 'her' and the relationship is over. Recognisable person. There is this man named Patchouli (you never really get to know his whole name) who works at Good Afternoon, which is a news station. He doesn't actually play a big part in the book but whenever he says something you can count on it that he uses the word like about one time per sentence. And since it is very human to have a word that you use a lot. So I think that this person represents a lot of people. For example myself because I use the words "zeg maar" a lot. But I also think that he uses his expletive more often than most people do, it's a bit exaggerated. The 3 themes to be found in this book: Drinking, smoking, weight. (I consider this one theme.) Almost every day she wrights in her Diary she writes down her weight, amount of alcohol units, amount of cigarettes and the amount of calories she had that day. I think that's a bit obsessive. Boyfriend. Having a boyfriend is very important to Bridget though she only had two that year. One of them (the first one) wasn't a 'good' boyfriend and he cheated on her. She started dating the second boyfriend 6 days before the end of the year. Family and 'Friends'. 'Friends' has a double meaning here. With 'friends' I mean her real friends but also the friends of her family. Her own friends are a few women and a man. They often discuss together (in a bar) how terrible men can be (according to one of the women they're always awful) The guy often has good advice about men, he is one, and he is gay so he can also talk along about stupid boyfriends. Her family and their friends don't seem very nice, they are just always complaining about Bridget still not having a boyfriend. They try to connect her to Mark Darcy who she didn't like at all in the beginning but in the end she is dating him! Problem? The main problem in this book is that Bridget Jones is in her thirties and 'still' doesn't have a boyfriend, or husband. For Bridget herself it already was a problem that she didn't have a boyfriend. But it' might be even worse that at every party or something like that people ask her if she has got a boyfriend yet and as a following question: How come? At the beginning of the year (also the beginning of the book) she makes a list of New Year's Resolutions. There are 20 resolutions on that list and at the end of the year (and the end of the book) she writes down the number of resolutions she didn't break: 1!! And that one is probably the most important one: " Form functional relationship with responsible adult". So I think that the problem is solved. I don't think I would've reacted the same way Bridget does. She thinks that it is so incredibly important to have a boyfriend. OK it is very nice having a boyfriend but she wanted it too bad and a bit because of that she just didn't got a 'good' one. My opinion. I think that you already know a bit about my opinion about this book. I didn't mind reading it (and that is very good for an English Novel!!) It wasn't difficult to read this book. There were only a few hard words in it and if they popped up again I just wanted to know what they mend, but I didn't look them all up because the wordbook was often to far away!!