All of the Bridget Jones Books and Movies in Order
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First published in 1996, Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding has sold millions of copies around the world, with an enduring appeal that relates to several generations of women.
The books themselves were published in an order that doesn’t follow the story chronologically, and I have to admit, it’s something that I’ve found incredibly confusing in the past. The movies, on the other hand, do follow the chronological order of the story, instead of the publication date of the books.
Confused? Read on to discover the different ways that you can read and watch the Bridget Jones books and movies.
Enjoy!
Publication Order
Here are all of the Bridget Jones books in the order that they were published.
1) Bridget Jones’s Diary - 1996
Synopsis:
“Welcome to Bridget's first diary: mercilessly funny, endlessly touching and utterly addictive.
A dazzlingly urban satire on modern relationships?
An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family?
Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something?
As Bridget documents her struggles through the social minefield of her thirties and tries to weigh up the eternal question (Daniel Cleaver or Mark Darcy?), she turns for support to four indispensable friends: Shazzer, Jude, Tom and a bottle of chardonnay.”
You can buy a copy on Amazon here.
2) Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - 1998
Synopsis:
“Bridget Jones, the original singleton, is back and her life is as chaotic as ever in The Edge of Reason, the number one bestseller from Helen Fielding.
The Wilderness Years are over! But for how long?
Bridget's second diary takes us through a year that begins with man-of-her-dreams Mark Darcy (who never does the washing up) and lurches onwards through a sea of self-help books and lunatic advice from her mad friends.
Struggling with the challenges of a boyfriend-stealing beauty, an eight-foot hole in the wall and a builder obsessed with large reservoir fish, Bridget decides it's time for a spiritual epiphany. And so she departs Notting Hill for the sparkling shores of Thailand…
Bridget is back. V.g.
Helen Fielding's first novel, Bridget Jones's Diary, sparked a phenomenon that has seen four books, newspaper columns and the smash-hit film series Bridget Jones's Diary, The Edge of Reason, Bridget Jones's Baby, and Mad About the Boy.”
You can buy a copy on Amazon here.
3) Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - 2013
Synopsis:
“What do you do when a girlfriend’s 60th birthday party is the same day as your boyfriend’s 30th?
Is it morally wrong to have a blow-dry when one of your children has head lice?
Is sleeping with someone after 2 dates and 6 weeks of texting the same as getting married after 2 meetings and 6 months of letter writing in Jane Austen’s day?
Pondering these, and other dilemmas, BRIDGET JONES stumbles through the challenges of single motherhood, online dating, and achieving ‘acceptance and calm’ in what SOME people rudely call ‘middle age’.”
You can buy a copy on Amazon here.
4) Bridget Jones’s Baby 2016
Synopsis:
“8.45 P.M. Realise there have been so many times in my life when have fantasised about going to a scan with Mark or Daniel: just not both at the same time.
Before motherhood, before marriage, BRIDGET JONES, with biological clock ticking very, very loudly, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant at the eleventh hour.
Her joyful pregnancy is dominated, however, by a crucial but terribly awkward question – who is the father? Mark Darcy: honourable, decent, notable human rights lawyer? Or Daniel Cleaver: charming, witty, notable fuckwit?”
You can buy a copy on Amazon here.
Chronological/Reading Order
The recommended reading order of the Bridget Jones books differs slightly from their publication order.
Although Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was published in 2013, the events take place after those in Bridget Jones’s Baby, which was published in 2016.
For that reason, it makes sense to read the books in the unconventional order below.
1) Bridget Jones’s Diary - 1996
2) Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - 1998
3) Bridget Jones’s Baby 2016
4) Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - 2013
Movies in Order
Finally, here is the order of the Bridget Jones movie series. The films were created in chronological (story) order, instead of following the order that the books were published.
1) Bridget Jones’s Diary - 2001
2) Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - 2004
3) Bridget Jones’s Baby - 2016
4) Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - 2025
Do you have a favourite Bridget Jones book? Leave a comment and let me know.