Saturday, November 11, 2006

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination


by Helen Fielding.

I picked up this book from the library for no particular reason. I was going to pick up Bridget Jones, and decided I wanted to read a new story- so I reached for this one instead. I was not disappointed.

Similar to Bridget Jones's Diary, we are introduced to Olivia Joules, a journalist with an overactive imagination. She thinks she sees danger around every corner. The book began in a British tone, and I could easily find myself in Olivia's mind speaking with that lovely English accent. I was sucked right into her story of imagined intrigue that turned out to be not so imagined. There were funny bits, there were far-fetched bits, but overall it was a simply entertaining read. I found myself rooting for Olivia right to the very end.

One of the best parts of this book is that it could be happening right now, and most of it was believable. This book is post 9/11, so terrorism as at the forefront of Olivia's mind and she thinks she sees Osama Bin Laden more than once throughout the book. The seriousness of today's world is tamed down by the humor that Helen Fielding has managed to lace into the crazy every day life of Olivia Joules. This was a very fun book to curl up with- perfect for a lazy Saturday morning. Definitely a book for the girls though- it's written from the perspective of a woman by a woman, and rightly done. I highly recommend this for a fun light read. It would be perfect for the coming winter nights curled up by the fireplace. The cozy beach scenes would warm a person up in no time.

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