bookmistres4ever
12-16-04, 10:58 PM
LONDON (Reuters)
Wednesday January 14: "I now have lemon juice in hot water, mornings, with no sugar ... also apples before a very small breakfast of dry toast and weak tea -- if this doesn't get my fat down I'll give up dieting!
"Did not go out today."
It reads like an entry straight out of Bridget Jones' Diary but comes from the secret scribblings of a girl writing about love and life as a teenager nearly 80 years ago.
The real-life diary of Ilene Powell, 17, was discovered last weekend in a bundle of books donated to a second-hand book shop in her home city of Bristol.
It offers an amusing glimpse into life in Britain in the feel-good decade of the Roaring Twenties and suggests young women then were as obsessed by their boyfriends and their waistlines as they are now.
Powell is a good deal younger than Bridget, the angst-ridden thirty-something singleton played by Renee Zellweger in the blockbuster films.
And as her diary entry for February 7, 1925, shows, she also appears to be more successful with the men.
"Danced with all the lads as usual," she writes. "Had a good time, 6 people asked to take me home.
"There was a fight and Mrs Morgan fainted. Ticked off (told off) J.G. for making love to me on the roof garden."
A month later, Ilene enjoys "a merry evening of music, dancing, wines, trying on frocks".
"Norman and I entertained the company with stiletto dances, tangoes, etc. Caught last car home."
On the inside cover of the tiny leather-bound pocket book, Ilene -- in true Bridget fashion -- lists her vital statistics: "Glove size (6), boot size (3), hat size (6 and five eighths), weight (8 stone) and height (5ft 3in)".
No one knows quite where the diary came from. It was among several items left anonymously in the Oxfam bookshop.
"We usually sell donations but this one has such local interest that, unless someone from the family comes forward to claim it, we'd like to give it to the local records office," said Jen Brown, the shop manager.
"In the meantime I'm keeping it safely in my pocket."
Bridget Jones has become a household name, striking a chord with thousands of women who know, or remember, how it feels to be single and looking for love.
The first film, released in 2001, racked up over $250 million (130 million pounds) in worldwide box office receipts and the recently released sequel -- "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason", has also been a big hit
Wednesday January 14: "I now have lemon juice in hot water, mornings, with no sugar ... also apples before a very small breakfast of dry toast and weak tea -- if this doesn't get my fat down I'll give up dieting!
"Did not go out today."
It reads like an entry straight out of Bridget Jones' Diary but comes from the secret scribblings of a girl writing about love and life as a teenager nearly 80 years ago.
The real-life diary of Ilene Powell, 17, was discovered last weekend in a bundle of books donated to a second-hand book shop in her home city of Bristol.
It offers an amusing glimpse into life in Britain in the feel-good decade of the Roaring Twenties and suggests young women then were as obsessed by their boyfriends and their waistlines as they are now.
Powell is a good deal younger than Bridget, the angst-ridden thirty-something singleton played by Renee Zellweger in the blockbuster films.
And as her diary entry for February 7, 1925, shows, she also appears to be more successful with the men.
"Danced with all the lads as usual," she writes. "Had a good time, 6 people asked to take me home.
"There was a fight and Mrs Morgan fainted. Ticked off (told off) J.G. for making love to me on the roof garden."
A month later, Ilene enjoys "a merry evening of music, dancing, wines, trying on frocks".
"Norman and I entertained the company with stiletto dances, tangoes, etc. Caught last car home."
On the inside cover of the tiny leather-bound pocket book, Ilene -- in true Bridget fashion -- lists her vital statistics: "Glove size (6), boot size (3), hat size (6 and five eighths), weight (8 stone) and height (5ft 3in)".
No one knows quite where the diary came from. It was among several items left anonymously in the Oxfam bookshop.
"We usually sell donations but this one has such local interest that, unless someone from the family comes forward to claim it, we'd like to give it to the local records office," said Jen Brown, the shop manager.
"In the meantime I'm keeping it safely in my pocket."
Bridget Jones has become a household name, striking a chord with thousands of women who know, or remember, how it feels to be single and looking for love.
The first film, released in 2001, racked up over $250 million (130 million pounds) in worldwide box office receipts and the recently released sequel -- "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason", has also been a big hit