On December 25, 2020, season one of “Bridgerton” was released on Netflix, but did you know the show was based on the “Bridgerton” books by Julia Quinn? There are eight books in the series, each focusing on the love story of one of the eight Bridgerton children. The first book, titled The Duke and I, centers on Daphne Bridgerton’s path to a love match. However, since the book has been turned into a show, one must consider how similar or different they are. Please be aware that this article contains spoilers for the book and show.
In my opinion, the biggest difference between the show and the book is Queen Charlotte. Having a queen was never mentioned in the original Bridgerton books, especially not one who played such an influential role in the lives of the characters and the marriage mart. In the show, at the beginning of every marriage season, the debutantes and their mothers presented themselves in front of Queen Charlotte with the hopes of being deemed the season’s diamond. If Queen Charlotte showed any sign of keenness towards a debutant, that is who the gentlemen would attempt to pursue. Meanwhile, in the book, the season’s diamond (also called the season’s incomparable) was determined solely by how many gentlemen pursued them.
Queen Charlotte not only has the ability to determine who gets to be the season’s incomparable, but she also has a say in people’s marriages. The first book follows Daphne Bridgerton’s love story with the Duke of Hastings; however, in season one, Prince Friedrich (Queen Charlotte’s nephew) becomes one of Miss Bridgerton’s possible marriage prospects. The prince was a shock to all Bridgerton fans, considering he was not even a character in the book. In addition to his unexpected arrival, the queen was convinced that Prince Friedrich and Daphne Bridgerton should get married. The producers (Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers) added the prince to be an instigator of jealousy and almost a rival to the Duke. Prince Friedrich was the perfect way to make the Duke start having feelings that he did not understand towards Miss Bridgerton. When Daphne and the Duke became engaged, they had to get permission from the Queen to wed by convincing her that they were truly in love, a scene that had obviously never occurred in the book.
Another difference between season one and book one is how Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings met. In the book, the Duke heard a woman and a man alone in a deserted hallway of a ball, which was highly improper, so he stayed out of sight, listening to see if she would need any assistance. The Duke was not interested in playing the role of a hero, but if need be, he was not going to let the strange man harm the lady in any way. The man was Nigel Berbrooke, and he was very set on marrying Daphne Bridgerton. He had cornered her outside the ball and was desperately trying to convince her to marry him. Mr. Berbrooke had gone as far as to say that he loved her. However, Miss Bridgerton was not at all interested in marriage with him; she was trying to politely refuse him. Just as the Duke heard Nigel attempting to make a move on Miss Bridgerton, he stormed in fully intending on saving her, only to see that she had taken care of the issue herself: she punched Nigel Berbrooke. In the show, however, Miss Bridgerton accidentally bumped into the Duke while trying to escape Nigel Berbrooke. Instead of a romantic—or even normal—introduction, Daphne asked the Duke who he was, and he refused to believe that she was not messing with him. He was simply arrogant.
No matter what differences have been made in the production of the show, I still love it. The producers, actors, and editors all did such an amazing job of displaying the magic and love of that era. “Bridgerton” has such a romantic feel to it, not only because it is a romance show, but also because the surroundings and script are so beautiful. I think that they did justice to the book. I must admit I did watch the show before reading the book; however, I will always say that the book is better than the show. The best way to determine if I’m right is to read the book and watch the show yourself. I promise you will not regret it.
