Bridgerton (novel series)
Series of Regency romance novels by Julia Quinn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bridgerton is a series of eight Regency romance novels written by Julia Quinn.[1][2][3] Released from 2000 to 2006, it follows the eight siblings of the noble Bridgerton family as they navigate London high society in search of love, adventure and happiness.[4]
First edition covers of the first eight novels of the Bridgerton series | |
| |
| Author | Julia Quinn |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction, Romance, Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Avon |
| Published |
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| Media type | |
| No. of books | 8 (with 9 short stories, and 3 companions) |
The novels have been adapted by Shondaland into a television series titled Bridgerton which premiered in 2020 on Netflix.[5]
Background
Set between 1813 and 1827, each novel features one of the eight children of the late Viscount Bridgerton and his widow Violet: Anthony, who is the current Viscount Bridgerton, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. The Bridgerton family are part of British nobility and are a well respected, immensely loving, and tight-knit clan favored among high society.
The Bridgertons are by far the most prolific family in the upper echelons of society. Such industriousness on the part of the viscountess and the late viscount is commendable, although one can find only banality in their choice of names of their children. Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth – orderliness is, of course, beneficial in all things, but one would think that intelligent parents would be able to keep their children straight without needing to alphabetize their names.
— Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, The Duke and I
Publishing history
- The Duke and I (2000, Daphne's story)
- The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000, Anthony's story)
- An Offer from a Gentleman (2001, Benedict's story)
- Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2002, Colin's story)
- To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003, Eloise's story)
- When He Was Wicked (2004, Francesca's story)
- It's In His Kiss (2005, Hyacinth's story)
- On the Way to the Wedding (2006, Gregory's story)
Characters
Bridgerton family tree
| Edmund, Viscount Bridgerton † (1764–1803) | Violet (née Ledger), Viscountess Bridgerton (b. 1766) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton (b. 1784) | Benedict Bridgerton (b. 1786) | Colin Bridgerton (b. 1791) | Daphne Bridgerton (b. 1792) | Eloise Bridgerton (b. 1796) | Francesca Bridgerton (b. 1797) | Gregory Bridgerton (b. 1801) | Hyacinth Bridgerton (b. 1803) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character[6] | Actor in Netflix's Bridgerton | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Duke and I | The Viscount Who Loved Me | An Offer from a Gentleman | Romancing Mister Bridgerton | To Sir Phillip, With Love | When He Was Wicked | It's In His Kiss | On the Way to the Wedding | ||
| Anthony | Jonathan Bailey | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | Appearance | ||||
| Benedict | Luke Thompson | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | |||||
| Colin | Luke Newton | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | Appearance | ||||
| Daphne | Phoebe Dynevor | Own story | Appearance | Appearance | |||||
| Eloise | Claudia Jessie | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | |||||
| Francesca | Ruby Stokes / Hannah Dodd | Appearance | Appearance | Own story | |||||
| Gregory | Will Tilston | Appearance | Appearance | Appearance | Own story | ||||
| Hyacinth | Florence Hunt | Appearance | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | ||||
Reception
Critical response
The Duke and I was criticized for the inclusion of non-consensual sex between Simon and Daphne which amounted to marital rape.[7][8] Critics pointed out that it failed to acknowledge the difficulties of male victims of rape, especially since Simon was traumatized after the event.[9][10]
People ranked The Viscount Who Loved Me, a perennial fan favorite, as the best book of the Bridgerton series for its enemies-to-lovers trope "full of banter and chemistry" with character development for the central couple, "both as a pair and on their own."[11]
On the Way to the Wedding won the Romance Writers of America RITA Award in 2007.[12] In 2002, To Sir Phillip, With Love was named one of the six best mass market original novels of the year by Publishers Weekly.[13]
Sales
Well-received when they were first published, the novels received a surge on book sales when the Netflix series Bridgerton premiered its first season in December 2020, and again, for its second season in March 2022. Several titles in the series have been on The New York Times bestseller list, including at several weeks #1 with The Duke and I and The Viscount Who Loved Me.[14][15]
Spin-offs
The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After
The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After was published in 2013, and is sometimes numbered as the 9th book in the series. It consists of second epilogues for each of the 8 novels in the main Bridgerton series, together with a short story about Violet Bridgerton herself.
Rokesby series
The Rokesby series, also called The Bridgerton Prequels, focus on the Rokesby family and are set before the Bridgerton series, featuring younger versions of some of the same characters.
- Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016)
- The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (2017)
- The Other Miss Bridgerton (2018)
- First Comes Scandal (2020)
Collaborations
The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown and Lady Whistledown Strikes Back are two anthology novels by Julia Quinn and 3 other authors, featuring the character of Lady Whistledown who was introduced in the Bridgerton series.
Queen Charlotte is a novel co-written by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes, set in the Bridgerton universe.
Adaptation
The book series has been adapted by Shondaland, for Netflix, into a television series titled Bridgerton which premiered on the platform in 2020.[16] It follows the format of the novels, with each season focusing on a different Bridgerton sibling, and their quest for marriage.[17][18]