 First edition covers of the first eight novels of theBridgerton 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) |
Bridgerton is a series of eightRegency romance novels written byJulia Quinn.[1][2][3] Released from 2000 to 2006, it follows the eight siblings of thenoble Bridgerton family as they navigateLondon high society in search of love, adventure and happiness.[4]
The novels have been adapted byShondaland into a television series titledBridgerton which premiered in 2020 onNetflix.[5]
Set between 1813 and 1827, each novel features one of the eight children of the lateViscount 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 ofBritish nobility and are a well respected, immensely loving, and tight-knit clan favored amonghigh 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
| 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'sBridgerton | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Does not appear | Appearance | |||
| Benedict | Luke Thompson | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | Does not appear | ||||
| Colin | Luke Newton | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | Does not appear | Appearance | |||
| Daphne | Phoebe Dynevor | Own story | Appearance | Does not appear | Appearance | ||||
| Eloise | Claudia Jessie | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | Does not appear | ||||
| Francesca | Ruby Stokes /Hannah Dodd | Appearance | Does not appear | Appearance | Does not appear | Own story | Does not appear | ||
| Gregory | Will Tilston | Appearance | Does not appear | Appearance | Does not appear | Appearance | Own story | ||
| Hyacinth | Florence Hunt | Appearance | Does not appear | Appearance | Own story | Appearance | |||
The Duke and I was criticized for the inclusion ofnon-consensual sex between Simon and Daphne which amounted tomarital rape.[7][8] Critics pointed out that it failed to acknowledge the difficulties ofmale victims of rape, especially since Simon was traumatized after the event.[9][10] Several blogs welcoming the general public audience to publish commentary on books and series have been vocal over their opinions of the first installment.The Book Nanny, a major book review site likeGoodreads, had one reviewer suggest "the entire conflict of the story evolves 100% around the sex life of the main characters..." under "Why I Didn't Like It."[19]
People rankedThe Viscount Who Loved Me, a perennial fan favorite, as the best book of theBridgerton series for its enemies-to-loverstrope "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 theRomance 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 byPublishers Weekly.[13]
Well-received when they were first published, the novels received a surge on book sales when the Netflix seriesBridgerton premiered its first season in December 2020, and again, for its second season in March 2022. Several titles in the series have been onThe New York Times bestseller list, including at several weeks #1 withThe Duke and I andThe Viscount Who Loved Me.[14][15]
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 mainBridgerton series, together with a short story about Violet Bridgerton herself.
The Rokesby series, also calledThe Bridgerton Prequels, focus on the Rokesby family and are set before theBridgerton series, featuring younger versions of some of the same characters.
The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown andLady Whistledown Strikes Back are two anthology novels by Julia Quinn and 3 other authors, featuring the character of Lady Whistledown who was introduced in theBridgerton series.
Queen Charlotte is a novel co-written by Julia Quinn andShonda Rhimes, set in theBridgerton universe.
The book series has been adapted byShondaland, forNetflix, into a television series titledBridgerton 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]