Bridgerton Book(s) vs. Netflix Show: Thoughts and Comparisons

Bridgerton is Netflix’s new, top watched original series. In it, Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, start a false courtship, which quickly leads to real feelings.

However, Simon is determined to get revenge on his father for his difficult childhood by never having children. This causes problems, as Daphne is the fourth of eight children and wants nothing more than to marry and have a family.

As the show is based on a series of books by Julia Quinn, I thought I would read the books and write out my thoughts on how they compared to the show. Season one is based on the first book; you can find my review of The Duke and I here.

Time Spent on Different Characters

I didn’t like how the TV show had so little time focused on Simon and Daphne. Usually, romances spend the majority of the time looking at the hero and/or heroine and their relationship. Bridgerton filled a lot of screen time with the exploits of the other siblings.

In my review of The Duke and I, I said that I thought the first half of the book felt like a set-up for the rest of the series. Book-Simon and book-Daphne’s relationship doesn’t develop at a realistic pace, but other characters are expertly introduced. There’s space for TV-Simon and TV-Daphne’s relationship to develop more realistically.

It felt like the TV show also used this first season as a set-up for the rest of the series. The show told the other Bridgerton sibling’s backstories around the main story (didn’t leave much for future seasons, really). Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time focused on Simon and Daphne’s story for me to feel invested in their relationship.

Lady Whistledown

In the books, we don’t find out the identity of Lady Whistledown (the scandal writer) until the fourth book (Romancing Mister Bridgerton). In fact, The Duke and I spends no time pondering Lady Whistledown’s identity. (Aside from the occasional “she must have a spy in the family” comment, of course).

However, the TV show characters spend quite a bit of time discussing who Lady Whistledown might be. Eloise even launches her own amateur investigation into the matter.

Actors of Colour

One of the major differences between the Bridgerton books and TV show is the numbers of coloured people. The book characters are all lilywhite English aristocrats typical of the genre. The Netflix show has been praised for “colour blind” casting.

There is a theory that the Queen at the time may have been part black. Evidence includes a rather unflattering comment made by a royal physician and a portrait where she has unfashionably full lips. Additionally, her family tree has been traced back to a Portuguese noblewoman who may have been coloured (the evidence for this is far from conclusive, however).

Apparently, the show is set in an alternate reality where Queen Charlotte was half-African and favoured other part-African people. Even in such circumstances, I highly doubt that the Queen would have been able to elevate so many people of colour to so many (usually hereditary) positions in the 50-odd years she was married to King George.

Queen Charlotte and Prince Frederik

The Queen doesn’t appear at all in The Duke and I. I didn’t particularly like Queen Charlotte, but she certainly added to the story. By all accounts, the real-life Queen Charlotte took an active interest in society, so including her was realistic. And her hair and gowns were generally magnificent.

Her presence also made it easy to introduce Prince Frederik to the story. Daphne’s relationship with Prince Frederik adds another dimension to Simon and Daphne’s relationship that I enjoyed. Additionally, it creates some interesting action for the time that Simon and Daphne grow closer.

Anthony and Siena

In The Viscount who Loved Me, we find out that Anthony (Daphne’s eldest brother) is convinced he will die before his 39^th birthday because his own father died aged 38. For this reason, he is afraid of falling in love. Apparently being in love would make his limited lifespan painful to live with.

On the TV show, Anthony appears to be in love with Siena (or at least thinks he is). This makes it look like Anthony’s problems with love are going to stem from previous heartbreak, not his father’s death.

At present, I don’t like this change, but we’ll see how they deal with it in season 2.

Simon’s Backstory

In The Duke and I, Simon’s backstory is told almost all at once in the prologue and first chapter. The show used flashbacks sprinkled throughout the episodes to tell the same backstory.

I liked how the show kept the backstory itself the same, but preferred the way the book delt with it. However, I loved how the show included a high-tension scene where Simon makes a vow to his father on his deathbed – so dramatic, and really highlighted just how much Simon hated the old duke.

Why can’t Daphne find a husband?

The reasons behind Daphne being unable to find a husband differed between the book and the show.

In the book, she’s a rather ordinary girl who becomes everyone’s friend but no one’s romantic heroine. Sure, Simon speculates that her overbearing elder brothers might have something to do with it, but it’s not the main reason.

In the show, Daphne is “flawless,” and every man wants to court her. Her inability to snag a husband has everything to do with Anthony scaring away potential suitors.

I preferred the book version. Book-Daphne was so much more relatable. The book also made Nigel Berbrooke more redeemable; he may be a minor character, but he does appear briefly in the book’s epilogue and The Viscount who Loved Me.

Favourite Scenes

I watched season one of Bridgerton before reading The Duke and I, and there were a couple of scenes that I hoped would also be in the book. I loved the scene where Anthony and Daphne try to turn on the stove so they can have warm milk without waking any of the servants.

As great as TV-Simon and Daphne’s conversation at the inn was, I preferred the book version of Violet telling Daphne about marriage, and the ensuing wedding-night conversation. It was just so funny. Daphne’s mother failed so completely to tell her anything useful and it led to such a hilarious misunderstanding.

Have you, also, watched Bridgerton on Netflix and read the books? How do you think they compare? Let me know in the comments below.