“Bridgerton” Author Julia Quinn Calls Season Two “Bonkers...in the Best Way”
We’ve all been there, on vacation, searching for the perfect read for our time away from real life—something fast and full of joy and maybe just a little sexy. And when we find it? There are no better books than those we read while on holiday.
But in this instance we aren't talking theoretically about just any reader, and the particular book in question definitely didn’t get left behind or forgotten when that reader returned home. The vacationing bibliophile in this case was Shonda Rhimes, the book was Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I, and the result of that literary encounter was Bridgerton, the stunning eight-episode series that would become Netflix’s most watched (until Squid Game), with more than 82 million households streaming the historical confection in its first month. “That’s what I’m told, at least,” Quinn says with a delighted laugh as she recounts the story from her home in Seattle. “Shonda ran out of books, and mine was in the hotel gift shop.”
This delight, tinged with a hue of pinch-me-is-this-real-life, returns over and over as we talk about Bridgerton. Quinn is fresh from having seen the final episodes of season two, which will air worldwide on March 25th, and her excitement is almost breathless. “It’s gorgeous,” she says, knowing she can’t say much or she’ll spoil the fun for viewers. “I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
“It’s bonkers,” she tells me. “I knew people wanted something like this, of course. You only need to look at how many people, women especially, read and love romance to know that they’re going to love a show like Bridgerton. But seeing it come to life in the hands of so many talented people who really got what romance is and understood how to make it into a television show…” she pauses and repeats herself. “It’s bonkers. In the best way.”
Any trepidation devoted fans of the books might have had about bringing the novels to the small screen was assuaged after viewing season one, in which showrunner Chris Van Deusen, who routinely interacts with the Bridgerton fandom on Twitter, delivered a largely true-to-the-books adaptation, full of the bright banter and lovingly teasing family that have been the hallmark of Quinn’s series since The Duke and I was published in 2000. “They got so many things right, but the family dynamic is just perfect,” she says about the team behind the show.
The reader care and feeding strategy appears to have been amped up in season two, with even the promotion for the series leaning hard into one of the novels’ most memorable scenes—the cutthroat family croquet match in Quinn’s The Viscount Who Loved Me, the source material for this season. “I’m very hands-off with the series,” Quinn is quick to say, “but when we talked about season two, I told Chris that I felt really strongly that the Pall Mall scene had to be in there. I didn’t have to, of course—he assured me that was already a given. And it is in there. And it’s great.”
Entertaining as they are, ruthless lawn sports do not a romance novel make. Quinn acknowledges that the story of Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, and his intended bride’s sister, Kate Sheffield—reimagined on screen as Kate Sharma and played to perfection by Simone Ashley—is a special one for readers. “As much as readers gravitate to the series because of the Bridgerton family,” she says, “The Viscount Who Loved Me has become a fan favorite because of Kate. She’s strong, she’s fierce, and she’s always got a snappy comeback. But she’s also very real and very vulnerable, and that makes her relatable.”
Relatable is a word one might not use all the time when thinking about a world dripping with money and power and aristocracy, but Kate stands as part of a long tradition of genre heroines who see heroes for exactly what they are—often too arrogant and self-absorbed for their own good, and deserving a near-devastating tumble into happily ever after. That tumble is the meat of the romance novel—often sexy, always emotional, and an absolute pleasure to read (and watch)—but it’s the happily ever after that keeps readers coming back.
This can be a surprise to people new to the genre. “Some people think books must be self-improving and serious, which is why there are a lot of people who just never thought about reading romance,” Quinn explains. “And then they watch Bridgerton, and they love it and they want more of it.”
One of the things Quinn tries to do is recommend other books and authors in the genre, and she mentioned several during our conversation: longstanding historical writer Lisa Kleypas; a “perfect read-alike” for Quinn’s books, Julie Anne Long; and debut historical romance novelist Adriana Herrera, among others.
Does Quinn think the show is bringing more people to romance novels? “I think so. Bridgerton is a gateway drug for romance,” she says. “Because Bridgerton is happiness and fun. It’s what you read…and watch…when you want joy. But once you’re done with the Bridgertons, there’s a wide world of historical romance to read. More joy to be had.”
More books to adapt, as well. “I want more!” Quinn shouts, as though Hollywood can hear down the West Coast. “More romance on screen! More adaptations! We are here, the books are great, and there is an audience for it!”
Eighty-two million households strong, as it turns out. Season two of Bridgerton is available for streaming on Netflix March 25th.
Sarah MacLean is a historical romance novelist and the host of the weekly romance podcast Fated Mates. Her book Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is out in trade paperback this week. Visit her at sarahmaclean.net.
Books to Read After Bridgerton
Already binged season two? Quinn recommends these equally bingeable historical romances
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