CANR
WORK TITLE: Queen Charlotte
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.juliaquinn.com/
CITY: Seattle
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: CANR 340
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born January 12, 1970; daughter of Stephen Lewis and Jane Cotler; married Paul Pottinger; children: two.
EDUCATION:Harvard University, B.A., 1992; has also studied at Yale School of Medicine.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Romance writer. Has appeared on the game show, The Weakest Link, 2001, and in an MTV music video, 2013.
MEMBER:Romance Writers of America, Novelists Inc.
AWARDS:RITA Award finalist, Romance Writers of America (RWA), 2001, for The Duke and I and The Viscount Who Loved Me; Top Ten Books of the Year list, 2002, RITA Award finalist, best long historical, 2003, for Romancing Mister Bridgerton; RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award finalist, best historical love & laughter, for To Catch an Heiress; RWA Top Ten Books of the Year List, 2003, for To Sir Phillip, with Love; RITA Award finalist, best romantic novella, 2004, for “Thirty-Six Valentines”; RITA Award finalist, best romantic novella, 2004, for “A Tale of Two Sisters”; RITA Award, 2006, for On the Way to the Wedding, 2008, for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, and 2010, for What Happens in London; inductee, Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame, 2010.
WRITINGS
Also author of novellas, including Thirty-Six Valentines and A Tale of Two Sisters. Quinn has also published e-book “second epilogues” for volumes of the “Bridgertons” series, including The Viscount Who Loved Me, An Offer from a Gentleman, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, To Sir Phillip, with Love, When He Was Wicked, and It’s in His Kiss.
Quinn’s “Bridgerton” series was adapted as a Netflix television series that premiered in 2020.
SIDELIGHTS
Julia Quinn is the pseudonym of Julie Pottinger, a best-selling author of Regency romances. During her senior year of college, she “realized that she didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life,” wrote a biographer on the author’s website. After much thought, she decided to attend medical school and become a doctor. For two years, she took pre-med classes in order to qualify for medical school. During this time, she wrote her first two books, the romance novels Splendid and Dancing at Midnight.
When the two books were sold just before she was to decide which medical school to attend, she delayed choosing a school for a year to write Minx. Another year’s delay resulted in Everything and the Moon. “Then she got a little nervous and thought that maybe she ought to give med school a try and so she picked up a scalpel, started dissecting cadavers, and learned more about the citric acid cycle than anyone (including most med students) wants to know,” the biographer on her website noted. However, within a few months, Quinn “realized that she must have experienced a bout of temporary insanity and she withdrew from medical school” to concentrate on writing full time.
Specializing in Regency romance, stories set largely in early nineteenth-century England, Pottinger chose the Julia Quinn pseudonym “so her books would be shelved next to those of the best-selling romance writer Amanda Quick,” wrote Lev Grossman and Andrea Sachs in a profile of Quinn in Time. “Although she hasn’t discarded the conventions of romance, Quinn is more than willing to tweak them,” Grossman and Sachs wrote. Her heroines are not all wispy damsels waiting to be swept off their feet but are, for example, a “plump wallflower” or a self-assured intellectual. Her heroes are not dark and brooding mystery men, nor are they sexually rapacious. “I can’t think of anything in my books that any feminist would find objectionable,” Quinn remarked in Grossman and Sachs’s profile. “And I consider myself a feminist.”
Speaking with by Emer Vaughn in an interview on the Harvard magazine website, Quinn remarked on her goals as a romance writer: “I’ve become known for writing funny romances, with an emphasis on dialogue over description. … I try to add deeper layers to the story while maintaining the lighter, humorous style. … I want to write entertainment, but I believe that entertainment can be intelligent and well-written.”
(open new1)While Quinn enjoyed success with her earlier novels, her popularity boomed when Netflix agreed to adapt her “Bridgerton” series of novels into a television series in late 2020. She talked with Sarah Laing in an interview in Toronto’s Globe & Mail about the origins of the series. Quinn recalled that “it didn’t start out as eight books. The character who first came to me was Simon [the titular hero of the series’ first book, The Duke and I]. I had met somebody who had a pretty severe stutter, and he was quite successful in life but it just made me think, what must it be like to have that much difficulty communicating? What would it be like if you didn’t have support?” She continued: “So, I created Simon, and I gave him such a terrible father that I felt like he needed to fall in love with somebody from the coolest family ever. That’s how they came about.”(close new1)
In Brighter Than the Sun, Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, falls out of a tree, drunk, at the feet of Eleanor Lyndon. Wycombe’s sorry state is the result of finding out that he has little more than two weeks to get married or he will lose his inheritance (though not his title). Desperate, Charles proposes to Eleanor on the spot; she accepts, but only on the condition that they not consummate the marriage “until they know each other better,” noted Beth Coogan on the Under the Covers website. However, Charles thinks he may be able to seduce her in the meantime. “What follows is a delightful romp,” Coogan wrote, “and the disasters that befall them both before her decision and afterwards are laugh out loud funny.”
Elizabeth Hotchkiss decides that she needs a husband in How to Marry a Marquis. Since her parents died five years prior, she has barely able to make enough from her job as a lady’s companion to care for her three young siblings. “The only solution is for Elizabeth to marry for money,” noted Ellen Hestand on the Romance Reader website, but prospects are few in Surrey, and she can’t afford a season of prospecting in London. When Elizabeth spots a tiny red book with the title How to Marry a Marquis in Lady Danbury’s library, an idea is sparked—she will use the techniques and tricks in the book to locate and woo a suitable mate. Elizabeth determines to try the book’s suggestions on Lady Danbury’s new estate manager, James Siddons. But Siddons is not what he seems—he is actually James Sidwell, Marquis of Riverdale and Lady Danbury’s nephew, working undercover at the lady’s estate to uncover a blackmailer’s identity. Elizabeth finds that her practice sessions may lead to a genuine Marquis after all. “Taken as a whole, this is a very fun, occasionally funny book with an extremely likeable pair of lovers,” commented Hestand. “The writing is natural and effective, and the secondary characters have well developed personalities that add a lot to the story.”
Kidnapping a highwayman is not the sort of work Grace Eversleigh, companion to the dowager duchess of Wyndham, had in mind when she signed on to her position, but that is what she does in The Lost Duke of Wyndham. The highwayman, Jack Audley might just in fact be a Cavendish, and the lost long lost duke of Wyndham and heir to the estates. Soon Jack and Grace find attraction, and Jack must redouble his efforts to prove his identity. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that “Quinn delivers complex, multifaceted characters who come vividly to life.”
The sequel, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume, follows the fortunes of Thomas Cavendish, the current Duke Wyndham, whose dukedom is now threatened by the re-appearance of Jack; worse yet, the love of Thomas’s life, Lady Amelia Willoughby, may be forced to marry to real heir. This novel is “just what readers crave from Quinn,” thought Kathe Robin on the RT Book Reviews website.
Among Quinn’s more popular works are the “Bridgerton” series, a collection of novels focusing on the Bridgerton family. In the first book in the series, The Duke and I, Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, has just returned from a six-year trip abroad, taken to avoid his now-deceased father. Emotionally scarred, Simon has vowed never to marry. When he meets Daphne Bridgerton, sister of former schoolmate Anthony Bridgerton, he convinces her to pretend that they are courting.
“Simon figures this will keep the match-making mamas at bay, and Daphne figures Simon’s attentions will make her more attractive to other suitors,” wrote Blythe Barnhill on the All about Romance website. “The only problem is that soon they only have eyes for each other,” Barnhill remarked. Walaika Haskins, writing on Romance Reader, called The Duke and I “a refreshingly witty tale with a hero and heroine whose emotions are fueled by intelligence rather than by ungovernable body parts, although there’s plenty of that, too. Add in an interesting array of meddlesome family members and The Duke and I definitely ranks as a keeper.”
The series continues with The Viscount Who Loved Me, which features Anthony Bridgerton and his plans to make a marriage of convenience with Edwina Sheffield. Edwina’s older sister Kate wants to prevent what she sees as a disastrous marriage, but is utterly surprised when her meddling leads to attraction between her and Bridgerton. “Hilarious and yet incredibly heart-warming, this is a tale that will charm the most discriminating heart,” noted RT Book Reviews contributor Beth MacGregor of this installment.
Quinn’s An Offer from a Gentleman is a take-off on the Cinderella story, with Sophie Beckett, the illegitimate daughter of an earl, as the beleaguered young woman who is banished from her home after the discovery that she attended a masked ball and had a romantic interlude with Benedict Bridgerton. Several years pass and Sophie is now reduced to being a housemaid, but Benedict ultimately returns to save her in this “bedtime romance [that] is certain to satisfy,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
Colin Bridgerton is the focus of Romancing Mister Bridgerton, and his love interest is an unlikely woman, the wallflower Penelope Featherington. A major sub-plot in the tale is the unveiling of the identity of the gossip columnist and perpetrator of the scandalous publication, Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers. “Quinn’s deceptively breezy dialogue and tone makes her Regency set thoroughly enchanting,” noted Ann Sullivan on the RT Book Reviews website.
Eloise Bridgerton and Sir Phillip Crane are the protagonists of the fifth series installment, To Sir Phillip, with Love. Eloise, at twenty-eight, is already considered a spinster and makes a bid for love with a man who has become a pen pal, but when she meets him in the flesh, Phillip is not exactly a prince charming but a “grumpy father of twins,” as a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted. Over time, the pair find common ground. The Publishers Weekly contributor called this a “superb post-Regency-era romance.”
Michael Stirling and Francesca Bridgerton are at the center of When He Was Wicked. As a woman of twenty, Francesca was married to John Stirling, cousin of Michael; it was a love match, but two years into the marriage, John died. Michael has long loved Francesca, and in part out of frustrated love, he has become an infamous rake. Now Francesca turns to him for emotional comfort, but Michael, fearful of his own love for her, leaves for India. Four years later he returns, and his love is stronger than ever.
Nancy J. Silberstein, writing on the Romance Reader, found this tale “engaging,” while RT Book Reviews contributor Robin dubbed it a “story of great beauty and depth of desire—not only for love but for friendship too.”
Hyacinth Bridgerton and Gareth St. Clair take center stage in It’s in His Kiss. Hyacinth, twenty-two, is content being single, but the attractions of Gareth are too strong for her to resist. Then, when translating his grandmother’s diary for him from Italian, she discovers a family secret that could jeopardize their happiness. Robin called this “another utterly delightful Bridgerton tale” on RT Book Reviews, and a Publishers Weekly contributor also had praise for the novel, noting: “Practically bouncing with humor, this book will keep readers happily on edge.”
The final volume of the “Bridgerton” series, On the Way to the Wedding, features Gregory Bridgerton and Lady Lucinda Abernathy. This classic tale of unexpected love finds Lucinda attempting to save her friend Hermione from marriage to a poor man and setting her up with Gregory instead. Meanwhile, engaged to another man, it is Lucinda herself who falls in love with Gregory. Robin, on the RT Book Reviews website, termed this an “utterly delightful love story that will have readers grinning with pleasure.”
The “Bridgerton” series has also spawned some spinoffs, such as The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, a quartet of novellas by Quinn and fellow writers Suzanne Enoch, Mia Ryan, and Karen Hawkins. Each novella is about a different romantic couple, but all are connected by the “wry, thoughtful observations” of the “astute Regency-era gossip columnist,” Lady Whistledown, whose gossip columns form a consistent theme running through the Bridgerton novels, noted Kristin Ramsdell in a review for Library Journal. “All in all, these Regency bonbons are filled with the wit and charm that mark the authors’ full-length novels,” commented a Publishers Weekly critic.
Quinn readily acknowledges that humor is an important part of her books. Haskins, in her review of The Duke and I, noted: “It is a credit to Quinn that she was able to tightly weave together the hilarious with the serious without readers feeling as though they’d switched novels.” In an interview with Briana Yamashita in Publishers Weekly, Quinn stated: “It’s been a personal goal of mine to write a book that is funny and entertaining but that weaves in some more darker, serious themes. To me,” Quinn continued, “it was a wonderful creative challenge to try to do that because, in the end, if you write a very funny book, people will like it. But if you can write a very funny book that also touches their emotions, people will remember it.”
Quinn’s “Bevelstoke” series opens with The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, a story of thwarted love. As a child Miranda fell in love with Nigel Bevelstoke, Viscount Turner. Ten years later, she still loves him, but she wonders if her dreams can ever come true, for after the death of his wife, Nigel is reluctant to attempt marriage again.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer had a mixed assessment of this tale, noting: “Though a bit stale, this well-written, often funny and occasionally tender romance has much to enjoy.” Robin, writing again on the RT Book Reviews website, had higher praise, calling the book both “delightful and emotional.”
The series continues with What Happens in London, which follows the fortunes of Lady Olivia Bevelstoke and her growing attachment to the mysterious Lord Harry Valentine. Robin, writing on the RT Book Reviews website, found that story is “filled with passion, intrigue and history.”
Ten Things I Love about You features Sebastian Grey, the heir presumptive to the Earl of Newbury. However, the aging earl is in the marriage market and has his eyes on a simple country girl, Annabel Winslow, to provide him offspring. For her part, Annabel cannot stand the earl and is deeply attracted to Simon, but she feels she has a duty to her family. Now it is up to confirmed bachelor Simon to convince her otherwise. A Book Smugglers website contributor found this novel as “well-written and light and funny as usual.” Robin also commended the work on RT Book Reviews, writing: “Wit, whimsy, poignancy and passion, Quinn’s trademarks, are all here in spades.”
Quinn initiates the “Smythe-Smith Quartet” series with Just Like Heaven. Honoria Smythe-Smith is in the marriage market. She is also a mediocre violinist—the weak link in the Smyth-Smith Quartet, which performs in an annual musicale. Honoria’s brother Daniel is living in exile in Italy after a duel, and his best friend, Marcus, has promised to look after Honoria. He takes these duties somewhat too seriously, chasing off any suitor he does not approve of. Then he is surprised to discover his attentions to Honoria are more romantic than platonic.
Booklist reviewer John Charles noted that with this novel, Quinn “sweeps readers off into an exhilaratingly witty waltz of words they won’t soon forget.” Similarly, an online Juniper’s Jungle contributor called this a “light and frothy read,” and a Book Chick City website writer found it “brilliantly written and just so witty.”
The “Smythe-Smith Quartet” continues with Night Like This, The Sum of All Kisses, and The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy. The latter novel centers on the eponymous Sir Richard, a man with a secret who desperately needs a wife. He chooses Iris Smythe-Smith, a wallflower who is pleased and shocked to be chosen by the handsome Sir Richard. Although the chemistry between them is real, part of Iris senses that Richard is a man who has something to hide. He kisses her at a party and speeds through their courtship in order to get her to marry him. Once Iris becomes his wife, she struggles to allow herself to fall for Richard; she still worries that something is amiss, even though he is a wonderful husband who makes her happy. When Iris finally learns the reason for her hasty marriage, she must try to trust the man she has come to love.
As Quinn commented in a USA Today interview with Madeline Hunter, “even though The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy is a part of a set, it can be read on its own. All of my books can.” She added: “I’m really quite pleased at how the ‘big secret’ turned out. Plotting has never been my strongest suit. I could never write a proper mystery novel; everyone would know who’d done it by page three. But with this book, I wanted the reader to find out Richard’s secret when Iris did, so I had to put a lot of thought into how I dropped hints along the way.”
Praising the author’s approach in RT Book Reviews, Robin advised: “There’s humor, sensuality and poignancy blended in perfect amounts.” She also noted that the plot is “sure to intrigue readers.” According to a Smexy Books website reviewer, “the passion and chemistry I’m used to seeing from Ms. Quinn wasn’t quite as effervescent. The entire ‘courtship’ was all very subdued. It’s only after Richard marries Iris and she learns the real reason why he married her do I feel the artifice in the first half of the story is stripped away and we see the real Iris and Richard. The pain, the sorrow, the confusion, the humiliation, and the anger is there and they are magnificent when their emotions are laid bare for all to see.” Charles, writing in Booklist, was far more impressed, asserting that Quinn “once again successfully marries sparkling wit with seductive passion to create another swoonworthy love story.”
The “Bridgerton” series proved to be among Quinn’s most popular novels, but the series ended, and a Bridgerton novel did not appear for several years. Quinn, however, to the delight of her fans, decided to write a prequel series that explains the generation that preceded the one depicted in the “Bridgerton” series. Because of Miss Bridgerton, which takes place in 1779, is the first in the “Rokesbys” series. It introduces Sybilla “Billie” Bridgerton, who, when the novel opens, is trapped on a rooftop with a sprained ankle, suffered when she was trying to rescue a cat that did not seem to want to be rescued. The day is closing, and Billie is growing anxious, when a figure appears in the distance. She is dismayed, however, to discover that the figure is that of George Rokesby, Viscount Kennard, the heir to the neighboring estate. George and Billie have known each other for years, but they never really connected, for Billie tended to hang out with George’s younger brothers. George ascends to the rooftop to come to Billie’s aid, and at that moment a connection between the two begins to form. Billie is the impulsive and energetic one, and she is convinced that George detests her; George is more sedate as he pursues his adult responsibilities on the estate, often in the process enduring the teasing of his brothers. The remainder of the novel traces the development of their couple’s growing affection for each other.
A Kirkus Reviews contributor observed: “Although the plot is rather a sleepy one, the book is worth reading for fans of the Bridgerton clan and for readers who like character-driven novels.” John Charles, writing for Booklist, was particularly enthusiastic about the novel, calling it “top-drawer, polished-to-perfection” and writing that he found it “powered by a surfeit of dazzling wit and graced with a cast of unforgettable characters.” A reviewer for the All about Romance website called the novel “an entertaining story that has plenty of warmth and humour,” while a Harlequin Junkie reviewer praised the novel for its “witty dialogue” and “character development.” The reviewer concluded: “It will have you laughing, sighing and gasping, but most importantly, believing that everyone deserves a chance at love.”
The protagonist in the second novel of the prequel series, The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband, is Cecilia Harcout, a young Englishwoman facing a host of difficulties. Her father has just died, and a despicable cousin is trying to force her to marry him. Her brother, Thomas, is a Redcoat fighting in the American Revolutionary War, but he apparently has been wounded in battle, and if he does not survive, the family estate will revert to others and Cecilia will become homeless. Accordingly, she packs up and sails to Manhattan to nurse him back to health. When she arrives, however, she discovers that Thomas is missing, and that his best friend, Captain Edward Rokesby, has been wounded. Edward, however, is suffering from amnesia as a result of his wounds, and because only family members are allowed access to him, Cecilia impulsively announces that she is Edward’s wife. When Edward awakens from unconsciousness, he finds himself “married” to a woman he had never met, although in some sense he knows her and has developed great affection for her by having read letters she had sent to her brother. In time, the mix-up is resolved, but not before Edward and Cecilia have fallen in love.
John Charles, in a review of the novel for Booklist, called it “stellar” and praised it for its “abundance of dry wit and swoonworthy romance.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor called the novel “a great read … with mystery and adventure and, yes, romance.” A reviewer for the All about Romance website observed: “Fortunately most of us aren’t reading Julia Quinn for an intricate, suspenseful storyline. We come for the romance and she delivers it in spades.” Finally, a Harlequin Junkie reviewer, calling the book “an absolute treat,” praised the novel for its “mix of poignant moments one would expect during such a tumultuous time along with the sweeping, heartwarming feeling of falling in love.”
(open new2)With The Other Miss Bridgerton, Poppy Bridgerton is abducted by privateers in Dorset and forced aboard their ship, which is on the way to Portugal. Poppy is angry but also intrigued by the handsome and gentlemanly captain, Andrew James. A Kirkus Reviews contributor lauded that “Quinn’s mastery of banter, character development, and the slow build of romantic and sexual tension is on full display.” The same critic called the novel “delightful and charming.”
In First Comes Scandal, Nicholas Rokesby is summoned home to Kent after his friend, Georgiana Bridgerton, was kidnapped by a would-be suitor. Nicholas’ father hopes he will marry Georgie after she escapes on her own but us shunned by society for being “ruined.” If not, her choices are bleak. A Kirkus Reviews contributor suggested that “die-hard readers of this Bridgerton prequel series are likely to enjoy the book as fan service, with glimpses of beloved characters from the original series appearing as children.”
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron is a graphic novel adaptation that is illustrated by Violet Charles, Quinn’s own sister. Miss Butterworth is hired as a companion of the Md Baron’s grandmother. They work to fend off an ambitious cousin who hopes to have the baron institutionalized. Booklist contributor Martha Waters opined that new readers to the series may “roll their eyes at the silliness on offer, but this is a reasonably amusing, if somewhat forgettable romp.”
Queen Charlotte focuses on the first year of marriage between German Princess Charlotte Mecklenburg-Strelitz and King George III of Great Britain and Ireland. In addition to George and Charlotte, the novel is also narrated by Charlotte’s servant Bartholomew Brimsley and Lady Agatha Danbury. Charlotte uses information to help secure the futures of the newly minted aristocrats, many of whom are Black. Charlotte and George’s servants try to protect them from those who seek to do harm, particularly as George attempts to cover up his mental illness.
In an interview with Karin Tanabe in Washington Post Book World, Quinn talked about the role of women in the series and how they were able to wield soft power. She noted: “For me, the way to do it is to strive for historical plausibility over historical accuracy. The period that I’m writing in is a generation or two before women could really start pushing their boundaries. These women are the ones pulling bricks out so that, later, women can tear down the wall.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor opined that “Lady Danbury’s origin story is the most enjoyable subplot.” The same critic concluded that the novel “might appeal to die-hard fans of the show but offers little to the general reading audience.”(close new2)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, July 1, 2008, John Charles, review of The Lost Duke of Wyndham, p. 46; December 15, 2010, John Charles, review of The Lady Most Likely: A Novel in Three Parts, p. 28; June 1, 2011, John Charles, review of Just Like Heaven, p. 47; February 15, 2016, John Charles, review of Because of Miss Bridgerton, p. 35; May 1, 2017, John Charles, review of The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband, p. 61; July 1, 2021, Martha Water, review of Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, p. 48.
Globe & Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), May 18, 2024, Sarah Laing, “Julia Quinn Will Always Root for Happy Endings,” p. R7.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2016, review of Because of Miss Bridgerton; March 15, 2017, review of The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband; December 1, 2018, review of The Other Miss Bridgerton; March 15, 2020, review of First Comes Scandal; June 1, 2023, review of Queen Charlotte; June 6, 2023, “Julia Quinn Is Back to Writing Bridgerton Novels.”
Library Journal, August 1, 2001, Kristin Ramsdell, review of An Offer from a Gentleman, p. 89; January 1, 2002, Rex Klett, Jackie Cassada, and Kristin Ramsdell, review of An Offer from a Gentleman, p. 51; February 15, 2003, Kristin Ramsdell, review of The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, p. 122.
Publishers Weekly, February 24, 1997, review of Everything and the Moon, p. 88; October 6, 1997, review of Brighter Than the Sun, p. 81; May 14, 2001, review of An Offer from a Gentleman, p. 58; January 20, 2003, review of The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, p. 63; May 12, 2003, review of To Sir Phillip, with Love, pp. 49-50; May 12, 2003, Briana Yamashita, “The Strongest Link: Talks with Julia Quinn,” interview with Julia Quinn, p. 50; June 23, 2003, review of Where’s My Hero? p. 52; March 29, 2004, review of Lady Whistledown Strikes Back, p. 44; June 7, 2004, review of When He Was Wicked, p. 37; May 30, 2005, review of It’s in His Kiss, p. 45; May 14, 2007, review of The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, p. 37; April 7, 2008, review of The Lost Duke of Wyndham, p. 47; November 29, 2010, review of The Lady Most Likely, p. 35.
Time, February 3, 2003, Lev Grossman and Andrea Sachs, “Rewriting the Romance: Bodice Rippers Are More Popular Than Ever, and Julia Quinn is Taking Them into the Postfeminist Future,” interview with Julia Quinn, p. 64.
USA Today, January 28, 2015, Madeline Hunter, “Romance Unlaced: Interview with Julia Quinn.”
Washington Post Book World, January 12, 2021, Vanessa Riley, “‘The Duke and I’ Was Delightful. ‘Bridgerton’ Is So Much More;” May 8, 2023, Karin Tanabe, “‘Queen Charlotte’ and ‘Bridgerton’ Have Very Different Origin Stories.”
ONLINE
All about Romance, http://www.likesbooks.com/ (March 12, 2004), Blythe Barnhill, review of The Duke and I; Sandy Coleman, review of Romancing Mister Bridgerton; Andrea Pool, review of An Offer from a Gentleman; Jennifer L. Schendel, review of The Viscount Who Loved Me; review of How to Marry a Marquis; Rebecca Ekmark, review of To Catch an Heiress; review of Dancing at Midnight; (February 12, 2018), review of Because of Miss Bridgerton; review of The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband.
Book Chick City, http://www.bookchickcity.com/ (May 31, 2011), review of Just Like Heaven.
Book Smugglers, http://thebooksmugglers.com/ (May 24, 2010), review of Ten Things I Love about You.
Books ‘n’ Bytes, http://www.booksnbytes.com/ (March 12, 2004), Harriet Klausner, review of An Offer from a Gentleman.
Brunette Librarian, http://brunettelibrarian.blogspot.com/ (March 29, 2012), review of It’s in His Kiss.
Curled Up with a Good Book, http://www.curledup.com/ (March 12, 2004), review of Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
Dear Author, http://dearauthor.com/ (June 16, 2011), review of Just Like Heaven.
Entertainment Weekly, https://ew.com/ (December 25, 2020), Maureen Lee Lenker, “Julia Quinn Reflects on Seeing Her Books Come to Life in Bridgerton.”
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (March 14, 2016), review of Because of Miss Bridgerton; (May 28, 2017), review of The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband.
Harvard, http://harvardmagazine.com/ (July 9, 2012), author profile.
Julia Quinn website, http://www.juliaquinn.com (June 22, 2025).
Juniper’s Jungle, http://junipersjungle.com/ (July 26, 2011), review of Just Like Heaven.
MyShelf, http://www.myshelf.com/ (March 12, 2004), review of Everything and the Moon.
People, https://people.com/ (June 22, 2025), author profile.
Road to Romance, http://www.roadtoromance.ca/ (August 23, 1999), review of How to Marry a Marquis.
Romance Reader, http://www.theromancereader.com/ (June 29, 1998), Jean Mason, review of To Catch an Heiress; (April 7, 1999), Ellen Hestand, review of How to Marry a Marquis; (January 13, 2000), Walaika Haskins, review of The Duke and I; (January 14, 2001), Diana Burrell, review of The Viscount Who Loved Me; (July 29, 2001), Karen Lynch, review of An Offer from a Gentleman; (July 28, 2002), Shirley Lyons, review of Romancing Mister Bridgerton; (May 20, 2012), Nancy J. Silberstein, review of When He Was Wicked; Shirley Lyons, review of To Sir Phillip, with Love.
RT Book Reviews, http://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (May 22, 2012), Kathe Robin, reviews of It’s in His Kiss, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume, Ten Things I Love about You, The Lady Most Likely, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, What Happens in London, On the Way to the Wedding, and When He Was Wicked; Tara Gelsomino, review of To Sir Phillip, with Love; Beth MacGregor, review of The Viscount Who Loved Me; Ann Sullivan, review of Romancing Mister Bridgerton; (August 19, 2015), Kathe Robin, review of The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy.
Seattle Woman, http://www.seattlewomanmagazine.com/ (May 22, 2012), Lisa Albers, “Romancing the Tome.”
Shondaland, http://www.shondaland.com/ (September 15, 2017), Gina Mei, “Julia Quinn on What Makes a Character Sexy;” (April 18, 2024), Valentina Valentini, “‘Bridgerton’ Built Julia Quinn’s Career. But Now She’s Striving — and Fighting — for More.”
Smexy Books, http://smexybooks.com/ (January 28, 2015), review of The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy.
Time Online, http://www.time.com/ (January 26, 2003), Lev Grossman, “Rewriting the Romance.”
Under the Covers Book Reviews, http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/ (December 9, 1997), Beth Coogan, review of Brighter Than the Sun; Kimberly Borrowdale, review of Brighter Than the Sun; (September 24, 1998), Robin Peck, review of To Catch an Heiress; (February 9, 1999), Harriet Klausner, review of How to Marry a Marquis; (January 15, 2000), Harriet Klausner, review of The Duke and I; (February 26, 2000), Sharon Laird, review of The Duke and I.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance, and if you watch reruns of the game show The Weakest Link you might just catch her winning the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code.
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On December 25, 2020, Netflix premiered BRIDGERTON, based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family. Season 2 premiered on March 25, 2022. Season 3 premiered May 16, 2024. Season 4, which will follow Offer from a Gentleman (Book 3 in the Bridgerton Series), will premiere in 2026.
On May 4, 2023, Netflix premiered Queen Charlotte, A Bridgerton Story, and not only did she serve as an executive producer, she appeared in the film as a corseted, bewigged extra! (Screenshot below)
The accompanying novel of the same name (but not the same as the scripts!), co-written with Shonda Rhimes, released the following week.
Julia Quinn is the author of almost 40 books — all romance, mostly novels (some novellas, a graphic novel, and a few that defy easy labelling; please peruse her bookshelf). When not writing, she spends much of her time advocating for causes she strongly believes in. A graduate of Harvard & Radcliffe Colleges, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
More JQ biography: please jump to the story of “How JQ Became a Writer.” For the story of when JQ created Lady Whistledown ← follow that link.
If you are a journalist looking for more information and editorial photos, please visit JQ’s Media Kit.
Fast Facts
Julia Quinn is a graduate of Harvard & Radcliffe Colleges and briefly attended Yale School of Medicine before deciding to pursue a full-time writing career.
She is the author of the wildly popular Bridgerton books, now a Netflix original series produced by Shondaland Media.
She is the Goodwill Ambassador for Landesa, the globally-recognized NGO working to secure land rights for the rural poor.
In 2001 she was a contestant on the game show The Weakest Link and won $79,000.
In 2013 she appeared in a bona fide MTV music video.
She is an ardent supporter of military families and gives away 100 copies of her novels to service members, veterans, military spouses, and Gold Star family members each Veterans Day.
How JQ Became a Writer
During her senior year at Harvard College, Julia Quinn (often known in cyberspace as JQ) realized that she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. This depressed her. In fact, the only thing that saved her sanity during this dark, dreary time was the fact that none of her friends knew, either. So she sat down with a big tub of Ben & Jerry's and a good book and decided to figure out what to do.
Getting a job seemed too difficult. She wouldn't mind HAVING a job, but she certainly didn't know how to get one.
Wide JQ Image
Law school seemed too annoying. Everyone hated lawyers, and Julia liked to be liked.
Business school was not an option. They only took people who had been in the work force for at least two years, and, as noted above, Julia didn't know how to get a job.
The only option left (this shows you how narrow her world-view was) was medical school. "Aha!" she thought. "I could be a good doctor." She quickly picked up the phone and ran this idea past her parents, who were understandably baffled, since her degree was in Art History, but being the cool people they are, they said, "Great!"
JQ with Gloria Steinem at The Strand in NYC, 2017.
JQ with Gloria Steinem at The Strand in NYC, 2017.
Julia hung up the phone, blinked a couple of times, and said aloud, "Okay, so I'm going to be a doctor. Cool." Then she pulled out a pad of paper and proceeded to figure out how long this would take. (Note: careers in medicine are not for those who crave instant gratification.) It turned out that it would be over two years before she could even ENTER medical school since she had to take all those pesky science classes in order to apply. Clearly, she needed to find something to do during that time, since she knew from experience that she probably wouldn't be studying as much as she ought.
That's when she looked at the book next to the tub of now-empty Ben & Jerry's. It was a romance. "I could write one of those," she thought.
And so she did.
Two years later, just as Julia was deciding between Yale School of Medicine and Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons, her agent called to tell her that her first two books were the subject of a fierce bidding war between two publishing houses.
So she put off medical school for a year and wrote a third novel. Then she put off medical school for another year and wrote a fourth. Then she got a little nervous and thought that maybe she ought to give med school a try and so she picked up a scalpel, started dissecting cadavers, and learned more about the citric acid cycle than anyone (including most med students) wants to know.
A few months later, however, she realized that she must have experienced a bout of temporary insanity and she withdrew from medical school and never looked back.
‘Bridgerton’ Built Julia Quinn’s Career. But Now She’s Striving — and Fighting — for More
Author
Valentina Valentini
Published
April 18, 2024
Topic
bridgerton
Reading Time
12 MINS
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It’s safe to say that by now, we all know who Julia Quinn is. It still bears mentioning that she’s the original reason we’re all here. When Shonda Rhimes picked up Quinn’s The Duke and I in 2018, it was then and there that the genesis of Rhimes’ hit Netflix series Bridgerton started. Quinn’s eight books in the Bridgerton series have blossomed into an on-screen phenomenon that is one of the most popular shows on TV worldwide, and we are so thankful she put pen to paper more than two decades ago to bring the Bridgerton family to life and into our hearts.
But it might also be safe to say that we’re not sure what Quinn does outside of being the acclaimed Bridgerton author who created the blueprint for the story fans have fallen in love with on screen. As it turns out, it’s quite a lot. In fact, Quinn is involved in some pretty important stuff. A native of Connecticut and longtime resident of Seattle, she’s passionate about advocacy. Recently, she took on the role of ambassador for EveryLibrary, which aids libraries on all levels to gain funding through voting measures that then bolster the fight against book bans across the United States.
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While advocacy in general has been something Quinn’s been interested in for a long time — she’s donated to dozens of charities and given her time when she can — this level of advocacy work is new to her.
“With the book bans, it felt personal,” she tells Shondaland. “I mean, this is my world. Which isn’t to say women’s reproductive rights isn’t my world too, but this is one where I felt I could speak up very loudly and not have people yelling at me to stay in my own lane.”
Now, that hasn’t necessarily stopped Quinn from speaking up about other causes she believes in (vaccinations, for one — she is married to an infectious-disease specialist). But it invariably happens, she says, when someone with a public platform says something that can be either political or perceived as political, someone will pipe up and remind her that they don’t follow her to hear her talk about x, y, or z; they follow her because of her books.
“It’s just absolutely horrifying,” Quinn says of the recent major uptick in book bans across the United States that target both race education and LGBTQ subject matter, with Florida leading the charge, followed by Missouri, Utah, and Pennsylvania. “And I cannot believe this is happening in my country. I cannot believe people haven’t learned. Never in history have the people banning books turned out to be the good guys. Never.”
Here, we talk with Quinn about how she’s using her platform for good, what her work with Every Library consists of, and of course, how she feels about going into season three of Bridgerton!
VALENTINA VALENTINI: It’s fitting that you are my first interview for this new season since it’s your work that is the source material for the entire Bridgerverse. Is that something you ever ponder?
JULIA QUINN: Occasionally, occasionally. It’s interesting because I feel like I can remember the genesis of this story [Romancing Mister Bridgerton] better than most because, to this day, it is still the most difficult book I’ve ever had to plot — not necessarily to write, but to plot. And that’s because it’s the only time I’ve written a novel where both main protagonists were already so well established. What would usually happen when I’m writing a book is that I’ve got one character who has been a side character somewhere, and the readers are familiar, but then I’d craft that second character into whatever I need for the premise of the story. Obviously, I couldn’t do that because I had these two characters who already existed. So, I’d come up with an idea and go, “Oh, no, that wouldn’t work because of Penelope this or that,” or “Oh, I can’t do that because Colin was out of the country.” So, both in terms of their existing personalities and also where I’d place them in time and space, it took a long time to figure it out.
Actually, at the time I was plotting it, I was living in London. It was this brief three- or four-month period when my husband was getting a postgraduate degree, a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. We lived right near the Goodge Street Station, and I was letting myself take a semi-break because I didn’t want to be living in Central London and feeling like I had this deadline looming over me. But I did have to do some work, and I remember having so much difficulty, just sitting there in my shabby, little apartment, my flat, being like, “What the heck am I gonna do with this story?!”
VV: Does it feel surreal going into season three’s premiere?
JQ: I mean, everything about Bridgerton feels surreal! Honestly.
VV: What are you most excited about for fans to see this season?
JQ: I think there’s a different type of excitement, again, because you have two established characters. So, people are coming into it with a different level of connection than with the first two. Which isn’t to say other future ones where you’re getting new characters won’t be wonderful, but it’s just different. Personally, I’m a little excited about some direct lines pulled from the book, which is obviously fun for me. And I want to be clear: I’m not throwing shade on previous seasons! It’s been funny, actually, because I wrote the book so long ago, that when I was reading the script, there were parts where all of a sudden I’d think, “Did I write that?” So, I’d go pull up the manuscript and do a little search, and it would be! That’s been so fun.
Netflix
Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton in the third season of Bridgerton.
Netflix
VV: Now, I want to turn to the other reason we’re talking today — your advocacy work. And I feel like it’s always a good place to start with the ludicrousness of the subject to just get that out of the way …
JQ: There’s a great quote by Wanda Sykes, which I will butcher slightly, but she basically says, “Until a drag queen comes into a classroom and beats a whole bunch of kids to death with a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, I think you’re focusing on the wrong s--t.” And it’s true!
VV: Have any of your books been banned?
JQ: My books have not been banned, that I’m aware of, but probably because my books are clearly for adults. We are out on a slippery slope, though, and the books that are going into young adult, teen, and children’s sections are the ones that are getting the most attention. But I feel very protective of that too. I have children. In fact, for 12 years, I ran the book fair at their school. It was a K through 12, and I curated the whole list myself, so I became very familiar with children’s literature, and I learned so much about the importance of representation.
The vast majority of books being challenged in bans are ones that deal with some sort of representation in queer communities or people of color. And there are two things to really focus on: The more obvious issue is how important the representation is for the child or teen or adult who is marginalized in some way to see someone like themselves in a book. It can be a lifeline, knowing that they’re not alone. The other thing is that these books are also incredibly important to the kids who don’t realize there are people like this in the world, in their life, in their school. A book like this can help make them more empathetic, can help make them be more kind, more aware. Being aware that there are people in the world who are gay or transgender or nonbinary or Jewish or Muslim is not going to make you any of those things if that’s not who you are already. But it will awaken in you, hopefully, a kindness. Maybe it won’t lead to acceptance, but awareness and kindness is a start.
I think back to my own childhood and how we used to toss around the word “gay” like a slur. It’s horrifying now, but we had no idea how awful it was to do that. If I had books to read that had characters who were gay, maybe I would’ve known better or I would’ve considered someone’s feelings, or realized that there probably was somebody in my school who was in the closet who this was incredibly hurtful to.
VV: How and when did your recent advocacy work start?
JQ: I owe it all to Nora Roberts, as so many people do. Nora is an incredible advocate and very outspoken, and she had a fundraiser with EveryLibrary last fall. I donated $1,000, and for them, that was a fairly large donation, so they wanted to contact me to find out more about this person donating that much. I made it under my real name, so they contacted me, and we just started talking. I said, “If you will have me, I’d love to do more.” I became an ambassador and have been speaking to as many media outlets as I can. I’ve been posting information on social media about what the heck is going on so people are aware, including links to a petition that helps get people connected with EveryLibrary. They collect people’s zip codes to notify them if something is happening in their area. And then finally, for 2024, every time I speak at a library, my honorarium is being donated to EveryLibrary.
VV: How does that work?
JQ: My goal is to donate $100,000 this year through this process. I think with what I have scheduled so far, it’ll get us about halfway there, so we still need some libraries to invite me out to speak! And when I speak, the money will go right back into the libraries. It’s not that I won’t come speak to a library that can’t afford that, because there are lots of smaller libraries that obviously don’t have a robust budget for bringing in authors. But many of the big metropolitan library systems do; they have specialized funds to bring in authors to speak. A small caveat: I take my travel expenses, but everything that’s left over goes to EveryLibrary.
VV: It is so important for people like you — people with the means and resources — to do this kind of work. There are other people out there who might love to spend their time and money supporting causes they believe in, but they just need to work 60 hours a week to pay the bills and put food on the table.
JQ: That is one thing I want to make absolutely clear — I am very much aware of how fortunate I am that I can do this, both in terms of having the time and the financial security. There are a lot of authors who might want to speak out more about issues that are important to them, but they can’t afford to alienate any of their reader base. And I do not judge anybody for that. I’ve reached a point where if I have readers who say they can’t support me because they don’t support reproductive rights, I will be okay without them. But that’s not the case for a lot of authors.
VV: Have you seen any real change or impact on the work that EveryLibrary is doing?
JQ: Absolutely. But better than me summarizing it, I urge people to go to their website to see what they’ve been up to.
VV: Have you gotten any pushback from your fans?
JQ: There have been small things. Every now and then, somebody will say something. But it’s not the angry fans like I get if I mention something about gun control. That’s when I get the really unhinged people who are like, “You can’t name every part of a gun, and therefore you have no right to say that!” I’ve just gotten things like, “Well, they’re not being banned; they’re just being moved to a different part of the library.” Or “it’s not a ban because you can still buy it at a bookstore.” And I tell them that’s not really true. I try to help them understand what the word “banned” means — it means removing it from someplace where it normally should exist. So, if you’re taking something out of the library and saying that you can buy it, what does that do to all the low-income people? Not everybody can afford books. Or I explain why forcing people to have to take an extra step to ask for a book is so tough. It’s very different for a 14-year-old who is trying to figure out if they might be nonbinary or something to force them to ask for [George M. Johnson’s] All Boys Aren’t Blue versus just picking it up off the shelf and checking it out. That’s an extra barrier.
VV: Are there other ways that you do advocacy work, and do you have plans with any other charities or organizations?
JQ: One area that I’ve done a fair amount of advocacy for is vaccines. I’m married to an infectious-disease doctor, and I feel very passionately that vaccines are one of the greatest, if not the greatest, advances in medicine. Sometimes, my husband will say, “Don’t waste your time arguing with these anti-vax people; you’re never gonna convince them.” And I tell him that I know I’m not going to convince them, but somebody else is listening. You just never know who’s listening and not commenting.
Beyond EveryLibrary, I’m going to be an ambassador for a wonderful group called Landesa. They’re an international organization who work the local laws to secure land rights for the rural poor around the world. They’ve been working especially hard to secure land rights for women all over the world. I have a personal connection to Landesa, and I got involved with them because the CEO of that company was my next-door neighbor for many years. I just learned so much about the work. I went to India and visited their operations there, and I always knew I would love to get more involved, even though my husband and I have been involved with them for over 20 years. There’s actually an interesting Bridgerton connection there: During the Regency era, women couldn’t own land. For a woman to own something, it had to be a very special dispensation. So, there were the exceptions, but for the most part, the minute you married, your husband owned everything that you had.
Valentina Valentini is a London-based entertainment, travel, and food writer and is also a senior contributor to Shondaland. Elsewhere, she has written for Vanity Fair, Vulture, Variety, Thrillist, Heated, and The Washington Post. Her personal essays can be read in the Los Angeles Times and Longreads, and her tangents and general complaints can be seen on Twitter at @ByValentinaV.
Julia Quinn reflects on seeing her books come to life in Bridgerton
By Maureen Lee Lenker Published on December 25, 2020 10:00AM EST
Julia Quinn Bridgerton
Credit: Netflix. Inset: Roberto File
As an author, seeing your words brought to life on screen is a rare and wondrous thing. It's even rarer if you're a romance author, a genre oft dismissed and devalued.
That's why when author Julia Quinn, the force behind the bestselling eight-book series The Bridgertons, first heard creative force Shonda Rhimes was interested in her work, she was shocked. "Truly, I never thought this would happen to me. And I never thought it would happen to anyone because nobody was adapting romance novels, historical, or really even contemporary for screen other than Hallmark movies," she tells EW. "If somebody was going to do a period piece, they wanted to do another adaptation of Jane Austen or one of the Bronte sisters. Those are all wonderful, but the historical romance novels that are being written today are a little bit different. And there's a huge market for them. I don't think it's at all surprising that the person who would realize that would be Shonda Rhimes."
On Dec. 25, what Quinn once assumed was impossible comes true as Bridgerton, a Regency-set romance based on her novels about the Bridgerton siblings, hits Netflix. The adaptation has the full power of both Shondaland and Netflix behind it, and it's evident in the show's lush costumes and astonishing backdrops.
Quinn was a consultant on the series, but she wasn't a part of the writers' room overseen by showrunner Chris Van Dusen. Still, she was able to read every script and visit the set on two separate occasions.
We called up Quinn to get her thoughts on the adaptation, what it's like seeing your words come to the screen, and what she did when she first heard the Julie Andrews casting news.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Can you just tell me a bit more about what your experience through the process has been like from first getting the offer to seeing scripts to going to set, all of it?
JULIA QUINN: It has been a very long process. From the very first phone call, when my agent called me and said, "Have you heard of Shonda Rhimes?" And I said, "Yes!" I can't believe he would assume I hadn't. But from that time to when the show will air will be just under four years. Just waiting and keeping my mouth shut was really hard. Because it's so exciting. You want to tell everybody, but you can't. But after getting production going, it has just been uniformly positive and fabulous. The scripts have been amazing. As a writer, it's so fascinating to me to see how they are adapting it.
It's also interesting because as I look at it, I'll read something and be like, "This is exactly the best way to do this." And I personally would not have thought of it. It's really shown me that there's this whole type of writing that I know very little about, but I'm learning. They've brilliantly adapted The Duke and I, but also they brought these other side characters to life to make it more than just the one book, and to lay down little pieces to hopefully lay the framework for future seasons. There's nothing definite on that but of course, I'm hopeful. They send [scripts] to me for comments because I am a consultant, and I've sent a few things back. But it's mostly very small things like, "This person, she called 'Sir' this, not 'Lord' this," very technical details. In terms of the stories and the emotions of the characters, everything has been spot on.
As you mentioned, they have shifted some storylines. There are some new characters or characters who were in the background in later books and have been brought forward and given a dominant storyline this season. What was your reaction to all of that?
Very positive. It's all fabulous. I feel the need to assure all my readers and just say, look, this isn't a word for word adaptation, but it shouldn't be, and I don't want it to be. A word for word adaptation of my books would not make a great TV series. But an adaptation where you've got my characters and my stories, but give it new life is amazing. It's again, I mean, I have no words and I write words for a living, and it's just — I'm so excited by it.
Can you tell me more about your set visits and what you saw being filmed?
I've visited the set twice. The first time was in September, and when I visited then, they were doing all location work. It was the set for much of Bridgerton house's interior. I got to see an argument between Daphne and Anthony. I'm pretty sure it was right after Anthony had caught her kissing Simon, and they were arguing about the possibility of a duel. So very high drama. It was really fun to watch because I saw them rehearsing it first. And in the real scene, she has his coat on over her dress, but when they were rehearsing it, she was wearing this long Canada goose down jacket. So, instead of taking off his coat and throwing it back at him, she was taking off this massive down jacket and thrusting it at him. And it was just, it was really kind of fun to watch. Then, I went out to Bath and saw most of this really fun one with Penelope and Eloise talking as they were walking around a marketplace. In January, that was a bit different because I went out and by then the set had been built. That is unbelievable. [Netflix] took a video of me. They made me cover my eyes when I walked in and took a video of me seeing it for the first time.
Did you cry?
I got teary. I'm not a big crier, but I definitely got choked up. It's so big that they can actually have two units shooting at the same time apparently. There's just this whole world in there. I did see a scene from episode 1 where you see Violet and all the daughters talking about their new dresses. I saw that one getting filmed and that was really fun just to see the family dynamic. [That's] one of the things that I feel the show is getting so perfectly: People who love each other, but also needle each other.
What is it like seeing characters you created and words you wrote come to life?
It's wild. It's amazing. There are these fully formed characters to me, but then these actors bring them to life and make them even more. It's not that they're just taking my characters and being what I put on the page, they're taking them and they're making them into something bigger. There are little moments — for example, where Daphne is informed that she has a bunch of callers coming, she gives this squeal and it's just this tiny little thing. It's just this little squeal where her arms are straight at her sides. And I was like, "That's just exactly right." It's such a small little thing, but they've made these people so real and so wonderful and imperfect. But one thing that I have been telling people, that's just as incredible as seeing your characters come to life, and in some ways more, is just the sheer scale of it. To realize that something that began in my head and that was just me now belongs to so many other people. There are hundreds and hundreds of people working on this project, and they're all bringing a little bit of themselves to it. It's just made it so rich and wonderful.
Like all Shondaland projects, this show reflects the world as it is. It's much more diverse than we're used to seeing in depictions of this time period, both on-screen and on the page. What did you think about that shift?
The casting is amazing. It's important to remember that Bridgerton isn't a history lesson. The show is for a modern audience. And so, the creator of the show did take some liberties in re-imagining the world, but they're not [coming] out of nowhere. For example, Queen Charlotte, who was a new character in the series, this is a woman who many historians believe was of mixed race. When they were bringing this series to life they really played with the idea of what if she had been universally acknowledged as mixed race? What if she had helped raise other people of color to higher ranks in society? And what would the world look like then? That's what they went with and it's beautiful to see.
How did you react to the news that Julie Andrews was going to voice Lady Whistledown?
I started hyperventilating. I stopped breathing basically. I wasn't breathing for so long I legitimately should have died.
As you said, the romance community feared we might never see this day, and we're definitely hoping this kicks off a wave of interest in adapting historical romance novels. Does that make you nervous or feel like added pressure?
I don't really feel pressure because I just think this is going to be so good. I'm excited. I'm giddy. I get goosebumps, but I'm not nervous because I just know how good it is. In terms of pressure for people to follow, I don't think so. I really hope that it opens the doors and opens some flood gates for Hollywood to realize what an incredible reservoir of source material is out there. There are so many good books out there in romance, both in contemporary romance and historical romance and paranormal romance. I'd be thrilled to have more like this to see. I'm a writer, but I'm also a consumer. It would be great if this opens the door.
You have many friends who are authors and you're such a wonderful champion for their books, but is there a particular series you'd like to see get adapted next?
Oh my goodness. I don't even know where to start. I think Julie Anne Long's Penny Royal Green series is amazing. She's such a smart writer. Eloisa James is amazing. Sarah MacLean writes books that are just so fierce and feminist, and I love them. I'm just going through the historical stuff right now. Probably because there's lots of stuff happening in contemporary romance. Lisa Kleypas is always fabulous. There are tons, and I'll have forgotten 18 of them at least... But the real trick, though, is that if somebody is going to do this, they have to do it well. It's the type of thing where, if the first one is done badly, then that's going to be reflected on me, but I promise you, this is not done badly. They did everything right. And they put so many resources and so much work into it, and it's just going to be absolutely beautiful.
Julia Quinn
(Julie Cotler Pottinger)
USA flag (b.1970)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance, and in 2001 she did so in grand style, competing on the the game show The Weakest Link and walking away with the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code.
In 2010, Ms Quinn won her third RITA Award in four years and was the thirteenth author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Her books have been translated into twenty-eight languages, and she has been profiled in USA Today and TIME Magazine.
Awards: Rita (2007)
Genres: Historical Romance, Mystery
Series
Splendid Trilogy / Blydon
1. Splendid (1995)
2. Dancing at Midnight (1995)
3. Minx (1996)
3.5. Where's My Hero? (2003) (in Where's My Hero?)
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Lyndon Sisters
1. Everything and the Moon (1997)
2. Brighter Than the Sun (1997)
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Agents of the Crown
1. To Catch an Heiress (1998)
2. How to Marry a Marquis (2000)
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Bridgerton
1. The Duke and I (2000)
2. The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000)
3. An Offer from a Gentleman (2001)
4. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (2002)
5. To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003)
6. When He Was Wicked (2004)
7. It's in His Kiss (2005)
8. On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
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Lady Whistledown
0.5. The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton (2021)
1. The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown (2003) (with Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins and Mia Ryan)
2. Lady Whistledown Strikes Back (2004) (with Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins and Mia Ryan)
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Bridgerton 2nd Epilogues
It's in His Kiss: The Epilogue II (2006)
The Viscount Who Loved Me: The Epilogue II (2006)
Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Epilogue II (2009)
When He Was Wicked: The Epilogue II (2009)
Happily Ever After (2013)
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Bevelstoke
1. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (2007)
2. What Happens in London (2009)
3. Ten Things I Love About You (2010)
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Two Dukes of Wyndham
1. The Lost Duke of Wyndham (2008)
2. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (2008)
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Lady Most (with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James)
1. The Lady Most Likely (2010)
2. The Lady Most Willing... (2012)
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Smythe-Smith Quartet
1. Just Like Heaven (2011)
2. A Night Like This (2012)
3. The Sum of All Kisses (2013)
4. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (2015)
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Bridgerton Prequels
1. Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016)
2. The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (2017)
3. The Other Miss Bridgerton (2018)
4. First Comes Scandal (2020)
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Novels
Hotel Angeline (2011) (with others)
Queen Charlotte (2023) (with Shonda Rhimes)
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Graphic Novels hide
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron (2021)
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Omnibus editions hide
Scottish Brides (1999) (with others)
Dancing at Midnight / To Catch an Heiress (2002)
Where's My Hero? (2003) (with Lisa Kleypas and Kinley MacGregor)
Four Weddings and a Sixpence (2016) (with others)
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Awards
2007 Rita Award for Best Novel : On the Way to the Wedding
Julia Quinn
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julia Quinn
Quinn in 2008
Quinn in 2008
Born Julie Cotler
January 12, 1970 (age 55)
United States
Pen name Julia Quinn
Occupation Author
Period 1994–present
Genre Historical romance
Spouse Paul Pottinger
Children 2
Website
juliaquinn.com
Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born January 12, 1970), better known by her pen name, Julia Quinn, is an American author.[1] Her novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List 19 times.[2] She has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Her Bridgerton book series has been adapted for Netflix into a television series of the same name.[3][4]
Early life and education
Quinn was born as Julie Cotler in 1970 to Jane and Stephen Lewis Cotler.[5] She has three sisters: Emily, Abigail, and Ariana.[6][7][8] She is Jewish.[9] She was raised primarily in New England, although she spent much of her time in California after the divorce of her parents.[10]
Quinn's favorite books as a child included the Sweet Dreams and the Sweet Valley High series, which inspired her to begin writing at age 12.[11]
Quinn graduated from Hotchkiss School and Harvard University with a degree in art history. During her senior year of college, she decided to become a doctor.[2] She was accepted to Yale School of Medicine but deferred her entrance for two years to focus on writing novels.[11]
Career
While she was a student, Quinn began to write light-hearted Regency novels.[1] A few weeks after her acceptance to medical school, she discovered that her first two novels, Splendid and Dancing At Midnight, had been sold at auction, an unusual occurrence for a new romance author.[12] By the time Quinn entered medical school, three of her books had been published. She left medical school after two months to become a full-time writer.[11]
Quinn considers herself a feminist and gives her heroines feminist qualities that are not necessarily true to the most prevalent attitudes of the times her novels are set in.[1] Her novels are primarily character-driven and have been noted for their humor and sharp, witty dialogue.[12][11] Most of her books are dedicated to her husband, Paul Pottinger, often with references to amusing alternate titles for the work.
In 2003, she was profiled in Time Magazine, an accomplishment few romance novelists have achieved. In 2005, Publishers Weekly gave To Sir Phillip, With Love a rare starred review, and later, the novel was named as one of the six best mass market original novels of the year.[2]
Quinn won the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, in 2007, for On the Way to the Wedding and again, in 2008, for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. At the time of her 2010 RITA award for What Happens in London, she became RWA's youngest member. She is one of only 16 authors to be inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame.
Many of Quinn's novels have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume hitting number one in October 2008. In addition, both her Lady Whistledown anthologies appeared on the NY Times list, as did both of her novel-in-three-part collaborations with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James (The Lady Most Likely and The Lady Most Willing), and the Bridgertons: Happily Ever After collection of Bridgerton’s second epilogues.
Her Bridgerton series of books has been adapted for Netflix by Shonda Rhimes, under the title Bridgerton.[13][14]
Personal life
In 2001, Quinn won $79,000 on The Weakest Link.[15] She is an avid reader and posts recommendations of her favorite books on her Facebook page.
Quinn resides in Seattle, Washington,[16][17] with her husband and two children.[18][19][20]
On June 29, 2021, Quinn's sister and father, Ariana Elise Cotler and Stephen Lewis Cotler, respectively, were killed by a drunk driver in Kaysville, Utah.[21]
Bibliography
Publications[22]
All books from Splendid through First Comes Scandal are mass market paperbacks published by Avon Books;
Bridgerton Collection Volume 1 through Bridgerton Collection Volume 3 and The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton are e-books;
Bridgerton Box Set 1-4, Miss Butterworth and Bridgerton Box Set 5-8 are mass market paperbacks;
Bridgerton Prequels Collection is an e-book; Queen Charlotte is a mass market paperback;
and the last four collection books, also by Avon, are hardcover books.
Splendid Trilogy
Splendid (1995)
Dancing at Midnight (1995)
Minx (1996)
"A Tale of Two Sisters" in Where's My Hero? (2003, anthology with Lisa Kleypas and Kinley MacGregor)
Lyndon Sisters
Everything and the Moon (1997)
Brighter Than the Sun (1997)
Agents of the Crown
To Catch an Heiress (1998)
How To Marry a Marquis (1999)
Bridgerton series
Main article: Bridgerton (novel series)
The Duke and I (2000)
The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000)
An Offer From a Gentleman (2001)
Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2002)
To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003)
When He Was Wicked (2004)
It's In His Kiss (2005)
On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After (2013)
Two Dukes of Wyndham
According to Quinn, this two-book set was based on the premise, "Two men say they’re the Duke of something. One of them must be wrong," inspired by a lyric from the Dire Straits song, "Industrial Disease".[23] The events are concurrent and the plots are intertwined, with some scenes appearing in both books but from different perspectives.
The Lost Duke of Wyndham (2008)
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (2008)
Bevelstoke series
The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (2007)
What Happens in London (2009)
Ten Things I Love About You (2010)
Smythe-Smith quartet
Just like Heaven (2011)
A Night like This (2012)
The Sum of All Kisses (2013)
The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (2015)
Rokesby series
The Rokesby series is often considered a prequel series as it follows the Rokesby and Bridgerton families.
Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016)[24]
The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (2017)[25]
The Other Miss Bridgerton (2018)
First Comes Scandal (2020)
Collections
Bridgerton Collection Volume 1 (2020) – The Duke and I (2000) / The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000) / An Offer from a Gentleman (2001)
Bridgerton Collection Volume 2 (2021) – Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2002) / To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003) / When He Was Wicked (2004)
Bridgerton Collection Volume 3 (2021) – It's In His Kiss (2005) / On the Way to the Wedding (2006) / Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016)
Bridgerton Box Set 1-4 (2022) – The Duke and I (2000) / The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000) / An Offer from a Gentleman (2001) / Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2000)
Bridgerton Box Set 5-8 (2022) – To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003) / When He Was Wicked (2004) / It's In His Kiss (2005) / On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
Bridgerton Prequels Collection (2023) – Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016) / The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (2017) / The Other Miss Bridgerton (2018) / First Comes Scandal (2020)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 1 (2024) – The Duke and I (2000) / The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 2 (2024) – An Offer from a Gentleman (2001) / Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2000)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 3 (2024) – To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003) / When He Was Wicked (2004)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 4 (2024) – It's In His Kiss (2005) / On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
Lady Whistledown
The witty gossip columnist "Lady Whistledown" from the Bridgerton series ties together these two anthologies of interlinked novellas:
"Thirty-Six Valentines" in The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown (2003, anthology with Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins and Mia Ryan)
"The First Kiss" in Lady Whistledown Strikes Back (2004, anthology with Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins and Mia Ryan)
and also
The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton (2021)
The Lady Most...
The Lady Most Likely... (December 28, 2010 a novel in three parts with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James)
The Lady Most Willing... (December 26, 2012 a novel in three parts with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James)
Novellas
"Gretna Greene" in Scottish Brides (June 1, 1999 an anthology with Christina Dodd, Stephanie Laurens and Karen Ranney)
". . . and a Sixpence in Her Shoe" in Four Weddings and a Sixpence (December 27, 2016 an anthology with Elizabeth Boyle, Stefanie Sloane and Laura Lee Guhrke)
Graphic novels
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, a Graphic Novel (illustrated by Violet Charles) (2022)
Adaptations
Queen Charlotte (2023 TV tie-in for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, with Shonda Rhimes)
Other
Contributor to Encounters with Jane Austen: Celebrating 250 years. (2025)
Recognition
1997 – Everything and the Moon nominated for Best Regency Historical by Romantic Times Magazine[11]
2001 – Finalist in the Romance Writers of America's RITA Awards
2002 – Romancing Mister Bridgerton voted one of the top ten books of the year by RWA membership
Finalist for the RWA RITA Awards in the Long Historical category
2002 – To Sir Phillip, With Love named one of the six best mass market original novels of the year by Publishers Weekly
2003 – Quinn was profiled in Time magazine
2007 – Received Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Long Historical Romance, for On the Way to the Wedding
2008 – Received Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance, for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
2010 – Received Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance for What Happens in London[26]
2010 – Quinn was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame[26]
2016 – Quinn taught the inaugural romance writing course at the Yale Summer Writers Conference[27]
Julia Quinn
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julia Quinn
Quinn in 2008
Quinn in 2008
Born Julie Cotler
January 12, 1970 (age 55)
United States
Pen name Julia Quinn
Occupation Author
Period 1994–present
Genre Historical romance
Spouse Paul Pottinger
Children 2
Website
juliaquinn.com
Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born January 12, 1970), better known by her pen name, Julia Quinn, is an American author.[1] Her novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List 19 times.[2] She has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Her Bridgerton book series has been adapted for Netflix into a television series of the same name.[3][4]
Early life and education
Quinn was born as Julie Cotler in 1970 to Jane and Stephen Lewis Cotler.[5] She has three sisters: Emily, Abigail, and Ariana.[6][7][8] She is Jewish.[9] She was raised primarily in New England, although she spent much of her time in California after the divorce of her parents.[10]
Quinn's favorite books as a child included the Sweet Dreams and the Sweet Valley High series, which inspired her to begin writing at age 12.[11]
Quinn graduated from Hotchkiss School and Harvard University with a degree in art history. During her senior year of college, she decided to become a doctor.[2] She was accepted to Yale School of Medicine but deferred her entrance for two years to focus on writing novels.[11]
Career
While she was a student, Quinn began to write light-hearted Regency novels.[1] A few weeks after her acceptance to medical school, she discovered that her first two novels, Splendid and Dancing At Midnight, had been sold at auction, an unusual occurrence for a new romance author.[12] By the time Quinn entered medical school, three of her books had been published. She left medical school after two months to become a full-time writer.[11]
Quinn considers herself a feminist and gives her heroines feminist qualities that are not necessarily true to the most prevalent attitudes of the times her novels are set in.[1] Her novels are primarily character-driven and have been noted for their humor and sharp, witty dialogue.[12][11] Most of her books are dedicated to her husband, Paul Pottinger, often with references to amusing alternate titles for the work.
In 2003, she was profiled in Time Magazine, an accomplishment few romance novelists have achieved. In 2005, Publishers Weekly gave To Sir Phillip, With Love a rare starred review, and later, the novel was named as one of the six best mass market original novels of the year.[2]
Quinn won the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, in 2007, for On the Way to the Wedding and again, in 2008, for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. At the time of her 2010 RITA award for What Happens in London, she became RWA's youngest member. She is one of only 16 authors to be inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame.
Many of Quinn's novels have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume hitting number one in October 2008. In addition, both her Lady Whistledown anthologies appeared on the NY Times list, as did both of her novel-in-three-part collaborations with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James (The Lady Most Likely and The Lady Most Willing), and the Bridgertons: Happily Ever After collection of Bridgerton’s second epilogues.
Her Bridgerton series of books has been adapted for Netflix by Shonda Rhimes, under the title Bridgerton.[13][14]
Personal life
In 2001, Quinn won $79,000 on The Weakest Link.[15] She is an avid reader and posts recommendations of her favorite books on her Facebook page.
Quinn resides in Seattle, Washington,[16][17] with her husband and two children.[18][19][20]
On June 29, 2021, Quinn's sister and father, Ariana Elise Cotler and Stephen Lewis Cotler, respectively, were killed by a drunk driver in Kaysville, Utah.[21]
Bibliography
Publications[22]
All books from Splendid through First Comes Scandal are mass market paperbacks published by Avon Books;
Bridgerton Collection Volume 1 through Bridgerton Collection Volume 3 and The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton are e-books;
Bridgerton Box Set 1-4, Miss Butterworth and Bridgerton Box Set 5-8 are mass market paperbacks;
Bridgerton Prequels Collection is an e-book; Queen Charlotte is a mass market paperback;
and the last four collection books, also by Avon, are hardcover books.
Splendid Trilogy
Splendid (1995)
Dancing at Midnight (1995)
Minx (1996)
"A Tale of Two Sisters" in Where's My Hero? (2003, anthology with Lisa Kleypas and Kinley MacGregor)
Lyndon Sisters
Everything and the Moon (1997)
Brighter Than the Sun (1997)
Agents of the Crown
To Catch an Heiress (1998)
How To Marry a Marquis (1999)
Bridgerton series
Main article: Bridgerton (novel series)
The Duke and I (2000)
The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000)
An Offer From a Gentleman (2001)
Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2002)
To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003)
When He Was Wicked (2004)
It's In His Kiss (2005)
On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After (2013)
Two Dukes of Wyndham
According to Quinn, this two-book set was based on the premise, "Two men say they’re the Duke of something. One of them must be wrong," inspired by a lyric from the Dire Straits song, "Industrial Disease".[23] The events are concurrent and the plots are intertwined, with some scenes appearing in both books but from different perspectives.
The Lost Duke of Wyndham (2008)
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (2008)
Bevelstoke series
The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (2007)
What Happens in London (2009)
Ten Things I Love About You (2010)
Smythe-Smith quartet
Just like Heaven (2011)
A Night like This (2012)
The Sum of All Kisses (2013)
The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (2015)
Rokesby series
The Rokesby series is often considered a prequel series as it follows the Rokesby and Bridgerton families.
Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016)[24]
The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (2017)[25]
The Other Miss Bridgerton (2018)
First Comes Scandal (2020)
Collections
Bridgerton Collection Volume 1 (2020) – The Duke and I (2000) / The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000) / An Offer from a Gentleman (2001)
Bridgerton Collection Volume 2 (2021) – Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2002) / To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003) / When He Was Wicked (2004)
Bridgerton Collection Volume 3 (2021) – It's In His Kiss (2005) / On the Way to the Wedding (2006) / Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016)
Bridgerton Box Set 1-4 (2022) – The Duke and I (2000) / The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000) / An Offer from a Gentleman (2001) / Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2000)
Bridgerton Box Set 5-8 (2022) – To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003) / When He Was Wicked (2004) / It's In His Kiss (2005) / On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
Bridgerton Prequels Collection (2023) – Because of Miss Bridgerton (2016) / The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (2017) / The Other Miss Bridgerton (2018) / First Comes Scandal (2020)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 1 (2024) – The Duke and I (2000) / The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 2 (2024) – An Offer from a Gentleman (2001) / Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2000)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 3 (2024) – To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003) / When He Was Wicked (2004)
Bridgerton Collector’s Edition, 4 (2024) – It's In His Kiss (2005) / On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
Lady Whistledown
The witty gossip columnist "Lady Whistledown" from the Bridgerton series ties together these two anthologies of interlinked novellas:
"Thirty-Six Valentines" in The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown (2003, anthology with Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins and Mia Ryan)
"The First Kiss" in Lady Whistledown Strikes Back (2004, anthology with Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins and Mia Ryan)
and also
The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton (2021)
The Lady Most...
The Lady Most Likely... (December 28, 2010 a novel in three parts with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James)
The Lady Most Willing... (December 26, 2012 a novel in three parts with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James)
Novellas
"Gretna Greene" in Scottish Brides (June 1, 1999 an anthology with Christina Dodd, Stephanie Laurens and Karen Ranney)
". . . and a Sixpence in Her Shoe" in Four Weddings and a Sixpence (December 27, 2016 an anthology with Elizabeth Boyle, Stefanie Sloane and Laura Lee Guhrke)
Graphic novels
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, a Graphic Novel (illustrated by Violet Charles) (2022)
Adaptations
Queen Charlotte (2023 TV tie-in for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, with Shonda Rhimes)
Other
Contributor to Encounters with Jane Austen: Celebrating 250 years. (2025)
Recognition
1997 – Everything and the Moon nominated for Best Regency Historical by Romantic Times Magazine[11]
2001 – Finalist in the Romance Writers of America's RITA Awards
2002 – Romancing Mister Bridgerton voted one of the top ten books of the year by RWA membership
Finalist for the RWA RITA Awards in the Long Historical category
2002 – To Sir Phillip, With Love named one of the six best mass market original novels of the year by Publishers Weekly
2003 – Quinn was profiled in Time magazine
2007 – Received Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Long Historical Romance, for On the Way to the Wedding
2008 – Received Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance, for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
2010 – Received Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance for What Happens in London[26]
2010 – Quinn was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame[26]
2016 – Quinn taught the inaugural romance writing course at the Yale Summer Writers Conference[27]
Byline: SARAH LAING; Special to The Globe and Mail
Once upon a time in the early nineties, a 24-year-old sat down to write a romance novel, looking to fill the time between graduating from Harvard and applying for medical school. This young woman - Julia Cotler (later Pottinger) on her official documents, "Julia Quinn" when she was writing love stories set in the Regency period - was deciding between Yale and Columbia when she found herself with an altogether more surprising choice to make.
Two publishing houses were fighting over the two novels she'd written. And if you know anything about Quinn's story - more than 40 books, 19 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, 20 million copies in print in the U.S. alone - you'll know that was just the gently flirtatious start of the world's epic love affair with her writing.
And that's before we get to the Bridgerton series, Quinn's eight-book epic about one aristocratic set of siblings' various paths to true love. A success by any publishing metric when they were published in the early 2000s - one even won romance writing's highest honour, the RITA Award, in 2007 - the series went stratospheric when it was adapted for Netflix by showrunner Shonda Rhimes in 2020.
With each new season - Season 3, a loose adaptation of the fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, drops in two parts this month and June - Quinn's original text gets recatapulted up the bestseller charts. It's spawned collector's editions and an astonishing array of Bridgerton-branded tie-in products: a Bath and Body Works collaboration, a "Bridgerton Berries and Cream" flavour of International Delight creamer, a toile-print leash in partnership with pet outfitter Maxbone.
What might surprise you more than Penelope Featherington forgiving Colin Bridgerton after she overheard him saying he'd never be seen dead courting her?
Quinn's advice to that college grad sitting in front of that very first blank page.
"Be patient," she says from her home in the Pacific Northwest. "My career was in no way an overnight success."
It wasn't until her 11th book, An Offer from a Gentleman, was published in 2001 that she hit The New York Times bestseller list. "I built a career very slowly," she says. "I don't think I would tell her that 'You're going to get a TV deal' because I don't think she would have believed it."
The Globe and Mail chatted with Quinn about the pressure to follow up on Bridgerton, playing within the lines and why the Regency is her preferred era to set a romance.
The whole Bridgerton concept - eight siblings, eight love stories - is beautiful in its simplicity. When did it first come to you?
Well, it didn't start out as eight books. The character who first came to me was Simon [the titular hero of the series' first book, The Duke and I]. I had met somebody who had a pretty severe stutter, and he was quite successful in life but it just made me think, what must it be like to have that much difficulty communicating? What would it be like if you didn't have support?
So, I created Simon, and I gave him such a terrible father that I felt like he needed to fall in love with somebody from the coolest family ever. That's how they came about.
But what I think made the series take off was that with The Duke and I, I did something that I don't know was done in romance at the time. One of the key things about romance novels is that they wrap up nicely with a happy ending, and you tie up the loose ends. I absolutely had that happy ending, but at the same time, I didn't reveal the big secret of the sub-plot [the identity of gossip columnist Lady Whistledown]. I remember people saying, "I didn't even like that book, but I have to read the next one to find out."
It was a bit of genre-bending, playing with that thriller-like cliffhanger.
It was, in a tiny way, just leaving that one thread hanging so you have to come back.
But at the same time, I was very careful to make sure the actual romance wrapped up well, because that's what the books are at the core.
Does that ever feel confining? Or is the joy in that structure, the happy ending you're moving toward?
I find joy in that structure. If I ever wanted to do it differently, it just wouldn't be a romance idea. I can't imagine sitting down to write a romance and being like, "Hmm.
What if we kill him off?" It just wouldn't happen.
What is it about the romance genre, with all its conventions, that still interests you?
I enjoy exploring the characters, and the challenge of making sure I don't write the same book every time, even though I'm working within the same parameters. I once heard a great quote from an author named Jennifer Crusie, who started out writing Harlequin-category romances. She called writing a category romance "performing Swan Lake in a phone booth." I thought it was a great idea, because chances are, you might do it very badly. But boy, if you do it well, it's incredible.
And I don't quite know if it's doing Swan Lake in a phone booth, but I'm on a playground that has lines of the edge, and if I'm going to step out of them, I have to be very deliberate. And I have with some books - I haven't jumped into the next field, but I have pushed the boundaries a little bit. And when I have, it's been really rewarding.
What are some examples of that?
When He Was Wicked is the sixth book in the Bridgerton series. It's about Francesca, and she's a widow. The book is in two parts, and the first four chapters take place when her first husband is alive. It's actually a very happy marriage, which is not something you see in romance, where it's only really focused on the ultimate hero. My publisher was very nervous about this at first, and they even suggested that I didn't have those four chapters. But I thought without them, you don't fully understand the conflict the hero and heroine have, and the guilt they have about falling in love without understanding their relationship to the man who died. It made for a much richer book.
Is the extraordinary success of Bridgerton hard to follow up?
I haven't released a completely new book, other than Queen Charlotte, which I cowrote with Shonda Rhimes, since the show came out. That's for a number of reasons.
Part of it is just that, "Yeeks, there are going to be so many eyes on me." But honestly, that's not the biggest thing. It's just that it's kind of freed me not to have to write a book very fast, and I'm kind of enjoying taking my time. But I don't know. We'll see.
Traditionally, the subject matter for romances has been people in their 20s. As someone who is not at that life stage any more ... I'm 54, you can say it. [laughs] For the next thing you do, do you think you will still want to write about a 23-year-old falling in love for the first time?
I don't see myself writing about somebody my own age falling in love for the first time, maybe because it's so far out of my experience. I don't think I could write a contemporary romance with somebody that age now, because I don't live in that world. I mean, I don't live in the Regency world either but neither do my readers so we're kind of safe.
Is the reason you've set all your books in the Regency period because of that safe remove from reality?
That would presuppose that I thought deeply about that decision. It was really just that it was what I liked to read. Simple as that.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 The Globe and Mail Inc.
http://www.globeandmail.com
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Laing, Sarah. "Julia Quinn will always root for happy endings; Although Netflix's adaptation of her Bridgerton series was an instant smash hit, she didn't hit the bestseller list until her 11th book." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 18 May 2024, p. R7. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A794214738/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4f920635. Accessed 4 June 2025.
Quinn, Julia QUEEN CHARLOTTE Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $30.00 5, 9 ISBN: 9780063305083
A novelization of a written-for-television story in the Bridgerton universe.
Opening with a coy reminder that the novel is "fiction inspired by fact," the story is about the first year of marriage between Charlotte Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a German princess of Moorish ancestry, and George III, king of Great Britain and Ireland. There are four narrators: George, Charlotte, the queen's servant Bartholomew Brimsley, and the newly minted Lady Agatha Danbury. On the day of the royal wedding, a group of wealthy Black families are also awarded titles, a move designed to quell possible dissension from White aristocrats about Charlotte's race. George, with the help of the entire royal household, has been hiding his mental illness from Charlotte. Determined to find a cure, George subjects himself to a quack doctor who tortures him physically and mentally. Lady Danbury is trying to secure the futures of the new aristocratic families by any means necessary, including trading information about the royal marriage to George's mother in exchange for favors. Brimsley's lover, Reynolds, is the king's primary manservant, and the two try to protect their royal charges from the machinations and back-stabbing of the royal court. The book's pacing is choppy, presumably following the script of the TV show, quickly cutting between scenes without much tying them together. Melodramatic and soapy, the story suggests that racism can be cured during a ball and mental illness can be cured with love, nice but ultimately empty sentiments that might play better on TV than they do in the pages of a book. Lady Danbury's origin story is the most enjoyable subplot; she befriends the queen and helps the new class of Black aristocrats keep their titles, all while managing the challenges of being a young widow.
Might appeal to die-hard fans of the show but offers little to the general reading audience.
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"Quinn, Julia: QUEEN CHARLOTTE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A751050092/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f5e0e898. Accessed 4 June 2025.
Byline: Karin Tanabe
By Julia Quinn
Avon. 352 pp. $30
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Usually, the book comes first.
Julia Quinn wrote Bridgerton, the best-selling novels. Shonda Rhimes turned them into "Bridgerton," the blockbuster Netflix series. This time, though, the successful duo switched roles: Rhimes created "Queen Charlotte," a "Bridgerton" prequel inspired by the real Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and "Mad" King George III's marriage, for Netflix. The show began streaming Thursday. Julia Quinn took those scripts and, with Rhimes as co-author, turned them into the novel "Queen Charlotte," which hits shelves Tuesday.
In a video interview, Quinn talked about this unusual collaboration, how the novel differs from the Netflix series and the many barriers broken by both. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
Q: How did this project come about?
A: Last year, Shonda called me and said Netflix was going to do a prequel series on Queen Charlotte. My husband immediately said, "You have to write the book with Shonda as your co-writer." At the "Bridgerton" Season 2 premiere - the first time we ever met in person - I suggested this idea to Shonda. Luckily, she'd been thinking the same thing. I got the scripts from Shonda and learned to break down the architecture and rebuild them as a novel. We didn't go back and forth. Once I had her scripts, it was my turn.
Q: You've said previously that readers enjoy romance novels like "Bridgerton" because they show a world in which anyone has the right to be happy. In "Queen Charlotte," two men are in a romantic relationship. Can you talk about that storyline?
A: In the show, the romance between Brimsley and Reynolds comes as a bit of a surprise. I started with little hints and overall wanted to show the universality of romantic feelings. In the flirtation stage of a relationship, two men think the same way as a hetero couple. Brimsley also has my favorite line in the book. He's just watched Charlotte have a gynecological exam and says, "It was not easy being a man who loved other men, but by God, it was better than being a woman."
Q: Charlotte's skin, described in the novel as "the color of a majestic oak," is not a shock to King George or to her butler Brimsley. They declare her beautiful. Was there ever talk between you and Shonda to have the characters react differently?
A: I primarily tried to follow Shonda's lead on race. What tone is the show taking? And how in depth are certain characters feeling about things? I did not shy away from peppering in more details but stayed with her tone. In the world that Shonda created, you have a non-White elite society. So George and Brimsley are used to seeing Black people in a parallel world.
Q: One theme that comes across strongly is soft power, particularly looking at what an aristocratic woman could do in the late 1700s. Women don't have explicit power but are working behind the scenes and manipulating men into thinking that they came up with the good ideas.
A: For me, the way to do it is to strive for historical plausibility over historical accuracy. The period that I'm writing in is a generation or two before women could really start pushing their boundaries. These women are the ones pulling bricks out so that, later, women can tear down the wall.
Q: You've described the Bridgerton books and TV show as offering separate experiences as well as "one big experience" if taken together. How will it be different with "Queen Charlotte? Does reading the novel take away from watching the show because one knows too much?
A: A big difference is that unlike the novel "Queen Charlotte," the show has dual timelines. It goes from what you see in the book to "Bridgerton" the series, present time. I didn't think going back and forth was going to work in a book, and I wanted it to read as close to a romance novel as I could. You have incredible visuals with the TV show, but with the book, you have inner voices. A good example is the conversation between the king and queen at their wedding. You see them dancing on the show, but I get to write the conversation. That was great for the romance novelist in me because it's people falling in love through words, not just the physical.
Q: Why have romance novels grown so popular in the last few years? Is it because there's a certain peace in knowing that you're going to get a happy ending? Is it #booktok?
A: Romance has always been made popular by word of mouth. You didn't used to see romance novelists on the "Today" show. With social media, you have new places and ways to talk about the books and recommend them.
I heard from a lot of people who watched the show asking, what else gives us that feeling? And romance novelists were like: "Hey! We have been doing this for years. We're a massive genre giving these happy endings." "Bridgerton" the show really celebrates the romance novel structure where you have a new couple the next season. That was revelatory in television because you don't see shows structured that way.
Q: If you didn't write romance, what would you write?
A: Middle-grade children's books. One of my favorite books of all time is "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt. Also, "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate," by Jacqueline Kelly.
Q: Make the rest of us feel better and tell us you have bad writing habits.
A: I do! I take way too much time off between books. And I have so much trouble getting my butt in the chair to work. I don't have a schedule. I am the least-disciplined writer you will ever meet. I don't think I'm very prolific. I probably average one book a year or every 15 months, which isn't fast in my genre.
Q: Then what's the secret to your success?
A: Panic.
Q: Now that you've done the simultaneous TV show and book premiere, would you do it again?
A: Definitely. This is me publicly asking Netflix to do another spinoff.
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Karin Tanabe is the author of six novels, including "A Woman of Intelligence," "The Gilded Years" and the forthcoming "The Sunset Crowd."
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 The Washington Post
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Tanabe, Karin. "Book World: 'Queen Charlotte' and 'Bridgerton' have very different origin stories." Washington Post, 8 May 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A748479585/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fe0f2d33. Accessed 4 June 2025.
Julia Quinn returns to the Bridgerton franchise with the prequel, Queen Charlotte (Avon/HarperCollins, May 9), co-written with Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of the hit Netflix series. In this novel--with a companion series now available on the streaming service--the bestselling author and the television visionary explore the epic romance between fan favorites Queen Charlotte and King George III, chronicling Charlotte's discovery of love and the skills needed to rule. We spoke with Quinn over Zoom about the co-writing process, grief, and her gratitude to Rhimes; our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What inspired you to focus on Queen Charlotte? Actually, it was Netflix's idea. They wanted to do a prequel series about Queen Charlotte, and then Shonda called me to say, "We're going to do this," and I thought it was amazing and said, "Why don't I write a book?" So the idea came from the television side. And what was it like working with Shonda Rhimes? It was amazing, although I think a lot of people thought we were holed up in a room somewhere, but it wasn't like that. We took turns and focused on our areas of expertise. She wrote six scripts that were turned into the six-episode series, and then the scripts came to me. I had to figure out how to turn them into a novel, which was just a fascinating experience and a completely different writing experience than I'd ever had before. For one, the plot was written. Usually, I have a complete blank slate, or computer screen, or whatever you want to call it, and now I had this whole framework--but the framework was written as a television show, which means you have many short scenes. You never actually go into somebody's head. You're never really in one person's point of view. I had to then break down the architecture of a screenplay and figure out how to write it as a novel, which was fascinating. I'm somebody who loves puzzles, and it was kind of a puzzle in many ways. Would you turn a script into a novel again? Yeah! While I was waiting for the scripts to come in, I started trying to research "What makes a novelization?'" and there's nothing out there with any information. Finally, I decided people could say I did it badly, but nobody could say I did it wrong because it doesn't exist quite like this. On the television show, Queen Charlotte is known for her wit, intelligence, and strength. How did you maintain these traits in the prequel story? I really did take my cues from Shonda and what came through the scripts because Queen Charlotte as a character didn't exist in the original book series. Of all the main characters on the Bridgerton television show, she's really the only one who was brought in new, so it's actually kind of funny that she's the one who got her spinoff. I think that's in large part due to the amazing writing on the show but also Golda Rosheuvel's incredible performance. Obviously, it's not a history lesson. Things [in the novel] aren't exactly the way it was [in real life], but I wanted to bring in--and Shonda also wanted to bring in--some of these historical events and how they affected Queen Charlotte. For example--this is history, and it's in the show this way--she comes to England and meets the king and marries him within hours in a country she's never been to before. She's really a pawn and has no say about what's happening to her. Then you look at this incredibly dynamic, forceful, and powerful woman that you've got in Bridgerton. Let's try to imagine the type of person who could grow into that. Were there any fears you had about writing about this character that you didn't have experience with? She is a woman of color; that was going to be something new for me, and that was something I feel very strongly that I wanted to be very respectful and make sure that I didn't perpetuate some type of stereotype that I may not even know about. I don't know that I would have taken it on without having Shonda as my co-author, because she brings knowledge and life experience that I simply don't have, so I really was following her lead and her cue. Again, I had the script as a framework. While she wasn't showing the things that are going on in these characters' heads, I could look to what she had put on paper as guidance. What kind of tone are we going to use to deal with these serious issues? How deeply are we going to go into it? How big a part of the story is it going to be? I really let her guide that aspect of the story. This is the first Bridgerton book you've written since the success of the Netflix series. What was it like revisiting this world? It was interesting, because it was really kind of working within the world of the TV series, not the book series. There are some differences, obviously, and so it wasn't kind of revisiting. It was really more doing something new but with little flashes of the past. The biggest thing for me was that it had been a while since I'd done some writing. I had some personal tragedy in my life in 2021: Family members were killed by a drunk driver. I hadn't really wanted to do any work. I'm not apologizing for it--it was hard. And so for me, the biggest thing wasn't so much revisiting these characters as remembering why I like to write, and that was really nice. That's something I said to Shonda at some point--how grateful I was for this project because it kind of got me back into writing again after a time when I just didn't want to do it. It'll always be special to me for that reason. Do you have plans for any further spinoffs? I've had lots of ideas, but I'm always hesitant to say anything, because then the readers are going to latch on to it and be like, She said she's doing this, so I'm a little scared about that. I doubt that whatever my next book is, it will be an entirely new world. I think it will exist in the world we know, and there'll be somebody we already know and love. Costa B. Pappas is an editorial intern.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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Quinn, Julia, and Shonda Rhimes. "Julia Quinn Is Back To Writing Bridgerton Novels." Kirkus Feature Articles and Interviews, 6 June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A752105443/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=21b709b7. Accessed 4 June 2025.
Byline: Vanessa Riley
When I heard that Shonda Rhimes and Netflix would be producing "Bridgerton," basing the first season on "The Duke and I," I was nervous and excited. This Julia Quinn novel is my favorite of her books and introduces Viscountess Violet Bridgerton and her eight children. Like Quinn's other romances, it's witty and lush, endearing the reader to this close-knit, imperfect family.
At its core, "The Duke and I" is a story of overcoming the shadows of the past, learning how to love oneself and how to truly be selfless. These themes are timeless, but would the rest of the story be embraced by today's bingeing audience? I had my doubts. "The Duke and I," like other 20-year-old books, is not without its struggles - including issues of drunken consent and patriarchal condescension. Plus, the last bonnet Regency series with a hint of diversity, "Sanditon," was canceled after one season.
It was hard to imagine the average TikTok TV viewer getting hooked on eight episodes of a world of fancy dress, old-fashioned manners and a high-society crowd for which marrying well was a woman's only goal.
Personally, reading "The Duke and I" puts me into the fantasy of a Regency where dukes are young and plentiful, numbering more than the 28 that actually existed. But there's a double-edged sword when we rely on pop culture for history. The fallacy codified by all-White versions of period pieces makes people believe in a world in which people of color did not exist. As much as I love the BBC's 1995 miniseries adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" - I may qualify for the Guinness World Record for most back-to-back viewings - every episode misses the 20,000 free Blacks living in London, who would have worked in the houses, run shops in the markets or just milled about the streets watching Darcy search for Wickham.
To be stripped bare, "The Duke and I," like most historical romances, does not invite me, a Black reader, to the balls. I can still enjoy the romance, root for the protagonists, celebrate the courtships. Yet when I close my eyes, I don't see my dark hands clutching the carriage seat or holding a goblet of ratafia in the company of the gentry.
While women like Dorothy Kirwan Thomas existed - a formerly enslaved island queen who became one of the richest women in the colonial West Indies, not to mention a mistress to a future English king - beautiful brown women typically aren't portrayed entering drawing rooms to a violin serenade of Mozart's 40th Symphony (or, for that matter, Maroon 5's "Girls Like You").
Perhaps we are moving toward a day when reading a diverse historical, like one of Beverly Jenkins' romances, featuring brown faces bestowed with lovely gowns and happily-ever-afters, is not subversive, but natural and true.
When Shondaland announced the "Bridgerton" casting and Instagrammed the sets, I think I did a cartwheel. I was giddy: a Black duke, bold and bright costumes, a Black queen, the bubbly Bridgerton siblings, beautiful "Bangs" (Black Twitter's affectionate nickname for Daphne), and more Black people and people of color.
A portion of my romance-loving friends groused about the casting. A noisier set complained about the ahistorical choices of certain fabrics and colors or men forgoing dancing gloves at balls. There may have been a smidgen of bellyaching from those who lack true period knowledge or a sense of humor.
The rest of us, the dreamers, held our collective breaths until 3 a.m. Christmas Day and streamed the show. With over 63 million viewers in one week, the Bridgerton Brigade, lovers of this masterful work, grew. The staging and the careful choreography of the scenes, with fireworks and synchronized dance, enhanced the storytelling. The costumes deepened the characterizations, for the clothes (BEGIN ITAL)talk(END ITAL) as soon as a person enters a room. Who doesn't love Bridgerton blue?
The response to the show - the rabid acceptance of the series, the worldwide (BEGIN ITAL)feenin'(END ITAL) for the Duke of Hastings and the outcry for Season 2 - exists because this televised world possesses romantic and racy plots that don't focus on race. In Netflix's "Bridgerton," people are snubbed because of their lack of status, not their skin color. Anthony Bridgerton can't be with opera singer Sienna, the woman he craves, because of her social standing. Lord Berbrooke wants Daphne Bridgerton only to marry up.
This Regency rewards work. Genevieve Delacroix runs a successful dress shop and has the luxury to turn down clients. Boxer Will Mondrich can be a 50 percent partner with a scandalous lord.
Race is celebrated. Rege-Jean Page, Adjoa Andoh and Golda Rosheuvel play Black characters, not amorphous shape-shifters with tans. "Bridgerton" entwines culture into the story but without the burden of the colonial past. With everything from the solidarity dap, the arm tap between Hastings and Mondrich, to a jeweled Afro-pick comb, Black is on the screen. It's bright and happy and shiny in a post-racial afterglow.
The duke, the lady and the baby-face queen - these characters' struggles are not framed by slavery or prejudice. The Duke of Hastings is broken, consumed by a vow made against a horrid father. Lady Danbury's pain is physical. Her knees aren't as adept as her meddling. Queen Charlotte seeks excitement to avoid hours of dwelling on her husband's mental illness. These troubles are universal. They hit at the soul. Viewers of color can feel safe watching the story without waiting for that moment when our breath is punched from our lungs because of an epithet, an othering action or plot point constructed on historical pain, pain that still runs deep.
If "Bridgerton" had been cast exactly like the book, I would've watched and enjoyed it. Many others would, too. But would the series have attained such a cultlike status? Probably not. What Shonda Rhimes has achieved is a testament to "Bridgerton" being not just exceptional but inclusive, too.
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Riley, author of the forthcoming "Island Queen" and "An Earl, The Girl, and a Toddler," writes historical fiction and historical romance.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 The Washington Post
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Riley, Vanessa. "Book World: 'The Duke and I' was delightful. 'Bridgerton' is so much more." Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A648121107/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=68f353dd. Accessed 4 June 2025.
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron. By Julia Quinn. Illus. by Violet Charles. Sept. 2021. 160p. Avon, paper, $19.99 (9780062958594).
Fans of Quinn's Bridgerton series will be amused to find the infamous Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron--a fictional, deliberately absurd novel read by characters in several of Quinn's books, beginning with the seventh Bridgerton installment--has been adapted into a graphic novel, with Quinn's sister, Violet Charles, providing the illustrations. The choice of format is a wise one--Charles' expressive, cartoonish art is well suited to the outlandish plot--and readers will be entertained by the increasingly melodramatic antics of Miss Butterworth, who, after a tragic childhood, is hired as a companion to the grandmother of the titular mad baron, who turns out to be not so mad after all. Together they must overcome the scheming of a dastardly cousin attempting to have the baron institutionalized so that he might claim the title instead--and, of course, they find love along the way. Newcomers might roll their eyes at the silliness on offer, but this is a reasonably amusing, if somewhat forgettable romp that is likely to please Quinn's fans and will undoubtedly circulate well among her large readership. --Martha Waters
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Waters, Martha. "Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 21, 1 July 2021, p. 48. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A669809410/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b6fee1da. Accessed 4 June 2025.
Quinn, Julia FIRST COMES SCANDAL Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $7.99 4, 21 ISBN: 978-0-06-295616-3
A man studying to be a doctor in Edinburgh is called home to England to marry a neighbor in trouble.
When Nicholas Rokesby receives a letter from his father ordering him to immediately return to the family home in Kent, he obeys the summons, fearing that some disaster has befallen the family. When he arrives, he’s informed that his neighbor and lifelong friend, Georgiana Bridgerton, was kidnapped a month earlier by a man hoping to force her into marriage. Georgie freed herself, but she’s pronounced “ruined” by society rather than being celebrated for her quick thinking and bravery. Nicholas’ father informs him that he can save Georgie by offering for her hand in marriage; otherwise, her only choices are to live as a spinster or to marry the cad who kidnapped her. Unfortunately, Quinn’s witty dialogue isn’t enough to hide the fact that there’s very little conflict or plot in the novel. The setup leans heavily on the “friends to lovers” trope but doesn’t invest any time developing the couple's past. They are two nice people in their mid-20s who agree to marry out of duty and deference to society’s rules. More detailed attention is given to Georgie’s plan to make a rope hammock to soothe her yowling cat during a carriage ride than to her and Nicholas' development as a married couple. Georgie’s character might frustrate modern readers. Her ingenuity is often highlighted—she escapes from her kidnapper, has her own interests, and verbalizes her frustrations with how society treats women unfairly—but she’s also strangely passive, happily serving as Nicholas’ nurse rather than pursuing her own interests in medicine. Die-hard readers of this Bridgerton prequel series are likely to enjoy the book as fan service, with glimpses of beloved characters from the original series appearing as children.
A lukewarm romance for series fans only.
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"Quinn, Julia: FIRST COMES SCANDAL." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A617193138/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b4cc99be. Accessed 4 June 2025.
Quinn, Julia THE OTHER MISS BRIDGERTON Avon/HarperCollins (Adult Fiction) $7.99 11, 20 ISBN: 978-0-06-238820-9
When Poppy Bridgerton stumbles upon a pirate's cave, she is kidnapped and forced to sail with the crew, then realizes the captain is not only chivalrous, but also the most attractive, interesting man she's ever met.
Poppy has just finished her second London season "much as she'd begun it--unmarried and unattached. And a little bored." Visiting a friend in Dorset, she ditches the maid who's been assigned to chaperone her in order to explore some local caves when she happens on a couple of privateers who kidnap her and take her to their ship. The captain of the ship, clearly a gentleman, nonetheless refuses to release her and forces her to set sail to Portugal, a prisoner in his cabin. Poppy is angry at her lack of freedom and anxious about her reputation, but even she realizes that Capt. Andrew James is not only "blindingly handsome," but also unusually honorable for a pirate. What she doesn't know is that Andrew James is really Andrew James Rokesby; his role as a privateer is actually a cover for his work for the monarchy; and he and his family are close friends with her Bridgerton cousins. Andrew is impressed by Poppy's intelligence, wit, and equanimity in the face of drastic circumstances. The more he comes to like her, the more he tries to make her journey more interesting, since she is clearly a curious soul. His good intentions backfire, however, when his desire to take her on an adventure becomes a fight for their lives just as he realizes he can't live without her. Quinn's mastery of banter, character development, and the slow build of romantic and sexual tension is on full display in the newest Rokesby title (a series of 18th-century prequels to the Bridgerton Regency romances). Mentions of puzzles and architecture add interesting texture to an already compelling story.
Delightful and charming.
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"Quinn, Julia: THE OTHER MISS BRIDGERTON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A563598509/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=849e5746. Accessed 4 June 2025.