The Bridgerton Show Vs. the Book Series
Set in the 1800s, Julia Quinn has an 8-book bestselling series about the Bridgerton family, with each book featuring one of the eight children of the late Viscount Bridgerton: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. Each book takes you through the life, and specifically love life, of each character. Starting with Daphne falling in love with a Duke and ending with Hyacinth marrying a well-suited young man. During these times, women were looked at as objects that were there merely to make heirs, and women of the high class rarely had jobs. But the Lady Whistledown, a gossip writer in town, is a popular and admired anonymous writer of a social pamphlet detailing the gossip of “the ton", which describes the high-class people of the 1800s. The author does a wonderful job illustrating the deep love that each character feels for their lover. These books are quite good and genuinely make you feel as though you are getting to know the characters, the only problem that I have with the book series is that all the characters are presumably white.
Shonda Rhimes, a talented and respected producer, made this book series into a truly WONDERFUL show. Currently two seasons and going, Shonda has made a loved and popular show that depicts the life of the Bridgerton family. Like the book series, each season focuses on the life of a certain character, with the first season being about Daphne Bridgerton, and the second season being about Viscount Anthony Bridgerton. The show depicts the early 19th-century high-class society and how things used to work in England’s Regency Era. The episodes are pretty fast-paced, with new “gossip” and events occurring all the time. Shonda Rhimes picked out very talented actors and actresses for the show and the script and plot that is used is well thought out and very fun to watch play out.
I’ll admit, this is one of the first times that I have read
a book series after the show, and especially one of the only times that I actually
liked the show more. The main reason that I like the show more is that it
has far more diversity in the characters and women are represented in a much better
light. The women in the show are clearly intelligent and just as capable as men
to do anything. Another thing that I loved about the show was its
representation of various cultures. For example, in the second season, Anthony
fell in love with a beautiful Indian woman, and the producers did an amazing
job incorporating Indian culture. And it was not like they were trying to get
praise for that, it was just normal, as it should be. I would really recommend both
watching the show and reading the books!
-Larissa
To be honest, I usually read the book before the movie as watching a series first ruins the surprise and excitement of reading a book. The story incorporates lots of different cultures and themes of different lives that does make the book interesting to read. Good review.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I like how you described the series as a slow-moving, but intriguing. I also enjoyed how you analyzed it from a view of women's empowerment. I also usually read the book before watching the show. Overall, this book sounds incredibly interesting and I will definitely check it out.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I really liked how you delved into a thorough analysis of both the show and the books, discussing not just if the books or show were good or not, but also if the creators do a fair job representing various cultures and ethnicities. These sound like fairly interesting pieces of literature and film, I'll be sure to check them out. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've heard about this series before, but not about the show. The show itself seems interesting and the way you describe the ways it's better than the series intrigues me - I'll make sure to watch the show sometime and see how it compares to the book versions.
ReplyDeleteI heard a lot about the book series, and I considered reading it after finishing the show. However, I heard that the book does not live up to the show, especially in terms of diversity and the portrayal of women. Bridgerton (especially season 2) is such a good show. Great job Larissa!
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