Book Club February 2021- The Duke & I (Bridgerton)
We had a few changes this month for book club. Because of everything that we have all gone through in 2020, we have leaned more towards lighter reads this past year. This month was Denise’s choice and she had picked two different books that, once she started reading, didn’t feel right. She found one to not be what the summary had said and both to be more serious and heavy than she expected. As a result, we were at the beginning of January with no book picked. So, Logan suggested that since we had all been watching Bridgerton, we read the book and then we could discuss both the show and the book!
By: Julia Quinn
Published Year: 2006
Publisher: Avon Books
Pages: 386
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable.
Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.
Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.
The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...
What I Thought
Let me start by saying that I watched the show before reading the book. 4 out of the 5 book club members did it in this order. I absolutely loved the show. I devoured it in just over 24 hours. I was a little nervous to read the book because of how much I enjoyed the show.
The book was very cute, though I will admit I didn’t love it as much as the show. There were a lot of differences and most of the differences were ones that I missed as reading the book. For example, the Bridgerton siblings barely appear in the book. We really only see Anthony and Colin. Benedict maybe once and definitely no Eloise. There were also a few storylines that must have been completely made up for the show that weren’t in the book that I missed. The Featheringtons also had a significantly lesser role in the book than the show.
What did still work was Daphne and Simon. Their banter and ease of the relationship was just as fun to read as it was to watch. The one thing that did irritate me slightly was the writing got to be a bit repetitive. Daphne continually reminded us that she had 4 brothers and at one point I wanted to yell “We get it!” But, overall, the writing was fun and light.
If I to pick only one, I would definitely recommend the show over the book. But that’s not going to stop me from reading the other books because I want more of the Bridgerton siblings and I can’t wait a year.
What Book Club Thought
The 4 of us who watched the show before reading the book loved both. The one who read the book first and then the show, hated both. I don’t know if that necessarily is the reason but it was interesting. We enjoyed talking about the differences between the show and the book. Initially, I didn’t realize how many differences there were and while I did enjoy the show more overall, there were some parts of the book that I preferred. I