The Bridgerton Book vs. TV Battle: Fans Unanimously Agree Which is Better
How many times have you heard that you should read a book because it's so much better than the adaptation?
Well, surprisingly, this is not the case with Bridgerton, according to the Netflix show's fans.
Based on the eponymous series of books by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton made its debut on the screen in late 2020. It hit it off immediately and was renewed for seasons three and four in early 2021 already. The second season, which premiered in 2022, outdid the first one in viewership numbers, making Bridgerton a franchise to last.
Exhausted from the almost two-year hiatus between seasons, the show's content-thirsty fans resorted to reading Quinn's books series, and many were shocked to find out the original story isn't anywhere as impressive as the Netflix adaptation.
The first stumbling stone is the writing itself. Bridgerton fans don't think highly of Quinn's style, saying that it's pretty mediocre, and her characters are boring and one-dimensional compared to how they have been rendered in the show. In fact, people argue there are pieces of fan fiction that are superior in writing style and more inventive and period-appropriate in their plot.
Another thing fans point out is that the Bridgerton book series is very repetitive.
Those who have read Quinn's work agree that you can't help seeing the template of the story in each of the eight books, provided you've read at least one. The same creative devices underpin the plot and character development, and some readers even call out the author for using the same words and idioms from book to book.
On the other hand, Bridgerton fans recognize that Quinn's novels are a simple read, and you should treat this romance series accordingly and approach it without your expectations set high.
"You can easily breeze through a book a day, and there are worse ways to pass the time. As long as you acknowledge them as brain candy with no nutritional value, they're fine," said Redditor killebrew_rootbeer.
As for the show, fans praise the producers for bringing out the good things from the original novel, but overall, it seems that Bridgerton owes most of its success to excellent screenwriting and great performances from the cast, rather than its source material.