Julia Quinn is the name behind many best-selling book series but stands out most dazzlingly for her Bridgerton works. Many may recognise the title from their Netflix homepages flashing it. The online mega-hit series is an adaptation of Quinn's historical romance books and with only a single season has emerged as one of the most-watched shows ever on the streaming giant.
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Earlier this week, Netflix released a list marking shows with high viewership, with season one of Bridgerton topping the chart at 82 million households. The eight-part series premiered last year December and is produced by Shonda Rhimes. It was announced in 2021 that Bridgerton has been renewed for at least three more seasons. More on Bridgerton 2 here.
Quinn's series comprises hot, fast and feisty Regency reads about the aristocratic Bridgertons in 1800s London. This is a period drama that overturns and experiments with elements presented in 19th-century books from the genre, as those written by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters.
The writer has made it to the prestigious New York Times' bestseller list a total of 19 times.
Though bluntly recognising in an interview this year how romance novels are looked down upon as the "ugly stepchild" in publishing, Quinn is near about changing the game with her feminist gaze at the genre. Basis her books, the OTT series has drawn in a wide base of new millennial fans eager for more.
How Julia Quinn Is Overturning The Romance Novel Narrative
Born in 1970, Quinn grew up in New England as one of four sisters. She was a headstrong reader during her girlhood, determined to keep at the Sweet Dreams teen romance series that her family advised her against. Her interest in the genre set the foundation for her expertise to come.
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A bio on her website reads Quinn "loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance."
The first of her Bridgerton books was published in 2000, titled The Duke and I. There are now 15 titles in the series, and the Netflix show is only enlarging its popularity. The latter comes by way of not just the regal, attractive setting of the series but also since it is vividly inclusive and gender empowering.
The race of certain white characters on the show has been switched, something Quinn deems an "absolutely right choice." Both on paper and online, the women Quinn has created are determinedly not doormats.
"This is already romantic fantasy, and I think it’s more important to show that as many people as possible deserve this type of happiness and dignity," she feels.
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