I absolutely loved the Queen Charlotte on Netflix; in fact, it was probably my favorite “season” of Bridgerton. So when I found out there was a novel of it, I knew I had to snatch it up. And that’s exactly what this is: a novelization of the show. Which isn’t exactly a bad thing, but if you’re looking for something different, this isn’t it. In fact, I spent the time reading it seeing scenes from the show playing out in my head.
Well, it is slightly different; there is only one scene set during the Bridgerton era, which means you miss one of my favorite scenes of Charlotte interacting with her children (but thankfully we cut out the entire Violet subplot.) Also gone is Lady Danbury and her close relationship with Violet’s father. But the main draw is still there; the slow burn love story of Charlotte and George, only with the added bonus of internal monologues. As well as them debating the proper term (German or English) for wanting to put a fist firmly in someone’s face. What radiates through the book is the fact that everyone, everyone in Charlotte’s life vastly underestimated her and her strength. In fact, the first person to see who she is and what she will become is Brimsley. Who, in the book as well as in the show, has got to be one of my absolute favorite characters; Bartholomew Brimsley, if there was just more of you. The book showcases even more the honest friendship between Charlotte and Brimsley, and why it’s not just duty why he would take a bullet for that woman.
(Side note: I absolutely love that as much as Reynolds claims to be more important as the King’s man, it is Brimsley, not him, who gets a first name; Reynolds stays just Reynolds. So I guess being George’s childhood servant/friend counts for nothing in the name department.)
Lady Danbury, I unfortunately have to say, does not come off as well here. I loved her in the show and adored her in the books, but seeing inside her mind is not the boon I thought it might be; I think Charlotte and she would have vastly different ideas of when their friendship started. George is an interesting take: who knew the King of England spends the first few months of his marriage just wanting someone to tell him what to do? (Believe me, you have married the right woman for that, except for the fact she loves you too much to boss you around that much.) Which leads to one of my absolute least favorite characters, Dr. Munro. I am glad to see that George’s point of view shows that the sense of humor he showed in the garden towards Charlotte lasts a lot longer with Munro then you would think.
And of course,
