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oliviamannall's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Even though I am the most cynical person in the world when it comes to Valentine's Day, I was determined to read a good ol' romance this weekend to commemorate it. Say what you want, but I'm old-fashioned at heart.
As I'm sure many of my friends on here can agree, Netflix's Bridgerton has been one of the highlights of my 2021 thus far, so I couldn't resist picking up a copy of The Duke & I to see if the book lived up to its TV adaptation, and honestly? It did and it didn't, and here's why.
I must admit that Quinn's writing style was a lot better than I originally anticipated that it would be. I found the characters in her story to be witty and well-developed. I appreciated what inner monologue we got, which I felt was well balanced with dynamic, fun dialogue. Was it the most period-appropriate? Absolutely not! But this did not hinder my enjoyment of the story. What is so clever about this novel is it clearly bridges a gap between modern-day readers and classic stories. What reads as a very Austen inspired romance has definite elements of the 21st century thrown into the mix, and this is reflected not just in the book, but in the TV adaptation too.
The TV show, however, certainly has one-up on the novel in that it covers a lot more character arcs and plotlines. This book solely focuses on Daphne and Simon and their love story. The Queen does not exist. Lady Whistledown is relegated to brief opening extracts from her society papers at the top of each chapter and Eloise?! Where was my angel Eloise?! So, I think I have to say that I enjoyed the TV show more, if only for the range of characters and storylines that were covered, although I am fully aware that there are eight books in this series, and that some of Season 1's plotlines may have been drawn from later novels.
When I was about halfway through this I was certain that it would be four stars. I was so pleased when that God awful scene from the TV show (you know the one) hadn't made an appearance in the book when I thought it would, but alas, it does come, and with a vengeance - I won't spoil it, but there is a distinct difference between that scene in the TV show and in the book, and the book's version is ten times worse, if that was even possible. Gross.
Speaking of, ahem... those scenes, it sadly was the sex scenes in this book that brought it down to a three for me. I'm just not here for a cringey sex scene, okay? After you've read the sex scenes in Red, White & Royal Blue, nothing else compares. I also really wasn't into how possessive Simon got towards the end of this book, constantly claiming both out loud and in his inner monologue that he 'owned' Daphne; I know this is meant to be set in the 1800's, and that this book was written twenty years ago, but come on, surely we've moved past that by now?
Another downside for me was that not really much happened over the span of this 350 page novel. I felt like Quinn could have seriously killed some darlings here - over 100 pages in and we'd still only essentially covered the events of one ball. The distinct lack of pace in this novel had me itching to get it over and done with, but that could possibly also be owing to the fact that having already watched the whole show I knew exactly what was coming and maybe if I had read this before watching the TV adaptation I may not have felt the same.
Anyway, all in all this wasn't the worst that it could have been, but it also wasn't the best. I most likely won't reread, but equally I haven't been sworn off picking up the next book in the series, so because of this, The Duke & I is sitting at a solid three.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Alcoholism
Even though I am the most cynical person in the world when it comes to Valentine's Day, I was determined to read a good ol' romance this weekend to commemorate it. Say what you want, but I'm old-fashioned at heart. As I'm sure many of my friends on here can agree, Netflix's Bridgerton has been one of the highlights of my 2021 thus far, so I couldn't resist picking up a copy of The Duke & I to see if the book lived up to its TV adaptation, and honestly? It did and it didn't, and here's why. I must admit that Quinn's writing style was a lot better than I originally anticipated that it would be. I found the characters in her story to be witty and well-developed. I appreciated what inner monologue we got, which I felt was well balanced with dynamic, fun dialogue. Was it the most period-appropriate? Absolutely not! But this did not hinder my enjoyment of the story. What is so clever about this novel is it clearly bridges a gap between modern-day readers and classic stories. What reads as a very Austen inspired romance has definite elements of the 21st century thrown into the mix, and this is reflected not just in the book, but in the TV adaptation too. The TV show, however, certainly has one-up on the novel in that it covers a lot more character arcs and plotlines. This book solely focuses on Daphne and Simon and their love story. The Queen does not exist. Lady Whistledown is relegated to brief opening extracts from her society papers at the top of each chapter and Eloise?! Where was my angel Eloise?! So, I think I have to say that I enjoyed the TV show more, if only for the range of characters and storylines that were covered, although I am fully aware that there are eight books in this series, and that some of Season 1's plotlines may have been drawn from later novels. When I was about halfway through this I was certain that it would be four stars. I was so pleased when that God awful scene from the TV show (you know the one) hadn't made an appearance in the book when I thought it would, but alas, it does come, and with a vengeance - I won't spoil it, but there is a distinct difference between that scene in the TV show and in the book, and the book's version is ten times worse, if that was even possible. Gross. Speaking of, ahem... those scenes, it sadly was the sex scenes in this book that brought it down to a three for me. I'm just not here for a cringey sex scene, okay? After you've read the sex scenes in Red, White & Royal Blue, nothing else compares. I also really wasn't into how possessive Simon got towards the end of this book, constantly claiming both out loud and in his inner monologue that he 'owned' Daphne; I know this is meant to be set in the 1800's, and that this book was written twenty years ago, but come on, surely we've moved past that by now? Another downside for me was that not really much happened over the span of this 350 page novel. I felt like Quinn could have seriously killed some darlings here - over 100 pages in and we'd still only essentially covered the events of one ball. The distinct lack of pace in this novel had me itching to get it over and done with, but that could possibly also be owing to the fact that having already watched the whole show I knew exactly what was coming and maybe if I had read this before watching the TV adaptation I may not have felt the same. Anyway, all in all this wasn't the worst that it could have been, but it also wasn't the best. I most likely won't reread, but equally I haven't been sworn off picking up the next book in the series, so because of this, The Duke & I is sitting at a solid three.
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