From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn and television pioneer Shonda Rhimes comes a powerful and romantic novel of Bridgerton's Queen Charlotte and King George III's great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, inspired by the original series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, created by Shondaland for Netflix.
"We are one crown. His weight is mine, and mine is his…"
In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours.
Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent… not precisely the attributes the British Court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she needed, because George had secrets… secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy.
Thrust into her new role as a royal, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court… all the while guarding her heart, because she is falling in love with the King, even as he pushes her away. Above all she must learn to rule, and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight—for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects who look to her for guidance and grace. For she will never be just Charlotte again. She must instead fulfill her destiny… as Queen.
Title : Queen Charlotte
Author : Julia Quinn & Shonda Rhimes
Narrator : Natalie Simpson
Format : Audio
Page Count : 13 hours
Genre : Historical Romance
Publisher : Harper Audio
Release Date : May 9, 2023
Reviewer : Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★
Micky's 4 star review
Headlines:
Joy
Sadness
Beauty
Like many, I have watched this first and I've only just got around to reading it. Quite frankly, with the mental visualisation from the TV series, reading it was quite special. The book differs in that George's thoughts and bits of POV were threaded throughout the story and that was an unexpected bonus. Another difference was that there weren't flash-forwards, this book was told almost completely in this couple's youth and I prefered that.
Charlotte was the kind of character that bowled you over with her frankness of phrasing, she was without subtlety but she was freshly honest. How she navigated the initial problems with George while hurt and then how she later navigated his illness was inspirational.
George was a sweet and intelligent man with such a spark of character. The way mental illness was portrayed in this book both seemed perhaps incongruent with the times but it was handled with love and sensitivity. This envisaging of George's treatment after the nasty doctor is not something the less well-to-do would have experienced, but it made for avid reading.
'The Great Experiment' was a fantastic idea and I truly wish this had happened, what a better place the UK and other countries would be right now.
While the book ended on a melancholy note, there was joy still peeping through. This is my favourite Quinn book, hands down. I would love to read more about the lives of these two and there is certainly room for it where this book ends.
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https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Queen-Charlotte-by-Julia-Quinn-Shonda-Rhimes/9780349436678
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