Bridgerton Fans Hate On-Screen Colin, But He Was So Much Worse in the Book

We must not forget that we owe the main plot of Bridgerton to Julia Quinn and her books. She created our beloved Bridgerton family with such different brothers and sisters who treat each other with love and warmth. As well as the witty and mysterious Lady Whistledown, whose mask hides the most inconspicuous girl in high society.

However, the creators of the series managed to make something more out of the novels. The Bridgerton series raises issues of gender inequality, body positivity, and sex education. And the author of the Bridgerton books loves it. Julia Quinn said the books were written twenty years ago, before the MeToo and conversations about the importance of active consent.

The Book Version of Colin is Just Flat And Angry

However, if the book version of Bridgerton was just a little simpler than the on-screen incarnation of those novels, then fans who read Romancing Mister Bridgerton, on which the third season is based, were shocked. If you were surprised by Colin's behavior on the show, his actions in the original book would infuriate you.

Books usually surpass movies because of their deep exploration of the characters' inner worlds. The text makes it possible to show the hidden motives and thoughts of the characters, which makes them alive and full. But not this time.

If Colin is an eccentric, charming, sincere and kind young man in the TV series, in the book he is a thirty-three-year-old man with the emotional intelligence of a junior high school student. He has two states: anger and sarcasm. By the end of the book, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand why Penelope is so in love with him.

Many of the secondary characters in the book also come across as flat. For example, the novel does not develop the characters of Eloise and Violet Bridgerton, even though they play an important role in the plot.

In The Book, Colin Behaves Like a Typical Abuser

If you thought the on-screen male Bridgertons were all red flags, then you simply haven't read the book. Book Colin is a prime example of toxic masculinity. The author describes his tantrums, which Penelope watches with a mixture of horror and admiration.

At the ball, for example, he squeezes Penelope's hand so hard that it bruises, so as not to lose his temper and cause a public scandal. Colin also literally tells Penelope what to do, which is creepy and uncomfortable. All the charm of a light romance novel is lost when you see an abuser in the main character.