A Review of Julia Quinn’s “The Duke and I”
By: Godwin Efu
A historical romance by Julia Quinn, The Duke and I (the first of an eight book series), is set in England as at the 18th century Regency era. A period characterized by high marital demand.
This first among the eight book series centers around Simon Basset, the young Duke of Hastings, and Daphne Bridgerton, the fourth of eight siblings. As a sad result of a bleak past, the duke is stark on staying single until he meets Daphne who is equally resilient on the versa.
As I read through this novel, one question kept jabbing at my head. A question that requires serious thought: as a woman, what happens when you can’t find yourself a partner during the 1800s? And an even disturbing question persisted: what if Simon had not met Daphne? How darker would his life had been?
It seems almost a work of destiny that, Simon became best friends with the older brother of the woman that would later change his life forever. Almost a hand work of the forces of nature that Simon and Daphne stumbled upon each other.
It is unpredictable how our lives may play out. It is very unpredictable the kind of people we will come in contact with. What however is absolutely certain is the fact that in the long run, we are shaped by the people around us. We strive to impress them; we thrive to topple them. We strive to live up to their standards and strive, as Daphne, to save them from who they do not have to be.
Julia Quinn crafted a romance novel woven with the philosophies of life and particularly the strength of motherhood. Violet, is perhaps the free, clumsiest and most loving mother of the 18th century. Anthony the most annoying brother ever and Hyacinth the most adorable daughter.
While on the subject of children, I would sadly point out that our words may be the a killing curse to our offspring. Simon's father, Hastings, delivered the single most destructive sentence a parent could ever utter:
"There is no place for you here."
It is in fact remarkable how parents can raise up their children even in final absence.
In this romance novel which I am tempted to ignore the romance part, I see a bizarre display of cruelty on the part of Hastings. And I particularly adore the subtlety Julia Quinn summoned up in carving this out: the rejection of a child because they are who they are. The immature and sudden exposure of children to the truth of how viscious we humans can be before or perhaps instead of how loving the same can be. Sometimes, villains are characters who have half knowledge of the two sides of humans. They understand so much the wickedness buried beneath people that they adopt equal response toward all. It is a sad, sad thing.
Again, it feels like Julia Quinn has made it impossible to pass by the issue of rejection without stumbling into the thought of infanticide.
Usually I feel uneasy reading through multiple perspectives. I fear I might have to skip the boring character’s point of view. But with Quinn — who by now it should be apparent that I admire— I only realize my comfort when I am done over a chapter. Soon, I leant to trust her mastery at how she handles the exposition. Like a delicate curve around the long funny flames of dialogue. Even on to the world building. I won’t say she made me wish to have been born in the 18th century, but she definitely made me forget the present. She took me through time to a culture unlike mine; into a life unlike mine and made me wonder whether we have developed. Whether the choices we make in general is our own.
I see in the Bridgertons the strength of unity, love, respect and honor. I see a family to be envied.
As in every generation, marriage is very important. The question of the unmarried woman's agitation is as vibrant as always. Today, and in Nigeria, even for a woman exposed to education, her fear is ending up without a husband. And that is perfectly fine. People desire a family. What is sad however is limiting the woman's value to a husband. And we do it. Somehow, it is the "expectations of society" that creates a society.
Considering Julia Quinn’s narrative style (Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers), I’m beginning to think gossip is actually interesting. Or not. Whatever. Because I intend to read the entire series.
Although it is apparent (dressing, societal norms, and language) the novel is far back in history, Julia Quinn narrows down the era (1813) via the gossip platform, Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers. Lady Whistledown is a main character in The Duke and I,(think of Rita Skeeter of the Harry Potter series) but it is not today that we have witnessed authors use similar characters to create red herrings, let slip crucial informations that increase tension or mystery which in turn inflate the great reveal.
Here, Julia Quinn gives a subtle redefinition of prose: the delicate daub of information about the plot that keeps the reader in awe and thirst for more. And Lady Whistledown informs the reader just as much as the characters in the novel of the story progress. This style particularly pays by making me feel like one present in the novel’s setting. We all love gossip. That’s the fact.
Finally, to the good old romance, in the end, love should always win.
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Godwin Efu is an undergrad student of Literature in English. He is a reader, a poet and a writer. He is a member of Book O’Clock UDUS, a book club in Sokoto, Nigeria.
