Set in Regency-era London, the story follows Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of a powerful family, and Simon Basset, the brooding Duke of Hastings. To escape the pressures of the 'marriage mart’ - Daphne to attract better suitors and Simon to avoid eager debutantes - they enter into a fake courtship. However, their staged flirtation quickly turns into genuine passion. As they navigate their growing feelings, they must confront Simon’s traumatic past and his solemn vow to never father an heir - a secret that threatens to tear their new marriage apart before it truly begins.

We will be discussing the novel with historian, author and broadcaster, Amy Boyington.

To aide the conversation, we have prepared three 'thinking points' to consider when reading the book:

1. Julia Quinn writes a "glittering" version of the early 1800s, but the stakes for women were very real. How do the different expectations on boys and girls play out in the novel?
2. What effect do the Whistledown entries have on the reader's understanding of the social world Daphne and Simon inhibit?
3. The Bridgerton's are famously close-knit, while Simon’s upbringing was isolated and traumatic. To what extent do these backgrounds act as blueprints for the various characters?

The Really Popular Book Club is Cambridge University Libraries' book group. Everyone is welcome to come and discuss a really popular book with the group, library staff, and an expert on the novel. Hosted on Zoom, the book club is completely free and open to everyone, people attend from all over the world. The Really Popular Book Club celebrates the huge range of books at Cambridge University Library. We have more than 8 million books and as a legal deposit library we keep a copy of every book published in the UK, and have done since 1710.

If you haven't attended one of our book club events before, you can find more information at www.lib.cam.ac.uk/bookclub.