Julia Quinn Reveals a Surprising ‘Bridgerton Season 3’ Quote From Her Book

Julia Quinn, the creative force behind the ‘Bridgerton’ series, is still surprised by how her own writing comes to life on screen. During a recent conversation, she discussed the soaring popularity of her backlist titles on Spotify Audiobooks, highlighting a 143% increase in listeners in the U.S. alone.

Quinn shared her excitement about how certain scenes from her books have been adapted for the Shondaland series, particularly noting the successful translation of the “mallet of death” scene from Season 2. "I love the mallet of death. That was one I always knew would translate very well," she said, referencing the memorable tension between Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma over a game of Pall Mall.

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The author expressed her delight at the increased fidelity to her books in the latest season. "In season three, it was really fun. I feel like they lifted more direct lines from the book than we've seen before," she remarked, referring to the storyline of Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.

Quinn recounted her surprise when she recognized her own lines in the scripts. “Actually, it was funny when I was reading the scripts, I would see things, because I don't reread the books really, and I'd see something and be like, 'I think I wrote that. Did I write that? Was that from me?'" She continued, noting specific lines that made her pause and appreciate her own writing.

Reflecting on the enduring success of her series, Quinn said, “These books, they never really died. They were always for sale. They never went out of print. It's always been really my most popular series.” She added that the show’s success on Netflix has brought renewed attention and appreciation to her work.

As the series continues to thrive, Quinn expressed satisfaction that both the books and the show are beloved by fans. "People say, 'Well, don't you want everybody to think the book is better?' And I said, 'No, because I want the show to be great,'" she said. “I think that means we're doing something right.”

-Sushmita Sarkar