Read This:
Watch This:
Harry & Meghan on Netflix
Why We Made this Selection and Background Knowledge
Julie: Big royal follower, but mainly for the tea. I definitely got my interest from my mom. I wrote my 8th-grade research paper about Princess Diana’s death… so the interest goes back. Closely followed the royal weddings and royal babies. So, I was eagerly anticipating the release of both the book and the series.
Claire: I can’t say I have any background knowledge of the book, specifically, other than just general talk of the book leading up to its release. I will say that I follow the royal family probably more than the average American so I was familiar with a lot of the issues that I heard would be addressed in the book.
Before you say which you liked better, did you read the book or listen to the audiobook… because it matters.
Julie: I listened to the full book in 2ish days… it was a lot so I also bought a hard copy of the book so I can go back and look at how certain parts were written.
Claire: I listened to the audiobook. Even though audiobooks are the way I get most of my reading done, I want to add that I prefer to listen to books that are narrated by the author, whether they are memoirs, self-help, or some random non-fiction subject, because you can usually hear in the author’s voice the passion they have for their work.
Overall Opinion of the Book
Julie: I read the book for the tea. I ended up just feeling bad for everyone involved.
Claire: Before listening to this book, I thought I would be shocked by what was in it. I expected it to be jaw-dropping, but that wasn’t the case. It isn’t that I feel what was exposed in the book wasn’t bad, or that Harry deserved to be treated that way, or things like that, I just wasn’t really shocked like I thought I would be. Maybe it’s because I was familiar with most of what was in the book. Not that I knew everything about it all, because that was certainly not the case, I always knew there would be more than what we were led to believe.
Overall Opinion of the Show
Julie: The first three episodes were so slow I almost didn’t continue watching it. Episodes 4 and 5 were good and then they crammed everything we wanted to know into episode 6. So, the pacing was a bit off for me. I also didn’t think it made Meghan likable.
Claire: I liked it. I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that there are two sides to every story so it was nice to see things from their end. With that said, I’ve always taken not only things about Harry and Meagan with a grain of salt, but for years everything from the media. I was expecting more drama, but I also loved seeing the little glimpses into their life, especially with the kids.
Which was better?
Julie: The book
Claire: The book
Ranking…
- Did the show and the book serve the same purpose? Claire: Yes, Julie: No
- Did the show change how you’d previously felt about the people or the situations presented? Claire: No, Julie: No
- Did the book change how you’d previously felt about the people or the situations presented? Claire: No, Julie: Yes
- Would you read the book again or recommend it to a friend? Yes
- Would you watch the show/movie again or recommend it to a friend? No
Overall rating: Claire 2/5, Julie 2/5
