So I finished To Sir Philip, With Love, aka Eloise’s story today and… I have a complaint quite a few complaints.

#1) Philip

It has been written in the novel that Philip Crane is a good man. He is described as a “nice” and “honorable” man. To be sure, he is: he married his late brother’s to-be bride out of responsibility and took utmost care of her (Marina Thompson) even though neither she nor he loved one another. And considering everything Philip had gone through from a traumatic childhood (violent, toxic father) and the early death of his mother to a loveless marriage with a suicidal wife who, in a way, succeeds in her attempt to end her life…One cannot help but feel deep empathy towards the man who hides in his greenhouse to avoid further problems in life (i.e. his twins).

Nevertheless, that does not change the fact that he is one of the worst guys to marry for a young heroine who has lived a life protected by her loving family. Eloise looked for romance while he, as stated throughout the book, looked for a problem-solver, mother to his twins, housekeeper and a bedwarmer. The witty Bridgerton sibling who dreamed for romance ended up with her late cousin’s husband who had personal problems he needed to address with a psychiatrist. And his two children.

#2) Philip Crane

I continued reading To Sir Philip, With Love to see how things would work out. And it does work out. Eloise is extremely happy and content, as are Philip and his two children, Oliver and Amanda. It all works out magically. But life doesn’t work out so magically like that, especially when a young girl (28 but inexperienced and naïve) makes the mistake of running away from home to marry her pen pal she never even saw once in her life.

And that Pen Pal turns out to be a man so hurt emotionally and psychologically that he can’t and won’t manage his children. And he had talked about marriage in hopes that his new wife would solve all his problems.

#3) Sir Philip Crane

But what really made me dislike Sir Philip Crane was when he says this:

You said we have a problem,” he repeated, his voice so low and forceful she didn’t think he’d hear another interruption even if she tried. “But until you live through what I lived through,” he continued, “until you’ve been trapped in a hopeless marriage, to a hopeless spouse, until you’ve gone to bed alone for years wishing for nothing more than the touch of another human being.

He turned around, stepped toward her, his eyes alight with a fire that humbled her. “Until you’ve lived through all that,” he said, “don’t you ever complain about what we have. Because to me… to me…” He choked on the words, but barely paused before he continued. “This – us – is heaven. And I can’t bear to to hear you say otherwise.”

Philip Crane to Eloise Bridgerton on page 353 of To Sir Philip, With Love by Julia Quinn.

But they did have a problem. When Eloise pointed out that they needed to have a conversation about their twins’ nurse (who turned out to be hurting them beyond reason with a book), Philip avoided the conversation and dumped all responsibility on Eloise as he was more interested in her than solving problems together as husband and wife. It was a problem.

Eloise had pointed out a problem. And here was Philip, telling her later to don’t “ever complain” about their marriage… I mean, I get where he is coming from as he is a man who’s been in much pain from a loveless, hopeless marriage, but he ought to consider from her perspective, too. Or any perspective that does not involve self-pity.

Conclusion

As one of my favorite Bridgerton siblings is Eloise, I think I may be a bit harsh on Sir Philip Crane. The novel portrays him as a good, honorable man, and I do think the man who’s been through so much trauma and pain is indeed good and honorable. Yet it was depressing to discover that he was the “one” for Eloise Bridgerton.

Alas, everything works out in the end (like magic). Eloise Bridgerton is even described as being so happy and in love that she cries. Sir Philip Crane and Eloise Bridgerton feel lucky to have found one another. That’s wonderful.

But from my limited knowledge and experience, I find it hard to believe that such magic is possible. Because in the world that I live in, a 28-year-old woman who rashly marries her late cousin’s husband/Pen Pal friend she’d never seen in her life, who becomes his twins’ stepmother, does not have everything work out so magically.

And though the novel is set in the Regency Era, Eloise and Philip’s love story seems highly implausible. To Sir Philip, With Love felt more fictional than fictions can be.

I really hope Netflix doesn’t make Eloise Bridgerton (played by Claudia Jessie) settle for Sir Philip Crane (played by Chris Fulton). They should keep changing the plot as they’ve done in Season 2.

To read about Penelope’s story of the Bridgerton novels, click HERE. It’s way better.

P.S. Tippi Studio has created some of the most beautiful Bridgerton fan arts – check out the artist’s Eloise on Instagram HERE!