Hell, I'm reading Jilly Cooper

[MimsyBorogroves]

And loving it Started Riders yesterday. Why didn't I read these as a horse-obsessed teen?

[Titsywoo]

Oh my god you are so lucky to be reading these for the first time! I love them and often re-read. I think my favourite is Polo.

[tribpot]

You are very lucky. The key question, though, is when to stop reading. You don't need to worry for quite some time but Score is when it jumped the shark for me and the very last book, Jump, was unspeakably awful. Before then there is some brilliant, hilarious stuff. My favourite is Rivals.

[TwentyOneGuns]

I agree with tribpot, no point going beyond Score (if that, maybe TMWMHJ), they're not nearly as good. Worth checking out the much earlier ones though - Octavia, Harriet etc, and The Common Years and Class. Making me want to reread them now, Rivals is my favourite too :).

[BestIsWest]

Riders, Rivals, Polo are great, the rest are only worth bothering with to find out what happens to the characters from the first three books.

I adore the earlier 70s ones though, Imogen, Harriet etc. Reminds me of my teenage years and I re read them constantly

The Common Years is one of my all time top 10 books though. I really wish she'd written more autobiographical stuff.

[PrimalLass]

I like them all, apart from the one about the school. Shagging underage teenagers is not something I want to read about Jilly.

[tribpot]

The school one is Wicked, isn't it? (I mean that's the name of the book, the book itself is not wicked except in the sense of wickedly awful). Chalet School it is not.

[TannhauserGate]

Oh dear. I've started Riders, but I'm finding it utter tosh! Struggling to continue.

[tribpot]

You must suspend any thought of this as a great work of literature, Tannhauser. It is utter tosh but thoroughly enjoyable utter tosh. You might want to try Rivals if the horsiness of Riders is getting to you.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

Love Jilly. Read them over and over.

[Defiant]

Gosh, I finished Riders but I thought it was just dreadful. Felt sick to my stomach reading some it of.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

It's very old fashioned now .

[ChickyChickyParmParm]

Defiant me too. Which book was it where they all went to Kenya and Billy and Rupert raped Helen? What japes.

[MoreGilmoreGirls]

Love them too, bit of a guilty pleasure.

[Defiant]

Chicky, that was riders and the scene that made me actually feel sick. Can't believe I've seen it talked about recently as if it's some sort of saucy sex scene!

[ChickyChickyParmParm]

I know, it is horrible, I couldn't quite believe JC wrote about a gang rape and managed to not only have Rupert come out smelling of roses with - - teenagers-- women falling at his feet but portrayed a rape victim as being an uptight prude.

[Defiant]

Yes, and Billy, who is supposed to be the nice guy to Rupert's bastard, rapes his best friend's wife, someone he is supposed to care for, and she is crying, he knows he's hurting her and yet he carries on? Ugh, it's disgusting.

Something that did make me laugh (in a grossed out way) is how after sex the bloke cleans up the woman's bits with whatever he has to hand, like hay, some grass etc. Also her obsession with the smell of dung!

I enjoy a trashy novel now and then but I'm sorry JC fans, I just don't understand how people can talk positively about her books in 2016.