To want to live in Jilly Cooper land?

[LysistrataVickers]

I know there are a fair few Jilly lovers on Mumsnet and (excluding the misogyny and sexism etc of the time) would anyone like to indulge in a little Jilly-esque reminiscence? My local park reeks of wild garlic and I'm rereading Polo for the millionth time whilst contemplating buying a horse I can't afford so please, Jilly lovers, join me in remembering and discussing her best and worst bits to distract me from buying horses I can't afford ?

[CheerfulBunny]

Placemarking. I'd like to live in Paradise, contemplating a lunch at the Heavenly Host with Lysander, Ferdie, Kitty and Georgie! Flora is possibly my favourite character although I wish she hadn't cheated on George with Baby. I enjoy Polo but find Chessie and Perdita to be a bit unsympathetic as characters. I like Daisy and Luke though.
I must confess I googled Jilly the other day just to check she was still OK, still going strong it seems despite being in advanced years now.

[YesPleaseMary]

Love a bit of Jilly!
I'm thinking of going on a grapefruit diet to lessen my bulk and once I've done that I'll mantan my legs and drench myself in Fracas before turning up at the Penscombe hunt ball to try and catch Rupert's eye. But I won't be wearing one of Mousie's ge-owns!

[Bing42]

Aww love these books. Still fancy RCB far more than one should especially given his flaws and the whole him being fictional thing...
I’d happily live in Rutshire eating Taggie’s food and enjoying a gossip with Janie.

[Claricethecat45]

Sounds a delicious existence BUT I have only ever read Jilly's 'The Common Years' Loved it, and an early book 1970's about how to keep the Husband happy

So - which of her Blockbusters (Polo/Hunt/Heroe/Horse Sagas should I start with ?? Where to begin?

[YesPleaseMary]

Ahhhh you are lucky! The whole of Rutshire to get to know!

Start with Riders then go onto Rivals.

[Claricethecat45]

YesPleaseMary

Thanks! I will get downloading and begin the begin .....Tally Ho ??? :)

[Sideorderofchips]

Yeees. Would love to watch a polo match with Luke

[Shannith]

I love love Jilly

DD does not know how close she came to being called

Tabitha
Perdita
Catlin
Taggie

Next animal I own will be Perdita, don't care if it's a cat, dog or horse of any sex.

[Shannith]

In fact it took me a while to realise when contemplating my girls name list that all bar 2 were Jilly characters.

[LysistrataVickers]

I'm still waiting to get a golden lab so I can call him Visitor (my fave character).

I agree Perdita is a cow. But I do love RCB 🥰

[LysistrataVickers]

My friends horse is called Rupert btw. Classic Jilly fan.

[LysistrataVickers]

@YesPleaseMary 😂

Also, why do the female characters lose 10lbs? What is it about 10lbs?

[BrightYellowDaffodil]

@Claricethecat45

Yes, Riders then Rivals, Polo, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous (my personal fave, which just pips Rivals to the post), and Appasionata. Can’t remember what came after that, Score! and then Pandora?

(I must admit I wasn’t wild about the ones that came after Pandora.)

[MaryLennoxsScowl]

In Jilly-land you would have blued all your rent money on the horse and be living off beans on toast to afford it, or you’d have sold a painting, and the AIBU would be over whether you should sleep with someone who’s a promiscuous shit but very sexy, or not.

[MaryLennoxsScowl]

Jilly has no concept of not buying ponies, unless you could rescue it from some terrible fate and lead it home along the motorway shoulder while passing motorists admire your shapely bottom.

[VanillaAndOrange]

Flora is possibly my favourite character although I wish she hadn't cheated on George with Baby.

Flora and George ought to be all wrong but you've got to love George, declaring himself by the medium of song (I'm a sucker for a bass voice)!

But Luke is my favourite man and I have a soft spot for Mike (the dim boy from the same book) too.

[blobby10]

I'm a huge fan of Jilly (although it waned a bit on the last book when they had Rupert cheating on Taggie ). My daughter is called Tabitha which may or may not be anything to do with RCB's daughter or Tabitha Twitchit from Beatrix Potter .

My fave man was Luke - he sounds divine! George was a close second especially with his Yorkshire accent "I bluddy love you"

I too need to live off grapefruit for 7 days and lose 7 pounds then lapse by eating asparagus dripping in butter "naughty - at least 300 calories"

[VanillaAndOrange]

it waned a bit on the last book when they had Rupert cheating on Taggie

That was very strange, wasn't it? It didn't really ring true for me. I know the woman in question was a nice person, but I don't see why she would be any more tempting to someone like him than anyone else he'd met in all those years. And actually it didn't reflect very well on her either, since she obviously knew he was married. The two Eddies carried that book for me - one kind of lovable in a hopeless way, one annoying at first but increasingly tragic.

[MadMadMadamMim]

I loved Jilly Cooper's posh totty books, but Wicked! just made me cringe so much. It involved the sexy 30 something cool headmistress of a school lusting after Y9 boys.

I mean Jesus! It literally involved creepy paedophilia and was such utter shite. No one who has ever worked in a school can imagine anyone fancying Y9 and Y10 lads. Y9 are the year group no one ever wants to teach, but somehow in JillyWorld they are achingly cool in her rough comprehensive in a socially deprived area.

It was embarrassingly bad writing from someone who I suspect has never met a person from a council estate.

[CheerfulBunny]

I must confess I've never got past the first couple of chapters of Wicked. I gave it to a charity shop! I didn't like Pandora either. I think she went through a dodgy patch in the 90s. Her earlier books are miles better, the characters are so vivid. I think that's why they're so loved, despite the references and attitudes being so dated.

[mollythemeerkat]

I checked with my kids riding instructor and he confirmed its true that lots of people have sex in horseboxes. Who knew?!!!

[YesPleaseMary]

Yes! The 10lbs! Always!
I love Freddie and Lizzie.

[TeddingtonTrashbag]

I liked the earlier one with girl’s names eg Octavia. Riders was good but then she got too enamoured of RCB and it went downhill.

[Listener2021]

This is my only claim to fame. I met Jilly Cooper. When I said I liked her brooch (it was a silver greyhound) she hugged me.

[Cherrysoup]

Does 10lbs mean your thighs no longer rub together?! I don’t think I could cope with the heartache you have to go through in JC world until you find your ‘one’, although all the horses would help. I’d love my own yard.