Jilly Coopr character Lockdown competition thread

[BalloonSlayer]

The most successful thread I ever started was about wanting to be a Jilly Cooper character.

Since lockdown, this has started to feel more achievable. See my scores below:

• Cut my own fringe: 3 points (scissors hadn't just been used to cut bacon first, deduct one point)

• car is Absolutely Filthy: 3 points (not a golf, mini or Porsche so as no other cars exist in Jillyworld, deduct one point.)

• "old trousers and a shrunk t shirt made her bum and boobs look huge," yeah whole three points for this one

• anthropomorphising my pets like crazy. No he wasn't showing how much he loves you, he wanted his dinner! 3 points.

• Smell of wild garlic making me miss going out to restaurants : 3 points. (Not sure if that is wild garlic or something else actually, deduct one point.)

So that's 12/15 for me. How is everyone else doing?

Oooh I love a Jilly thread! Recently finished TMWMHJ now re-reading Apassionata, not my favorite though! Read Wicked a while ago, it made me feel very uncomfortable with all the underage sex and perverted older men...Love Rivals and Riders!

I'll take 3 points for the filthy car
3 for the anthropomorphising of my beloved cat
3 for bush trimming and man tanning?
3 for a duck-egg blue room in my house?
Bonus 3 for hefting my 11 stone bulk around the house

I'd love a Lysander in my life (or his strait-laced but hot dad), and an Emlyn, and I'd have a crack at RCB just for bragging rights!

I thought Score was a cracking read - a really well-paced mystery.

I loved Score. Rannaldini and Cosmo were fab baddies. Actually, I did enjoy Wicked, even though it was v inappropriate.

The way she spoke about Hilary in Riders was quite unpleasant-wasn’t she always breastfeeding with a triangular grey tit?!

Did anyone watch the TV version they did in the 90s with Michael Praed as Jake ?

Yes , it was a Travesty !

I read Riders back in the late 80s (I think 87)
RBC was Mark Greenstreet in my mind ( Trainer , Brat Faraar)
Jake was a young Raymond Blanc ( famous chef)

And no fecking clue why , but Billy was Christopher Beeny ( I do not know why )

Not the glamour Jilly was planning in her head ?

Rannaldini is indeed a fab villain but I've tried and failed to imagine him as sexy. His tanned skin and 'pelt' of hair sound a complete turn-off. There was a line (something like) 'Rannaldini's back, which women had been known to die for'. And the role play he does with Flora where he pretends she's a novice nun is the cringiest thing ever!

I’m re-reading Rivals for the 100th time! Love it 🥰

The way she spoke about Hilary in Riders was quite unpleasant-wasn’t she always breastfeeding with a triangular grey tit?

Practically every breast-feeder "whips out" a triangular tit. Grey or not.
The only time breast feeding is portrayed favourably in her books (iirc, and I bet I could do Mastermind on them) is when Janey feeds her son. And she has lovely, sun-tanned breasts that nobody could object to.

Round here you can’t get Fernet Branca for love nor money, so I’m in minus points.

The only time breast feeding is portrayed favourably in her books (iirc, and I bet I could do Mastermind on them) is when Janey feeds her son. And she has lovely, sun-tanned breasts that nobody could object to

I always felt like in Jilly’s mind, she thought Janey was based on her!

I always felt like in Jilly’s mind, she thought Janey was based on her!

I felt the same. But in real life, JC adopted children after finding she couldn't conceive, so I was never sure if she had a glamorous vision of breastfeeding or was a bit resentful of those who did, given the fact she portrayed BFing badly in the main.

yes i fancy a re-read once exams are over.

I usually think of Wicked as fairly appalling to read, basically underage sex between 14 year olds and teachers? really strange to include it in any book these days.
Jump i remember as pretty poor and Mount was a return to form (not got it in paperback so need to buy it before i get to that part)

My DH has a very similar name to RCB it always makes me smile as he couldn't be more different

I'll never forget when Janey says she has wrinkles from too many BJs reading that at 15 I was horrified!!! 🤣

I’m just thinking of Kev Coley’s goalpost moustache now.

@AndNoneForGretchenWieners There are about 6 named with a different female name - I love them. Dated but make me giggle.

Octavia
Imogen
Harriet
Emily
Bella
Prudence
+a collection of short stories

They are my 'comfort' reads when I am a bit fed-up.

They are my comfort reads too! I love them.

+a collection of short stories

Lisa & Co?

I've never read Jilly! Where do I start??

Jump was awful. I refuse to read the latest one as I know it would upset me.

I don't have a fringe but my car is filthy (sadly not a mini or a golf)
I've run out of tonic so I might start having to drink vodka with orange squash and making omelettes and throwing the egg shells into a box by the back door to get extra points.

Wicked was horrendous. The underage stuff was bad enough but what she did to Xavier was just awful. I will NEVER forgive her for that.

I might get Isa Lovell to spit a gypsy curse at her feet.

Tricky.

My first Jilly (you never forget your first Jilly ) was "Emily". I bought it at a garage sale done by friends of my parents.

I was 12 and it was the rudest thing I'd ever read!

(I also thought I'd seen a television programme based on it. If I did, I've no idea exactly when, and have never been able to Google it)

Iirc, I went through the next of the "name" books: Imogen, "Prudence", "Bella", "Harriet", "Octavia" and (much later) "Lisa & Co". Like a PP I had the ones with Jilly on the cover, got up to look like the heroine.
The latter was a book of short stories.

My local library had a very good selection of her non-fiction works.
Not, by any means, an exhaustive list but I recall: How to Survive from 9 to 5; Jolly Super; Jolly Super Too & also Jolly Superlative. (Sp? "Sup-ur -lative"?)

I then found a poetry anthology "The English in Love" and have got away with seeming well read based on my knowledge of that for years.
She is very sound on literature and doesn't wear research lightly, so you can pick up accurate trivia about eg horses and music based on her books.

Carried on through "Class" and "How to Survive Christmas" and a few others.

Then I bought "Riders" which had just been published....

Gosh!

I bought it as a holiday book.
I couldn't tell you anything about the holiday but I bet I'd pass an exam on the book.

Any road up...

I'd suggest reading "Riders" first, but buy "Rivals" at the same time as you buy "Riders", because you'll want to keep going.

Then the rest of the Rutshire chronicles (although her writing deteriorates with time and some of the themes are not in tune with social mores of today).

Then maybe the name books.

But her non-fiction stuff is also good.

And give "Class" a whirl, if only to see how things have changed.
Or not...

Iirc, I went through the next of the "name" books

Godsake!

Should be: "I next went through the rest of the 'name' books..."

Should also have mentioned that my post was in answer to @Patsypie.

The Common Years is a really good non-fiction book too, I love how she writes about London.

Think JC would def be my Mastermind subject too - the early books anyway, not a fan of the later ones, they’re cringey and nowhere near as well written.