Which is your favourite Jilly Cooper? About to finish Tackle and keen to buy another one!!

[loveyouradvice]

I'm finding her mad escapism a real breath of fresh air ... which are your favourites? And why?

@GenerousGardener thanks, if I recall bursar was very accommodating & her negotiations, funny.

Not there now though? Or did I miss it?

@BestIsWest oh yes, my GG is in full bloom right now. It smells devine, shame the rain has battered it.

I don’t think you missed it. I’m pretty sure it’s in the original book. I’m sure my mum has it, I’ll have to borrow it and reread it again.

@GenerousGardener likely edited out then, I wonder if anything else is too? Thank you.

Oh they're so good! My favourites are Rivals and Appassionata but you should read them all in order really.

Of the shorter, 'name' books then Imogen and Harriet are my faves.

So so gorgeous hearing all your pearls... thank you! Going to order some more now ...

She re released some of her old articles and there was a brilliant one on being broke and how worried they were about money, largely due to vast drink bills. I think it ends with something cheerful like “at least sex is free”.

And she did an absolutely brilliant interview with Thatcher when she was a journalist. Brilliant. Actually more than one - but one in particular is so perceptive! And Kinnock was hopping mad with her after she interviewed him and said she was lying about what he’d said. She went and checked her notes and said he’d definitely said whatever it was that got him all riled up.

And a very dated book on How to Survive Nine to Five with such gems of advice as;

“Don’t drink black coffee at lunch or you’ll be awake all afternoon.”

I adore Imogen! I’m a sucker for a book with a makeover scene. I always picture Nicky as looking like a young Tom Selleck.

@bookworm14 I love that Imo goes all slim & sultry in a 2 week hol. If only. The jumble & missing pills & cut up church mag for loo paper - my Granny did this!

The car writing incident is apparently real (?) Jilly did it?

Where can I find? @GertrudeOHara ??

Definitely start with Riders , but Rivals is my personal favourite ( although I think that bloody Caitlin should stop screaming everything and Maud is an absolute bitch) . The man who made husbands jealous is probably next , and I loved Score too . I think possibly those because the arses tend to get what’s coming in the main.

I loved the common years too , and recognise some of her prose from that in Rivals - when Caitlin goes to boarding school is like when her daughter went , for example - and her notes on nature are gorgeous .

I adored The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous.. but all of her earlier works are fabulous, just fabulous!

If you're into similar but in a more hedonistic, American style, you cannot beat Jackie Collins!

Bloody love a Jilly Cooper! I've read them all (several times) I echo the PPs with Riders, Rivals and Polo in that order and I also loved Appassionata. The books with girls names are also brilliant. I think Octavia is my favourite though Harriet is also fab. Also agree that Imogen is so good too. The story lines are just so fabulous and dreamy. I love her posh characters being the biggest bitches (Octavia) and Vicar's daughter Imogen finding herself in a world of glamour and sex mad sexy men! Haha I think I'm due to re-read them all this summer!

Hmm. So Between the Covers is the collection of articles including the one about being broke. If you read the Common Years, it’s the diary while she was also writing Riders as well as being a columnist and you realise she mentions an article in it that is in it.

Jilly wrote on her annoying neighbour’s car in lipstick and was horrified the next morning! That’s in the Common Years.

And I can’t find the book with Thatcher’s interview in. It might be on my kindle but it’s not on my shelf!

The thatcher interview is in Turn right at the spotted dog - just found it !

I only thought Riders and Rivals were any good. Went hugely downhill after these. The animal cruelty ( appreciate Jilly Cooper writes this to make points about nasty characters) really stopped me reading any further too.

I loved Wicked as I worked in schools. Loved Score for the murder mystery aspect. But Riders is my favourite.

@GertrudeOHara Doesn’t Imogen get pissed at a posh party in France and write rude comments about horrible Yvonne in lipstick on a car? Art imitating life! I loved the description of the 70s clothes and interiors in Octavia.

Rivals is my favourite - but I love them all really, you're in for a real treat.
They are my absolute go to - read them the night before my wedding, in hospital waiting to go to delivery suite for my kids. Adore the stories - even if they are tremendously un-pc

Riders , rivals , and the ones that are women’s names that I forget. Love those ones

Thanks so much! @GertrudeOHara & @plominoagain if you’ve not read The Vanity Fair Diaries 1983-92 Tina Brown you might enjoy.

Apparently Rishi Sunak is a massive Jilly Cooper fan 🤔I just can’t imagine it somehow but he loves riders rivals polo and appasionata, I would never have suspected.

@Coalfacebigtits fits with boarding school choice for his daughters etc.

Oooh sounds right up my street . Have loaded it onto the Kindle with anticipation 😄

Definitely start at the beginning with Riders. Polo is my favourite.

@GertrudeOHara excellent choice of name!

Polo is my favourite! I've read it loads of times and still love it.