What’s your favourite Jilly Cooper moments?

[Singlebutmarried]

I’ve been contemplating and one of my faves.

Billy and Fen. Just before they get it together and she’s wearing a pink panther nightie.

Oh to be that looked after.

Oh I have loads,am a huge fan. One that immediately springs to mind is when Taggie meets Rupert at the airport; the plane trip back where he's so utterly miserable without her and then there she is...

The slim pair of legs in instantly recognisable faded cords?

When Sailor dies (Not a favourite you understand but one I remember)

I've got some of the books on Kindle , I'm going to read them on my next bus journey .

I can’t choose. I’ve read them all so many times

When Lynsander falls in love with Kitty
When Rupert falls in love with Taggie
When daisy falls in love with Ricky
When Perdita finally gets her lovely life after horrible hamish life

There is a theme

So many people have taken the piss out of me for my JC obsession but I honestly think they are the best books ever written

I’ve started reading Fiona walker books in the last couple of years.

Horses
Shagging
People redeeming themselves.

I’m liking them.

There’s also a series with a village called church minster that I like. But the author escapes me (says she on her phone but can’t be arsed to open another window)

When Taggie drops the meringue castle cake all over Cameron. I hate Cameron!

Billy and Janey and the outdoor shagging
Janey and the de slagging
Janey in basically everything

I think Imogen is my favourite. The make over - Pale pinks and greens guaranteed to take the last tinge of redness out of her sunburn. Awful Yvonne peeling like a New York Ticker tape welcome, grey haired Antoine and his bodyguard carrying Cable down from her room and taking half of Imogen’s new clothes and Yvonnes apple green dress.
The Duchess and Braganzi.

She does love a hard drinking Irishman too.

I thought it was the most glamorous thing I’d ever read at 15.

The Fiona Walker books irritated me. The only decent ones were complete knock-offs of JC, and the rest were unreadably shit.

Favourite Jilly Cooper bits, hmm, so many!
I was sad when Billy went back to Janey, he and Fen were so lovely together.
Jake finding his horse (Macauley?) in a Saudi quarry.
Thrillary's triangular tits as she breastfed her baby.
Dame Enid/Edith’s interchanging name.

Hated Janey.

Lysander and Kitty

Buttercunt.

I found the gang rape scene in Riders where Rupert, Janey and Billy attacked Helen (hope I've got the names right!) quite disturbing. I don't think the word 'rape' was even mentioned and the whole thing was then just glossed over.

Yeah it was a group sex session she went along with to make Rupert happy and she hated it. I did find it hard as she portrays Helen as awful and runs off with Jake - and is always a horrible neurotic woman whereas Rupert has a bastard patch until he finds the right woman then he changes

I was also going to say the Imogen makeover. I loved her!

And the early Taggie and Rupert bits where they gradually get to know each other. And in Rivals, all the campaigning for the consortium

I love the Flora/George scenes, particularly where she drops the brandy in the street, and later he takes her up in the hot air balloon.

God I LOVE Jilly Cooper!

For various enjoyable work and ‘research’ purposes I have both read a lot of jilly books (and met her, swoon) and a lot of other books from the same period. It is almost impossible for us to realise how much society has changed in 30/40/50 years because it still seems like ‘modern times’ and with so much to do still for women (eg equal pay, domestic violence).

I was shocked at the casual ‘sexy dominant rapist’ caricature that was pretty common. And the casual and completely acceptable sexism. The most eye-opening bit was reading the times employment ads from the seventies... all jobs for literally ‘a go ahead man’ and super secretary jobs for attractive 18-25 year olds.

A lot of things have changed.

I love how they all just trim their bush with nail scissors, no Brazilians and ingrown hair for them.

Also love all of Harriet, although both parents essential abandonment of their kids is , even the ‘super’ sexy dad is always fucking off for a week leaving them with Harriet and the housekeeper.

Imogen makeover is a classic.

When Cameron, that hard-hitting New Yorker, is hit by I think Rupert and says to someone else 'You'd have done the same thing in the circs' as so many New Yorkers do.

But I do love Lizzie Vereker getting it on with Freddie.

I love Octavia, all the descriptions of fantastic 70s clothes and interior decorating and so single minded about getting Jeremy. Not sure how well Gareth stands up to 21st century scrutiny, although Xander is always good fun.

Anyone else notice how her lovable scatty heroines are always caught out with one eye made up? Does anyone actually make up one eye at a time with the other one completely bare?

Oh, Lysander transforming Marigold to win back Larry, all the exercise and dieting and then she comes downstairs in velvet hot pants

Been reading JC since i was a teen, im now 40! Had to buy riders, rivals & polo a few times iver as read them so often they fell apart 😂

Polo - when luke sees perdita ride up on the horse and they finally get together

Rivals - When rupert arrives at the airport all sad and taggies holding that placard with his name badly spelled and he snogs her face off

Riders - when they won the olympics despite being a competitor down and one man injured 🤕

Still gutted she killed billy off 😭

Love JC esp Imogen

Oh I loved Imogen as well, especially that makeover. And Kitty escaping on the Prince of Darkness with the puppy in a basket.
Bella being all street-tough and impressing Chrissie when they are kidnapped.
Loads and loads of things. Yes, there's stuff that... hasn't aged well, but the descriptions of clothing and meals etc - and the way she's always had one eye on current affairs, so you get these little tiny touches of contemporary life that make even the fairly preposterous plots seem more real. (Lysander ranting about the killing of racehorses in the Iraq war, etc).

Taggie at the Hunt Ball is my favourite bit of all time.