To think that no sane person would actually fall for Rupert Campbell -Black?

[Bigearringsbigsmile]

Have just finished reading Riders for the nth time and I've got to say.. he really is repulsive.
He beats his horses.
He beats his wife.
He colludes in the rape of his wife.
He's foul to his son.
He ' s sexual incontinent and gives his wife gonorrhoea.
He thinks it's ok to have sex with 14 year olds.
His only humour is to make puns.
He bullies people all the time.
He's a tory.

Being rich and good looking surely doesn't over ride all that?

Agree, he’s absolutely awful!

Jilly Cooper captured the Tory spirit perfectly.

And I am not convinced about Billy either. He's meant to be lovely and gentle and the nice one but he goes along with it all. Treats fenella maxwell appallingly.

And the amount if drink driving that goes on!

Doesn’t Billy rape Helen? I’m sure I would have much better boundaries in my early relationships if I hadn’t read Jilly Cooper.

He’a utterly vile. But all Jilly’s men are. Even- and it pains me to say this-Declan. And Viking.

And poor Tory. ...heaving her 11 stone bulk around....

He does nothing for me either. I also think that Tory shouldn't have taken Jake Lovell back either.

No way should she have taken the selfish little shit back!
Andon't Billy shouldn't have taken janey back either.

No, I didn’t fancy him either. Declan O’hara was always more my type.

I read both books Riders and Rivals as a teenager, as PP said I don't think it done much to help my early relationships, I thought him and Taggie were something to aspire to:( What was I thinking!

Jilly had some odd ideas didn’t she.

All Jilly Cooper's men are foul in one way or another and her heroines are either utter doormats or hell-bitch drama queens ... l did like the horses, though!

Yah i reckon being rich and goodlooking overrides it (not for me, i hasten to add). I see it IRL rather a lot. Somestimes without the rich and good looking bit!

Being rich and good looking surely doesn't over ride all that?

He's also famous and a powerful politician, and not just good-looking but apparently exceptionally so.

Some of the things you mentioned, such as drink/driving, were not as socially unacceptable as they are now.

He also gets the better of a ruthless interviewer, and refuses to be drawn into a slanging match or to lose his cool.

So while it's obvious to the reader that he's a shitstain, it's not unbelievable that female characters might fall for his charms.

I wonder if Ms Cooper intended to create a cunt, or whether he just ended up being one.

I found Rivals on holiday once, after having finished the books I'd brought with me.

RCB is apparently based on Andrew Parker-Bowles.

HELL no!

On Romance land being rich and good looking overrides everything.

How wise that is when you get women are growing up reading them ....

*In

• young women

Back on cooper; but is rcb supposed to be a hero? It is a bad boy/anti hero type.

She wrote a perfect guy in Luke in Polo, for example.

Badlad. ......he only becomes a politician in rivals. The rivals rcb is very different to the riders one.

I haven't read Riders, but in Rivals it is alluded that he is a star show jumper, and iirc an Olympic medal winner, so even more alluring than a politician.

You really really need to read riders!
It's like jilly gave him a personality transplant between the two books!

I probably won't, but I might read the plot summary on wikipedia.

I'll bow to your superior knowledge of the books, but I think it's true that some of the biggest cunts on the planet can have superficial charm. If they have looks, riches and fame as well, then they're going to be desirable (at least at first).

I never liked him or saw the appeal

I did LOVE Dino though for many years . I had better taste as a 13 year old