Jilly Cooper fans...

[MrsJohnCusack]

well, it's culture to ME alright

Have just read this on her website (yes, pretty sad, but life is dull for some of us)

"One thrilling bit of news is that ITV have bought my romantic novel Octavia. Written in the late seventies, and subtitled The Taming of a Shrew, it follows the fortunes of a very glamorous rich bitch, who sets out to pinch her friend?s boyfriend.

I?m really excited about this because it is being made by a wonderful and enterprising television company called Touchpaper, part of the RDF Media Group. and the script writer is Jonathan Harvey who wrote Gimme, Gimme, Gimme so I think we?re all going to have huge fun. If Octavia works, with any luck the rest of my romantic novels might be made into films too, which would be lovely. I?ll keep you posted".

I think this would be pretty cool, especially if they keep them all still set in 70s. My favourite is Prudence, would LOVE to see a film of that

oh bugger !

Ooh I love Jilly Cooper's books. I've just re-read Harriet, although Prudence is better for fabulous 1970s fashion (doesn't she wear an orange cheesecloth jumpsuit?).

I love Riders, especially the epic romance between Taggie and R C-B.

does she get caught in the orange cheesecloth jump suit trying to have a wee ?

no its the leaf green wrap around dress that is in pile on the loo floor when Ace walks in!

Imogen was the first heroine I read who was really a drip. Up til then, I thought all heroines were brave, beautiful, clever, etc. It was quite a revelation!

I threw all my jilly coopers out when I decided to grow up, years ago. They seemed terribly shocking to me in the mid eighties, but quite mild now.

leaf green wraparound dress sounds quite nice !! there must be an orange cheesecloth something !

she first copped off with pendle wearing bunches, shorts and a cheesecloth shirt but not sure if it was orange

Am thinking felicity kendle for pendles mum

is she the French woman ? bunches !!

Oh I love JC, just re-reading them all now as I have post-natal brain and cant be doing with anything too demanding

I thought TMWMHJ was quite depressing- did she write it around the time she found out her hubby had been shaggging his PA for umpteen years? Maybe that would account for it?

My favorite quote is (I think) in Polo, where Perdita and (Red?) are getting it on, and she is naked in feront of a mirror with a suntanned head and whgite body and looks 'like a toffee apple' WTF!?!?

The bit of early 'colour me beautiful' stuff in Imogen, where Matt buys Imogen a whole new wardrobe, just after the haircut:
"Everything he handed her - dresses, trousers, shirts, beach shifts - was in pale greeens, blues and pinks, calculated to take the last tinge of red out of her suntan"

I looked in vain in Waterstones today for these books but nothing in stock apart from the last one...very disappointing

A fair few are available second hand through Amazon - how about Hardcover of Harriet/Imogen/Octavia for £1.47?

yep, looked there yesterday - I think I'm going to have to give in...

The Book People were recently selling some of the romances.

I thought Wicked was dreadful. I gave it away rather than keep it for re-reading.

oh ABSOLUTELY Felicity Kendall as Ace's mother (Rose)

the last one I read was Score! and it was crap so not reading any moe. Wicked sounds dreadful

Lisa and Co - when Hester pretends to be getting married in order not to hurt her boss when she gets a new job. Then she falls in love with the guys she hauls in as her fiance (Nicky?)- as, plastered they go back to his flat:

'The double bed seemed to have acquired a tangible presence, like a great grizzly bear ready to pounce on her'

I was in love with (NIcky?) for many years

I've got the lot. Lined up on the bookshelf. I never throw stuff out, you see. Anyone remember Bella, with the dodgy south american kidnappers? (NOt blindingly PC< was it?)

PC is not Jilly Cooper.

Blindingly crass stereotypes.

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE them and think she's great.

have a look here!

I remember Bella whose "overall impression was of a racehorse in peak condition" [smaile]

I couln't sleep last night and re-read bits of Prudence.

Did anyone remember that Ace had a moustache ... ?

Thanks for link to cheap Jilly books, seeker.

Upsidedowncake - think it was Nico wasn't it?

ah yes - sinister cousin Lazlo in Bella

marvellous stuff

my treasured collection of JC is split up around the house since we unpacked all our books here in a frenzy of 'get all the boxes unpacked before I go mad'.
I reread them a lot

Nico, yes, thank you. Mrs JohnCusack.

Definitely my favourite hero. 'We'll probably live in my flat during the week, and go to Hester's, which is more rural at the weekend.' Hester's flat was in Putney.

Can't believe I can still quote it. I could only find Octavia and Prudence last night. Felicity Kendall absolutely for Rose in Prudence.

Do you remember Harriet who dropped out of univerity to have a baby and then ended up as a housekeeper to the hero?

'Washing her hair in washing powder had taken the shine out of it.'