If you met Rupert Campbell=Black - you WOULD punch him on the nose and call him a wanker

[MamaGrr]

...so why did I quiver over him as a teen, reading JC?

WHY?

WWWCB - Taggie and Ruperts adopted son is Xavier (Xav) - they also adopted Bianca at the same time.

retreats in embarrassment with the manuscript of "The Mumsnetters Guide to the Novels of Jilly Cooper" by InTheseSuitableForDivotStompingBetweenChukkasShoes

InTheseShoes, they're Baddingham/Corinium by the paperback of Rivals as well.

Lord knows why Xavier isn't called Javier and Bianca isn't called Blanca - Jilly's extensive research clearly not extending to checking out what Spanish names are! (Mind you, maybe RCB and Taggie gave Bianca her name and merely thought it was Spanish?).

Polo doesn't seem to be getting much of a mention, I don't think it had a very inspiring cast and Perdita is just a pain.

I gave up after score1 was so dire - but reading this a few of you rate pandora is it worth a go or not???

I'm with LucyJones - Luke would be my gent of choice (from Polo) but would have a daliiance with R C-B first.

Never warmed to Perdita. Selfish little trollop!
Daisy - too wishy washy. Grow a backbone! She had a vile husband too. Also not keen on Drew - think at one stage he shags Daisy, who is embarrassed at not having shaved/trimmed and says he likes it because he was a welsh guard and they're known as sheep-shaggers.
Also remember in Riders, Jake post-coitally wipes Tory with some hay. What a smoothie!

The best characters in Polo are Perdita's little brother, Eddie (taking the much coveted 'Caitlin' role) and Miss Lodsworth.

Do the O'Hara's turn up in any subsequent books? They are utterly fabulous!

Tragically not so far. Jilly could do a lot worse than resurrect some of her classic characters rather than inventing increasingly unbelievable new ones, I think! Rivals 2, the world calls out for it!

Definitely Luke Alderton.

Mmmmmm

I haven't read Wicked. Will probably get from library rather than buying

Oh Xav of course, thank you.

Was Daisy the artist with the illegitimate dd? Who turns out to be, eek, someone like Ruperts but not Rupert?

I don't remember Eddie either. Gosh, I might have to re read Polo from a distance of 20 odd years or something. I'll probably sympathise with that Chessy a lot more than I did as a twentysomething!

Daisy is Perdita's mum, and it turns out she is Rupert's dd. Perdita has a child with Luke who she calls Eddie, ostensibly after Rupert's dad, having forgotten she has a brother of the same name ...

You won't sympathise with Chessy, trust me. I read it recently and she is a still a vain, silly tramp. I have to say, if one might inject a moment of seriousness, it's obvious from the writing that Jilly has never lost a child (and thank god for it) given how she writes Chessy.

god no, there are many things I would love to do to him, but punching him isn't one of them

I agree about there being lots of unexplored characters - definitely the O'Hara Family, I'm a big fan of Basil Baddingham too, he has lots of potential.

Grrrrrr...Chessie in Polo.

Just flipping through Rivals - the characters are great - the Jones, the Makepieces, the Verekers, Charles Fairburn (Old Queens Award for Lack of Industry), Mr & Mrs Bodkin, Henry Hampshire, Dame Enid Spink. Just loads!

Bugger it! I'm going to read it again!!!!

I may do too NBOH! Or Polo maybe.

me too

"NorksbrideOHara idly wondered if she should shave her legs before going for a swim but decided they looked pretty good actually, still tanned from the Christmas break in the Caribbean so she decided she could get away with it for another day.

Wandering through the still unpacked but enormous farmhouse kitchen she glanced through the window and spotted Rupert's royal blue helicopter taking off from the golden valley shimmering in the sunlight below. God, but he was sexy; she couldn't stop thinking about him. The look he'd given her when she'd disagreed with him about hunting would have terrified lesser women but it hadn't stopped Norksbride fantasising madly about how Rupert would be in bed. The tic in his cheek had hammered furiously for a second before he'd drawled bitchily "must go, there's a bitch in heat I need to deal with" before squealing off in his Silver Porsche.

Norksbride's thoughts were interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Declan, who declared himself "focking furious at those fockers at Baddinghams" as he helped himself to smoked salmon and cold Pouilly Fume from the fridge before putting his feet up on the scrubbed kitchen table.

etc etc

MamaCB wandered over and said "its my focking thread, I should have had the starring role" before running to the stables, sobbing into Rocky's mane

absolutely pmsl www

'There's a focking chicken on my manuscript' growled Declan, swiping at it with his battered first edition Yeats.

Plus two of the most classic Cooper puns:

• "talk about the pot calling the kettle Campbell-Black" and
• "let's not get Le-Carréd away"

is www wickedwaterwitch?

oh i DO so hope so....i love the guardianista/jillycooper loving juxtaposition....say it is so!

D'you remember the teacher called Miss Lovett-STanding

Yes Soph, tis me. Rupert is of course a Tory which is a shame but hey, I think I could compromise on this one Glad you like it

And there's ALWAYS

"there was the rank sexy stench of wild garlic"

oh...www i love you even more now.

ok...deep breath.

what about judith krantz? princess daisy? anyone remember Ram?