Octavia - Jilly Cooper

[Riverlee]

I know we all like a Jilly Cooper, and I know we all like a bargain. Saw that ‘Octavia’ by Jilly Cooper is 99p on kindle. Not read it yet, but they’re usually quite good.

My favourite bit about the Christmas fishnets story was the sister and the great aunt trying to outdo each other with pound notes in the church collection to impress the vicar! Laying them down with “rustling ostentation” 🤣

Sevenoaks the dog! Jilly’s own dog IRL was called Maidstone and was always running off.

If you read ‘The Common Years’, her diaries for the 70s and early 80s you’ll recognise lots of snippets from her books - when the little boy gets meningitis in Harriet, it’s based on her experience of her own son getting it.

The Common Years is one of my all time favourite books. I really wish she’d do another edition of her diaries.

No, that's a good one too though (Anthea and her terrible chicken legs). And actually Kate's Wedding is good too, and the one with the artist and the red silk hanky is ok.

Hester and Nico are in A Pressing Engagement when she pretends to get engaged to her brother's best friend because she doesn't want to upset her boss by telling him she's leaving for another job (cos ofc you pack in your job when you get married back in 60s Cooper World).

Xpost with Sydney

Doesn't the little sister ask to share all the main character's Christmas presents so she can one up the aunt with a fiver? (Back when a fiver was Something).

Actually I do like quite a bit of Lisa & Co but there were some really odd ones - the gay flatmate which was sad, the strange MP, Ugly Duckling which is another massive age gap.

Just seen this. I read the first one of these at about 12 because my name is the book title name!

I totally agree about Matt and Ace and Corey being the best of the blokes. In that order. I want to go on the holiday Imogen goes on. But I'd leave tennis player Nicky behind and go with Matt. Sorry to say I'd like to look like Cable. Not her personality tho obvs.

I would love follow-ups on the couples in the Imogen, Octavia etc series. Not necessarily stand-alone books but to have them pop up as "extras" in a main novel. I bet Gareth and RCB would get along, Matt and Janey Lloyd-Foxe could swap Fleet Street gossip, Emily & Rory could talk about painting with Daisy McLeod - all sorts!

@SydneyCarton

I would love follow-ups on the couples in the Imogen, Octavia etc series. Not necessarily stand-alone books but to have them pop up as "extras" in a main novel. I bet Gareth and RCB would get along, Matt and Janey Lloyd-Foxe could swap Fleet Street gossip, Emily & Rory could talk about painting with Daisy McLeod - all sorts!

They do! Very briefly. Cory and Harriet come to a party in Rivals I think, or possibly one of the more recent bonkbusters. I'm sure at least one of the other couples is there too. Unfortunately just as mentions though.

I read all that series.... started off with Bella as it was a freebie on the front of a magazine back in the 90s.... loved them all.

ditalini

They do! Very briefly. Cory and Harriet come to a party in Rivals I think, or possibly one of the more recent bonkbusters. I'm sure at least one of the other couples is there too.

Henriques Brothers bank (from "Bella") is named as a backer for Venturer in "Rivals*.

Rory Balniel is mentioned as an artist in one of the later books; I think it must be Pandora

How did I miss Cory and Harriet in Rivals or Henriques bank as backers? Are there any more reappearances? I'd love to know how Prudence was doing.

Henriques Bank does ring a bell, but I don’t remember the others. It’s been ages since I read Pandora though. For me that’s the last decent one before they started getting ridiculous, even by JC standards!

I just checked Rivals and it's not that one (but Henriques Bros mentioned and also Patrick's friend Ralphie Henriques - maybe a child of Bella & Lazlo or Rupert H and Chrissie?).

There must be a big party in one of the other books where Jilly drops in loads of names (unless my memory is completely making that up).

I agree that things got just too silly after Pandora, and tbh I wasn't too fussed about that one either.

ditalini

There must be a big party in one of the other books where Jilly drops in loads of names

I wonder if it's Rupert's 60th birthday party in "Mount"?

Patrick's friend Ralphie Henriques - maybe a child of Bella & Lazlo or Rupert H and Chrissie?

Excellent spot
Don't know how I missed that.

Did Jilly Cooper base Rupert Campbell- Black on Andrew Parker- Bowles.

Sorry I meant to add I read that somewhere

Samedaysame

I think I read that RCB was based on a mixture of various (rich and/or titled) men, APB amongst them.

Oh yes, Ralphie who seduced Taggie and then dumped her for a tiny intellectual blonde!

Clever women get pretty short shrift in Coopershire - the heroes who aren't athletes all get "brilliant firsts" from Cambridge/Oxford/Trinity Dublin, but God forbid a woman gets to be clever and end up with Mr Right. Harriet's the only one who gets to university, but she ends up flunking out pregnant and can only then work as a housekeeper

@tobee

Just seen this. I read the first one of these at about 12 because my name is the book title name!

I totally agree about Matt and Ace and Corey being the best of the blokes. In that order. I want to go on the holiday Imogen goes on. But I'd leave tennis player Nicky behind and go with Matt. Sorry to say I'd like to look like Cable. Not her personality tho obvs.

I can't remember the name of the other woman in that but I always used to think of her when I saw 2.4 children type adverts (I think Weetabix was mentioned but I don't think Ian Botham was who JC had in mind!).

Yvonne?
The one who wore a plastic "beak" to protect her nose when sunbathing. I could never understand why Cable nicked her clothes when she ran off at the end as it sounded like they had very different tastes.

Yvonne Bismarck as Imogen wrote all over the car in plum lipstick

ditalini

Yvonne Bismarck as Imogen wrote all over the car in plum lipstick grin

Oh yes!
I reread "The Common Years" recently and Jilly says she herself wrote over a neighbour's car in the same manner.

I need a reread of The Common Years now.

Yvonne Bismarck! Of course. Nice subtle choice of surname.

I'm rereading "Jump!" and noticed that a couple of characters from the "name" books go to Sampson Bancroft's funeral:
"...Gareth Llewellyn, who had done property deals with Sampson, racehorse owners Lazlo Henriques...".