Jilly Cooper has a new book :)

[Alouiseg]

It will be published in September and it's called "Jump"

I cannot wait

Hilary?... I can't remember a Hilary, can someone remind me please.

Hmmm... she was one of Rupert's women in Riders. Very good friend of Helen's post Marcus's birth. Rather unflatteringly portrayed by Jilly as decidedly middle class. She of the breastfeeding and flashing grey triangular tit fame as above. And with "armpit hair you could plait" - how and why do I remember this shit!

She had a henpecked husband (Julian?? No... Getorf will know - I remember he took little Germaine sledging during one of Rupert and Hilary's trysts (that's a very Jilly word isn't it?)).

Crispin

Phew!

Thanks - that was going to drive me crazy...

I do remember Rupert being dragged to Hilary's very non-U dinner party where woman wore dirndl skirts and had unpainted faces flickering in the candlelight (sounding more and more like MNet).

I have always wondered about the Bullingham?Baddingham name change. The TV company changes its name from Corinthian to Corinium also.

I don't think Grania Pringle and "Gloria" are the same - Gloria is a "famous beauty" who Rupert has a photo of in his downstairs loo wih "So happy to mount you - Gloria" inscribed on it, Grania is massive (i.e., over ten stone) pie eating Rider.

Janey's a good character, although Billy is too good for her.

There are loads of characters who could be explored in Jump - Fen and Dino, Tab, Perdita and Luke...

I was so disappointed in Wicked - I do home the new one is as good as Rivals!

Dd is reading Riders now. I am very nervous! Hoping she's skipped the threesome stuff!

I love all the Jilly pedants coming out of the woodwork!

I do think Gloria was a misprint for Grania "so happy to mount you :0" Pringle, however.

I think you're thinking of the trap driving lesbian who chased Helen around a drinks party, Sequins? Monica???

I think there was a TV executive who had a very similar name to Bullingham. Apparently.

My fave gaffes of Jilly's were saying that Lysander called his puppy after Maggie Tulliver after only reading to page 4 of The Mill on the Floss, when she has not actually put in an appearance by page 4.

And in another book a chip pan catches fire and someone manfully puts it out by throwing a bucket of water on it. Whereas if you do that in real life you . . . er . . . die.

oh, that was meant to be a not a

Grisdela is the rider who had a crush on Fen!

Oh yes! Griselda whose nerve endings were covered in fat from all the junk food she ate! Hahaha - I DO love Jilly.

Wasn't Griselda one of the Olympic winning trio where Rupe says something like "A cuckold, a schoolgirl and a rip-roaring dyke.." in true C-B style

Oh and Thrilary served "jugged hare of all things in August" at said dinner party

Do you think we're taking this a bit too seriously?

Hilary must not be one of JC's favourite names. The Hilary in Apassionata is a distinctly unattractive individual too.

Rupert never 'says' anything, he always 'drawls'. And has sapphire blue eyes. His seduction of Cameron in Spain (?) is eye-watering.

I still love the line about the pork pie {grin]

Dittany, I'll join you under the Bad Feminist blanket, as long as I can bring a torch so I can read my Jillys without anyone knowing.

Although, I agree with everyone else, Wicked really pushed it too far for me, went well beyond secret shame and into - well, just squickiness, really. I couldn't shake off the fact that the characters were all about 13.

And I could have done without the pages and pages of the Awful Working Mother character, too, and I'm sure there was another breastfeeding big grey tits reference.

I'm trying to decide if I can bear to pre-order Jump and pay hardback price.

The only time Jilly mentions breastfeeding in a glamorous way is when Janey has her baby.

Anyway back to Rupert - I made a schoolgirl error, thanks CJ, you are absolutely right, Rupert only ever drawls. And this is part of the reason why he never did it for me - I think he would look at me like a prok pie a month out of date!

Whereas Dino loved Tory's 11 stone hulking mass - which gives me hope...

Hmm. Squickiness is a nice word. I might have to use that somewhere. I'll leave it a few days so I can take full credit.

FnD, Janey's breastfeeding is only glamorous because she's necking champagne ... so that's all right, then!

Reading Jilly makes me wish I'd lived in the 70s. Everyone smoked, drank and had riotous dinner parties and it just all sounds such a laugh (when your husband isn't off shagging a starlet, of course). Just, somehow, a nicer time, less stress than we all accept as the norm now. Yikes, I must clean those rotting rose petals off my lenses ...

I also loved The Common Years, especially because I lived near Putney and - again - Jilly made it seem much more exciting and beautiful than I could see on my own.

Remember the story of her leaving the original Riders manuscript on a 22 bus?

I love this thread.

In fact, weren't Janey's breasts as warm and appealling as labrador puppies? "squirming" was the word as I recall?

Dino loved Tory? I thought Jake loved Tory and Dino loved Fen, her sister?

Dino was lovely to Tory, not in love with her. He often told Fen off for being horrid to her sister (i believe)

ER, excuse me people - I'm only on chapter two of this book! Shan't need to read it at this rate.

Can't resist looking at the thread though.

Sorry

Can't believe it is taking you this long