So sad I’ve nearly finished last Jilly Cooper

Prudence was very funny, if I remember rightly.

Yes, Mumlovesclangers, for an enjoyable, light hearted, if sometimes not very PC, read give the girls' names books a go.

More romantic than the Riders series - ie not so much overt sex haha! - they're a brilliant, funny, silly, sweet collection, totally of their time, late 60s into the 70s.

I first came across Prudence serialised in 19 magazine when I was 19 and became hooked. Totally not great literature but absolutely great fun.

Mumlovesclangers I finished Tackle last week 😿

I have just reread the entire Rutshire Chronicles starting with Riders for probably the fourth time, I have been in love with RCB for over 40 years 💙

I have read all the girls name books many years ago, from what I remember they are easy reads

I concur with the recommendations for the name books - especially as one has my name.

Her other books are equally good to read, maybe a little dated in concept but still worth a look.

I remember reading the 'name'books at the end of the 70s/80s as my marriage was in a downward spiral, and they were comfort reading: funny, lively and with a happy ending, so I thought everything would turn out right. (It didn't but I survived.) Try them, nothing lost,although books read in one's youth often lose their enchantment many years later. I enjoyed The Common Years describing the Cooper's life around Putney where they used to live and as I had lived there once I fondly imagined we shared a life style. Er no, but the book was entertaining.

Another book I loved when I was 14 was Forever Amber. I went home for lunch and spent the hour reading it.
Tried it again recently but have given up halfway through. Not the same magic.

No, some books are very much of the time when you first read them. Having said that, I first read “Emma” and “Far from the Madding Crowd” as a teenager and have read them many times since without them losing their appeal for me. Just timeless classics, I suppose.

I read all the ‘names’ when I was young and they are good. Also good and very funny are the non fiction eg The Common Years. Highly recommend.

Another book I loved when I was 14 was Forever Amber. I went home for lunch and spent the hour reading it.
Tried it again recently but have given up halfway through. Not the same magic.

Snap. When I discovered FA as a teen I literally couldn’t put it down.

I read Imogen which was serialised in the 19 magazine, late 60's I think. I could not wait for the next instalment. Some of Imogen resonated with me at the time. Bought a copy in paperback, which has been read many times. Read most of her books thereafter.

Mumlovesclangers

Hi, I don’t post on here much but I only started reading Jilly’s books last year after watching Rivals on TV. I love them and can’t believe it’s taken me all this time to read them. I am definitely old enough and I was aware of them in the 80s but because I had read a couple of Jackie Collins books when I was 13 or 14, I thought they were more of the same judging by the covers! However I hadn’t realised how witty and funny they are. I had spent much of my younger life trying to “improve” my mind reading classic and heavy weight literature and I did enjoy that, I’ve read War and Peace about three times, but life over the last couple of years has been difficult and sad at times and I just wanted to read something that would cheer me up and escape to. So I’m nearly finished Tackle! (No spoilers please) and wondering whether Jilly’s early books that are just women’s names as the title are worth reading ? Similarly her non fiction books.

Glad you enjoy her books so.muc
It's great find an author that cheers us up and can make us laugh.

Good for the.soul.
😻👍x

What about about Shirley Conran? I remember enjoying these too.

I don't think that I read any of the 'named' books but certainly the Rutshsire range and certainly the common years (we lived not far from Putney) and wasn't there one called "Turn Left at the Spotted Dog"?

Have you ever read Joanna Trollope? Also Claire Chambers. They might not have the same humour as Jilly’s books but I’m sure you’d enjoy them if you want an easy read that’s nevertheless well written. In my HO life’s too short to be ploughing through “The Classics”

The 'name' books were extended versions of what had originally been short stories.
Jilly was terrific. A delight and with the best manners of anyone I've ever met. We had the same editor and there is, somewhere, a photo of me with Jilly and said editor and I honestly couldn't look more fan-girl in it!

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Gosh! Over 1,400 pages x three times.

I'm an avid reader, always have been
(biographies, autobiographies and legal thrillers) but I just couldn't get through even a third of W&P.

I returned to it in my 30's but still couldn't hack it.

A bit like 'A Brief History of Time'. I knew loads of people who had those two books on their coffee table or prominently on a shelf, but didn't know even one who actually had read them.

(Do you recall the Sunday Times doing an experiment when Stephen Hawkin's book was at its peak? At Foyles on Charing Cross Road they put a small leaflet between the pages of 50 of his books, about half-way in, which offered a £100 book voucher if the leaflet was was returned to them. Six-months later they hadn't had one return!!).

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Always loved Jilly Cooper's novels, perfect if you want to de-stress, a silly, fun read. I find them an antidote to the general banality and sadness of life when things aren't going well.

Barbelle: My very first job was in Foyles on CXRd! I had forgotten. The Sound of Music had just been released. I think that the cinema was on the corner of Tottenham Court Road and every flipping fifteen minutes the 'hills are alive' would chime out! Drove us all mad!

We have a copy of A Brief History of Time - in pristine condition. But I give you a better one that one had to have on display: Palinarius - The Unquiet Grave!!! It is about as unfathomable as Proust!!

Give me readable and funny JC any day!

I'd forgotten about the 'name' books - might have to revisit them!! Another good author is Veronica Henry .... saw her give a talk a few weeks ago. She was a really good speaker

Thank you so much everyone. I feel sad that Jilly won’t write another book. I will have a look at the girls name series. I read lots of “old” or could be called dated fiction but they are products of their time and I was glad to see that the TV version of Rivals stuck to some of the more dated dialogue. Those of us that are old enough remember that that’s how women used to be spoken about and treated particularly in the workplace!
@Barbadosbelle that’s so funny about the Stephen Hawking book, there is no way I would even start it my brain would shut down!
@Moth62 it was over 30 years lol that I re read War and Peace, the most recent being after the TV version with Lily James. I had previously tried to watch the Anthony Hopkins version before I read the book and it was incredibly dull.
I watched about 10 minutes of it.
@Jzpap I vaguely remember reading Joanna Trollope as a holiday read years ago but I guess they don’t have the humour as you say. I also read Mary Wesley in the 90s and I remember finding those most entertaining however when I revisited those last year I realised how dark some of the subjects were that she wrote about, albeit in a lighthearted way.
Paperbackwriter how lovely to have actually met Jilly.

Mumlovesclangers did you have a tear in your eye at the end of Tackle?

I did, and a couple of other times reading it 😿

Oops sorry got the people mixed up there when I was replying.
Moth62 I meant to say I love Far from the Madding crowd. I’ve read it lots of times. It’s one of the few Thomas Hardy novels with a happy ending. Someone else mentioned Shirley Conran isn’t she a bit like Jackie Collins ?
Talking of Jackie Collins many years ago my mum got a book of hers from the library for my grandmother my mum (who is now 90 ) didn’t know anything about Jackie Collins or the type of books she wrote. When my mum asked my Nan a week later if she liked the book, my Nan said “it was full of swearing and everybody was having sex every five minutes!” my Mum was horrified and said oh I’ll take it back and I’ll swap it for something else, and my Nan said “no don’t do that yet i’ve only got a few more pages to go” 😁

GrannyGravy13

Mumlovesclangers did you have a tear in your eye at the end of Tackle?

I did, and a couple of other times reading it 😿

Yes I did. I’ve just finished a rewatch of series one Rivals TV show and will be watching series 2 soon with my husband who thought it wouldn’t be his thing at all but got drawn in lol