One of Britain’s best-loved novelists, Jilly Cooper, is famous for her engaging mix of romance, humour, and high-society intrigue. Her novels offer acute insights into friendship, love, and ambition, and capture the glamour and scandal of high English society. This reading list features five of her most compelling books, promising an exciting journey into her world of storytelling, whether you are new to her writing or are revisiting her masterpieces.
Jilly Cooper Novel Riders
Jilly Cooper’s popular Rutshire Chronicles was launched by “Riders,” and it also made her a familiar name at home. The novel chronicles the battle for supremacy in both sport and love between two charismatic showjumpers, Rupert Campbell-Black and Jake Lovell.
Cooper vividly conveys the glamour, drama, and seductive beauty of the English riding world in Riders. This novel is the perfect introduction to her magic of storytelling, with its comedic dialogue and mythical characters that are sure to keep you entertained throughout.
Rivals (1988)
Cooper’s fictional Rutshire world is stretched into television and local politics in Rivals. Rupert Campbell-Black leads the battle for control of a local TV franchise.
Cooper has a great combination of sexual tension, betrayal, and ambition set against a backdrop of rivalry and cash. Her ability to combine powerful drama with searing social commentary is evidenced throughout the novel.
Polo (1991)
Polo drops readers into the universe of the professional polo ranks, where ambition and lust exist together in a permanent tangle. The story focuses on the exuberant Argentinean player Ricky France-Lynch, whose own rise from obscurity to stardom mirrors Cooper’s highs and lows in his emotional life.
She writes with passion, blending love, revenge, and envy into a gripping tale. Perhaps one of her favourite and most nuanced books remains Polo.
Husbands Jealous
In this amazingly fun book, Cooper introduces Lysander Hawkley, a stunning man who makes cheating husbands jealous for a living. What begins as a lighthearted scheme swiftly turns into a heartwarming and amusing exploration of love, vanity, and redemption.
Cooper illustrates her command of satire and sensuality by infusing the novel with warmth, wit, and biting social humour. Cooper’s characters haunt readers long after the final page due to the novel’s subtle combination of humour and compassion.
Wicked!
The drama shifts to the academic arena in Wicked!, as schools compete for excellence and passion erupts offstage. Teachers, parents, and children are some of the many long-lasting characters Cooper once more invents, all with their own agendas and dreams.
Wicked! is among her most exciting and accessible works because of the way she energetically and empathetically conveys the frenzy of competition. It demonstrates her exceptional talent for fusing mockery with real feeling.
Jilly Cooper Books
Jilly Cooper’s books are a delightful escape, transporting readers to a world full of glitz, comedy, and unreserved passion. Her witty writing turns grand stories into relatable, comforting reads.
These five books are the perfect introduction to falling head over heels in love with Cooper’s delightful world of scandal, charm, and heart, no matter if you begin with Riders or begin with Wicked! from the start.
