Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?
Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Excellent
Advantages:
Hello Rupert
Disadvantages:
<expels air with the attitude that disadvantages in this book is a great insult>
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Lets forget about formalities shall we? You know why you’re here……!!!
***HOW COMES I’VE GOT IT?***
The obvious answer to that question would be flippant and somewhat rude I imagine? But I’m sure that you don’t actually want to know HOW I came to have got it, but rather why and how I came to read it, yes? Well, the answer to that is easy, and once already explained in my opening statement. Well, in a way. After having read Riders and Polo, and totally enjoying them, I just somehow managed to get a copy, natural progression really. You like an author, you hunt out that authors work, normal I guess??
***SPECS & STUFF***
First published in 1988 by Bantam Press, and then reprinted since by Corgi this book is currently retailing at approx. £5.99. Like most Cooper novels, it is still retaining value and I haven’t seen it cheaper anywhere else. (Except the BookPeople On line that is, at the time of writing they are currently selling Riders, Rivals, Polo and Appasionata for £6.99 the lot!! A real bargain. If you read this op, take me at my word, or words and believe what I say, I’d get to the BookPeople On line pretty damn smartish, that is an excellent offer!) With 716 pages full of excitement, and highly entertainment this book is once again one of Jilly’s unputdownable offerings. The cover tells the story and you pretty much know from reading the back page and then coupling the description with the picture on the front that you are not going to be disappointed. A cherry red stiletto standing on a mans hand as he clutches a reel of film. Apart from thinking ouch, you head for the woman getting what she wants trail of thought, you wouldn’t be wrong.
ISBN: 0 552 13264 0
***HOWS IT WRITTEN?***
Well, for those among you that aren’t very horsy interested, breath easy. There aren’t any this time. Ok, there is a little, but really only mere mentions of the equine world. I mean, there would have to be some mention of them wouldn’t there, considering that once again RCB is back to haunt the pages. And where there’s Rupert, horses aren’t far behind. The main story takes us behind the dealing and workings of a Television Studio. Not the usual story line of Cooper novel, well not up to that point of writing it wasn’t but with the quality that we, her readers have become accustomed to, she doesn’t disappoint with the change of concept. Again we see complex little branches (mini stories) of the story all coming together beautifully to make up one big tree at the end (poetic hey?) And while those branches are many, relevant and full of excitement, the story is as easy to read as it would be if there were only one trunk!! If you get my drift………..??? Yep, Jilly Cooper does not disappoint with this change of subject. She knows what she is talking about, and from the foreword at the beginning of the book, she had a lot of help with advice and the technicalities. A word of thanks is always offered in her fore words and its only then you realise that maybe Jilly had to actually work hard at these novels. They certainly don’t seem that hard to read, the words flow readily through your brain as if they were meant to be there, and the reader just assumes that it was as easy to write as it was to read. Nope, Jilly does not disappoint.
***WHAT’S IT ABOUT?*** ***SPOILERS THROUGHOUT***
Not horseys that’s for sure. This time we are thrust headfirst in to the world of Television. Well, head first in to the workings, the dealings, and the lives behind a Cotswold Television Studio. Who would have thought that the little sleepy village of Cotchester (fictional) would play host to the dirty dealings of a regional television studio? And dirty they are too. If this sort of thing actually goes on at the BBC, no wonder our Television Licenses are bloody high, we’re paying for all sorts…… lunches in New York, flats for the Chairman to have his wicked way with Producers, Porches for the Producers that the Chairman is having his wicked way with, fur hats ….……!!! Rupert Campbell Black returns to reek havoc, but this time he’s not alone. And to be quite truthful, he is quite with in his right to reek havoc this time. The main rivalry (reason for title there!) in this story is between RCB and Tony Baddingham, Chairman and Managing Director of Corinium Television. He’s a s**t, and basically nobody like him. So when he tries to come up against his latest equesision, talk show host megastar Declan O’Hara, who just happens to be rather good chums with RCB, things really don’t go to plan. Instead of just taking orders and behaving himself, Declan gets together his own consortium to vie for the television franchise that Corinium have, and expect to regain. Ooohh, it’s exciting isn’t it?
Anyway, Venturer, the rival consortium is made up. And the games begin. The franchise fight is very hush hush, so everything is done cloak and dagger, which can’t be easy considering they are basically on top of each other with regards to location, and there are several of Baddingham’s staff with Venturer ~ well Tony really is a s**t!!
Of course, as with all of Jilly’s books, we have various little stories running along side the main one, and they are equally as exciting. Rupert falling in love for the first time. Yep, the cad, the bounder, the stud, the Casanova of Cotchester has finally been hit by that thunder bolt, pricked by the arrow of love and falls head over heels in love with Declan O’ Hara’s oldest daughter Taggie. This really is very sweet, but rather crushing, at least when he was a stud, I stood at least some sort of chance of becoming a notch on his bedpost!! Not now, this man is in love!! There’s the local Am Dram Christmas Production, a big thing for the village and Declan's over emotional wife Maud. There’s daughters falling in love with their fathers enemies sons (understand that?) Cotchester’s answer to Richard Madely prancing round as if he’s Mel Gibson. A female American Producer that spends more time ‘producing’ something else other than programs, although when she his dealt a low, and painful blow by Tony Baddingham, her rock hard exterior crumbles and we are left thinking that maybe she isn’t the bitch we thought? A multi-millionaire electronic magnets sleeping with down trodden novelist wife. And ….. Basically, the everyday running of an upper class country village. Now I know why I live in the city? There are the arrival, the mention and the story lines of many old characters that we welcome back from other Cooper’s book with open arms. Some have passing parts, others are entwined in the story it’s self.
***WHO’S IN IT?***
Right, well as much as I would like to, I can’t really go through Rupert Campbell Black any more (life is so cruel). He’s been done to death in my Riders op. If you wanna know more about him, go read that, not before finishing this and rating though please? But he does play a big, and main part in this book. The other characters that are the main stay of the story are vast, so a choice must be chose. Who do I choose? Which ones to pick? Errr, ummmm….. Well, Declan is main one, so lets start with him…………..
Declan O’Hara ~ Irish television megastar!! A cross between Terry Wogan (for his interviewing skills) and Richard Gere (for his looks!) He is the latest member of the Corinium staff, brought in to improve the ratings. It does. But Declan has his own way of working, he does things his way, and this does not bode with big bad Tony Baddingham, his boss! But money is tight, and so with Corinium Television he must stay, well, until Venturer sweep in and nick the franchise that is!! He likes a drink and Keats, and does both in vast quantities.
Anthony Second Baron Baddingham ~ Chairman and Managing Director of Corinium Television. A Rupert Campbell Black wanna be too. Err, no, that’s wrong, he wants to better than RCB, but something he always fails at. Doesn’t stop him trying though, but it does make him an even bigger s**t. His wife is a Lesbian (still in the closet for this book, she actually came out in Polo! Polo starts from the end of Riders and finishes two years after Riders) His faithful (?) son is seeing Declan’s daughter, and his step brother hates him, and is one of the main men in Venturer. Nope, he’s not a nice man.
Cameron Cook ~ Producer/Director, NBS, New York. Originally brought over across the pond as a producer (and Tony’s bit on the side), but then later promoted to Head of Drama for Corinium Television. She starts off, and actually, tends to be all the way through, a bitch. She does however have her weak moments and at times felt sorry for. Getting beat up by Tony was one, and then being told by Rupert that he doesn’t love her is another. But otherwise, yep, she’s one tough broad. Knows her job though, and good at it. She is also another closet member of Venturer, and Rupert starts seeing her in order to find out any secrets about Corinium, before asking her to join Venturer.
Agatha O’Hara ~ Other wise known as Taggie. Declan’s oldest daughter. The mainstay of the family, in fact, she probably takes over the role of lady of the house when it comes to the running of it. She does the cooking, and general house keeping duties. She has also got her own catering business, but it is in the early stages and not the success that it should be, apparently her cooking is delightful. She’s also dyslexic which makes her sweeter, and somewhat more vulnerable when Mr Campbell Black starts to sniff around, all though in all fairness, Rupert does try and keep his distance, claiming that he is too old and too far gone to be of any good to her. She doesn’t agree and can’t help but fall desperately in love with him, and really, who can blame her?? Not me!
Let me just read you this bit, really sweet, and totally and utterly unlike Rupert at all, I don’t think he has ever said I love you to anyone human, to dogs and horses yes, but never to a woman, and actually meant it!
“ Once through the barrier, he looked wearily round for his driver, but no one came forward. Christ, that was all he needed. He set off towards the telephones, passing a fleet of people brandishing cards with names on. Suddenly a particularly large placard caught his eye. On it was painted in huge letters: Roopurt Cambel-Blak. Only one person could spell that badly! He must be going mad. Then, below the placard, he saw a pair of very long, very slim legs in familiar faded jeans. The legs were shaking frantically, so was the placard. Rupert, finding too that his legs would hardly hold him up, walked towards it. Very gently he pushed it down, seeing first the mane of black hair, then two silver-grey eyes, then the deathly white face, and the desperately trembling mouth he’d dreamed of kissing for months now. ‘Oh Tag,’ he said despairingly. ‘I can’t help it, ‘ she sobbed. ‘I’ll do anything. I’ll drive you around. I’ll look after your children. I’ll cook, clean your house, muck out your horses, weed your garden. I just want to be near you. I can’t bear it any longer.’ The next moment the placard crashed to the ground and Rupert had taken her face in his hands, feeling the contrast between the softness of her cheeks, and the frantic tension of her jaw. And just to prove to himself she was real, he wonderingly kissed her lips, and her wet salty eyes, and then her forehead. ‘I’m such a selfish bastard,’ he muttered into her hair. ‘I’m used to selfish people,’ sobbed Taggie. ‘I’d be lost without them.’ ‘And what about the memoirs?’ There was so much uncertainty and despair in his voice that Taggie drew slightly away from him. Then she laughed despite her tears, ‘I couldn’t read them. That’s one advantage of being dyslexic.’ Rupert started to laugh too, and then, taking her in his arms, gave her a kiss that, everyone gathered round said afterwards, should for length and passion have gone straight into the Guinness Book of Records. ‘I love you,’ he gasped as he came up for air. ‘I’ve never loved anyone like I love you.’ Then, aware that she was still trembling, added, ‘it’s all right, darling,’ and suddenly he knew that it was and he’d never let her go again. “
Urmmm. So romantic, if a little long to be here, sorry, but worth it, yes?
***WHAT DID I THINK, AND WILL I BE FEASTING MY PEEPERS ON THIS AGAIN?***
I think that you all know just what I thought, and think about this, and all of Jilly Coopers other novels don’t you? Well, if you are not familiar with my ops, and this is the first time you have stumbled across the incessant ramblings from ASIL1508, I would have thought that the above would have in no way given you the idea of anything but an intense like, and admiration for this book and all others by Ms Cooper?? But of course, I might be wrong, and you might derive from this something totally different? If you do, well you’re wrong. I love this book. Not my most favourite, but out of Cooper books its third on the list.
As I have said before, a different direction story wise than Jilly was taking at the time, but if this book is anything to go by in terms of getting lost, I hope she never finds her way home!
Oh, and yes, my peepers have been feasted on this many, many times, and will no doubt, be feasted upon it many, many times more.
Thanx for reading ………………
Lisa : )
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