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Jilly Cooper returns to horses in a fabulously entertaining romp through the world of jump racing.Etta Bancroft - sweet, kind, still beautiful - adores racing and harbours a crush on one of its stars, the handsome high-handed owner-trainer Rupert Campbell-Black. When her bullying husband dies, Etta's selfish, ambitious children drag her from her lovely Dorset house to live in a hideous modern bungalowin the Cotswold village of Willowwood.Etta's life is transformed when she finds a horribly mutilated filly wandering in the woods. She names her Mrs Wilkinson and nurses her back to health. The filly charms everyone in the village, and when tests reveal her to be a spectacularly well-bred racehorse a village syndicate is formed to put the filly into training.Captivating vast crowds as she progresses from point-to-point to major races, she brings fame and fortune to the syndicate, until, at last, she is entered in the greatest jump race of them all. Can Mrs Wilkinson win the Grand National? And can Etta gain her heart's desire?--------------------------------------'Hugely entertaining, touching and funny, yet again Cooper has a winner' Daily Express'The narrative zips along, pierced with her characteristically brilliant ear for dialogue and empathy for human relationships of all kinds...You won't be able to put it down once you get going' Daily Mail'A classic romp through the world of horse racing. Guilty pleasures rarely come as delicious as this' ELLE
755 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
260 people are currently reading
1607 people want to read
About the author
Jilly Cooper
91 books856 followersDame Jilly Cooper, OBE (born February 21, 1937) was an English author. She started her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She was most famous for writing the six blockbuster novels the Rutshire Chronicles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
February 5, 2017
I've read all of the Rutshire Chronicles up to this point and they've all been terrific. Once again we're thrown into the world of all things horses and though I'm not a horsey person as such, Ms Cooper enters the arena in her own inimitable way!
The blurb does a good job of outlining the storyline so I can't really add much. Just to say that as always there is a huge cast of characters, lots of temperamental animals (I love how we get to hear what they're thinking) and fabulous settings of rolling countryside and idyllic villages.
We're reacquainted with characters from previous books, meet new ones and shake hooves with the fabulous Mrs Wilkinson. A mare with a troubled past that is lovingly restored to health by Etta, our main protagonist. It's been a fair while since I've read a Jilly Cooper novel but I was soon back into the swing of things, laughing like a drain in places and wanting to give the downtrodden Etta a good shake as she's bullied by her selfish children.
It's one heck of a book standing at over 700 pages so to be able to keep me immersed fairly consistently until the last page is no mean feat.
Jump is totally outrageous with over the top storylines and characters and should be read with tongue firmly placed in cheek. For someone who is usually immersed in some form of crime fiction, coming up for air to read about outlandish billionaires, arrogant horse trainers and laughing at their antics is just what's needed to recharge the batteries occasionally. It's no literary piece of prose, it's just total unadulterated outlandish fun!
The blurb does a good job of outlining the storyline so I can't really add much. Just to say that as always there is a huge cast of characters, lots of temperamental animals (I love how we get to hear what they're thinking) and fabulous settings of rolling countryside and idyllic villages.
We're reacquainted with characters from previous books, meet new ones and shake hooves with the fabulous Mrs Wilkinson. A mare with a troubled past that is lovingly restored to health by Etta, our main protagonist. It's been a fair while since I've read a Jilly Cooper novel but I was soon back into the swing of things, laughing like a drain in places and wanting to give the downtrodden Etta a good shake as she's bullied by her selfish children.
It's one heck of a book standing at over 700 pages so to be able to keep me immersed fairly consistently until the last page is no mean feat.
Jump is totally outrageous with over the top storylines and characters and should be read with tongue firmly placed in cheek. For someone who is usually immersed in some form of crime fiction, coming up for air to read about outlandish billionaires, arrogant horse trainers and laughing at their antics is just what's needed to recharge the batteries occasionally. It's no literary piece of prose, it's just total unadulterated outlandish fun!
July 4, 2012
I was disappointed. I have always loved jilly, but alas, this one will not be finished. The story is failing to grip me, and the style lacks her usual bubbly connection. So disappointing, as I was thoroughly looking forward to it.
August 4, 2011
I haven't read a book by Jilly Cooper in ages (15 tears at least?). But I always recommended her books as a literate, amusing alternative in the sex-soaked genre. So I picked up this book as the length looked suitable for a 10 hour day in airports and planes. I was actually hoping to make it last for the trip back as well but unfortunately decided to keep on going to the end.
That being said ... not quite as out and out raunchy as I recall, although I can't say that bothered me much, sex is more of in interruption most times to an actual story. I enjoyed the panoply of characters, but admit that Etta was a bit too weepy and put-upon for me. There were times that just hiding in the bedroom closet or not answering the phone would have seemed a more effective mode of handling things than she applied. Sweet but not very bright. The rest, fairly fun, although the scene and issues regarding Trixie's situation were rather serious and far more damaging for being glossed over as quickly as they were, especially given her age. That entire aspect could have been edited out as it did nothing to advance the overall story.
Fun and more readable than some of the books I have picked up recently. As I always said about Jilly Cooper, "if you are going to read trash, at least read well-written trash." Now I have to find something for the 10 hours back.
That being said ... not quite as out and out raunchy as I recall, although I can't say that bothered me much, sex is more of in interruption most times to an actual story. I enjoyed the panoply of characters, but admit that Etta was a bit too weepy and put-upon for me. There were times that just hiding in the bedroom closet or not answering the phone would have seemed a more effective mode of handling things than she applied. Sweet but not very bright. The rest, fairly fun, although the scene and issues regarding Trixie's situation were rather serious and far more damaging for being glossed over as quickly as they were, especially given her age. That entire aspect could have been edited out as it did nothing to advance the overall story.
Fun and more readable than some of the books I have picked up recently. As I always said about Jilly Cooper, "if you are going to read trash, at least read well-written trash." Now I have to find something for the 10 hours back.
December 28, 2012
I think I'm bloody relieved to be finished this one. I think its taken me 5-6 months. It had 3 main things that stopped me from wanting to devour it at my usual cracking pace
1. Far TOO MANY characters. Crammed into every page too, like a traffic report where everyone is sitting what everyone is saying... just over the top. Instead of being interesting it bogged it down in too much endless listing through the rota.
2. The only thing on earth that made me want to read this book was that it was about horse racing, I'm a racing fanatic so the story of finding an abused horse near to death and saving it and turning it into a champion attracted me. But over 150 pages into the thing I was still waiting for the actual story to begin.
3. Its a Jilly Cooper novel. I know. Rude of me to list this as a negative since I knew that going in, but I have never read her before and wasn't quite sure of her reputation. The book starts so sweetly and innocently, would make a great family story.... and then the sex scenes start. I don't think they were meant to be ridiculously funny but what else could I do but laugh. Nobody in this book has any dignity!
1. Far TOO MANY characters. Crammed into every page too, like a traffic report where everyone is sitting what everyone is saying... just over the top. Instead of being interesting it bogged it down in too much endless listing through the rota.
2. The only thing on earth that made me want to read this book was that it was about horse racing, I'm a racing fanatic so the story of finding an abused horse near to death and saving it and turning it into a champion attracted me. But over 150 pages into the thing I was still waiting for the actual story to begin.
3. Its a Jilly Cooper novel. I know. Rude of me to list this as a negative since I knew that going in, but I have never read her before and wasn't quite sure of her reputation. The book starts so sweetly and innocently, would make a great family story.... and then the sex scenes start. I don't think they were meant to be ridiculously funny but what else could I do but laugh. Nobody in this book has any dignity!
February 23, 2015
This is the most recent of Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles and the weakest in the series. Jilly is at her best when she mixes her existing characters with new characters and tells stories of their lives and involvement in this horse world. In this novel she does not successfully do this. Aside from a few appearances from Rupert Campbell – Black and some of the children mentioned in Cooper’s previous book, Wicked, the cast in this book is all new, and not a very interesting group. Compounding the problems this novel focuses too much on the horse world, and not enough of what makes Cooper’s novels special, the relationships between her characters. The plot of this one is simple, when Etta Bancroft’s domineering husband dies her children move her out of beloved home into a small cottage on their property and turn her into a babysitter and housekeeper. However, when Etta rescues an abandoned abused horse in the woods one night her life changes. She names the horse Mrs. Wilkinson; since Etta cannot pay for Mrs. Wilkinson’s upkeep on her own the town form a syndicate to pay her training fees. The rest of the novel focuses on the horse’s success on the training circuit and how the people in the syndicate interact with her. Although I am not a horse person I enjoyed Cooper’s other novels but this one I found boring and hard to get through. I’m sure if Cooper had focused more on how the people in the syndicate interact with each other and less with the horse I would have enjoyed it more. Cooper usually creates characters whom the reader has great sympathy for no matter their behavior because Cooper gives her readers the complete back story. In this novel her characters are more like stereotypes, the successful business man or the ruthless horse owner willing to do anything to win. Cooper didn’t take the time to fully develop these characters resulting in a very dull novel. If you are a fan of Cooper and the Rutshire Chronicles read this one if not skip it and read the rest of the series instead, they are much better books. As for me I’m not giving up on Cooper, I’ll read the next novel in the series, I’m confident it will be as much fun as the other novels in the series and well worth the read.
September 12, 2011
This book might best be described as 'Jilly squared'. Whatever you like about Jilly's previous books-- the humor, the hyper Englishness of the settings both social and geographic, the lovable cad, the earnest young horsewoman, the horses so grateful for kindness that they'll jump the moon--they're all in there.
Alas, squaring Jilly isn't all reward--there are even more characters and even more shifting and sorting of trysts, romantic and otherwise. 'Jump' will take a more careful reader than I'll ever be to keep them straight enough to reap the full benefit of their assorted escapades and hijinks. So I do really wish Jilly had cut a third of the characters and quite a few of the goings-on, to increase the ratio of enjoyment to effort for the casual reader who wants to pick the novel up at the end of a day and sink in, without having to consult charts of who's who. And oh, there isn't any Rupert equivalent, and I love me some Rupert, so there's that.
But did I put the book away and give up? No. It was still good fun, I was still rooting for our heroines and horses, and I still love Jilly Cooper.
Alas, squaring Jilly isn't all reward--there are even more characters and even more shifting and sorting of trysts, romantic and otherwise. 'Jump' will take a more careful reader than I'll ever be to keep them straight enough to reap the full benefit of their assorted escapades and hijinks. So I do really wish Jilly had cut a third of the characters and quite a few of the goings-on, to increase the ratio of enjoyment to effort for the casual reader who wants to pick the novel up at the end of a day and sink in, without having to consult charts of who's who. And oh, there isn't any Rupert equivalent, and I love me some Rupert, so there's that.
But did I put the book away and give up? No. It was still good fun, I was still rooting for our heroines and horses, and I still love Jilly Cooper.
April 4, 2011
I read Jilly Cooper years ago in my 20's and loved her then. She was raunchy and outrageous and I was every bit in love with Rupert Campbell-Black! I picked this one up for fun over Christmas and never have I laughed so much (except maybe at Lula in Janet Evanovichs Stephanie Plum series of books!) I'm not a horsey person but you don't have to be to throughly enjoy a good romp with Jilly. She seems to have toned down the raunchiness (or maybe I have just grown up alot) but there was still the same old naughty characters getting up to the same tricks as well as some fabulous new characters establishing themselves for a new generation of Jilly fans. Great to see Rupert again; a little older and wiser and grumpier, but still as gorgeous as ever.
I loved Eva, the main character in Jump! although some of the girls thought her a bit weak. I couldn't wait for her to give her revolting, ungrateful offspring a bit of what for. They certainly had it coming.
Highly, highly, highly recommended!
I loved Eva, the main character in Jump! although some of the girls thought her a bit weak. I couldn't wait for her to give her revolting, ungrateful offspring a bit of what for. They certainly had it coming.
Highly, highly, highly recommended!
January 20, 2011
Jump! is a sprawling bonkbuster of a book set in the glitzy and dangerous world of jump racing. When Etta Bancroft's husband Sampson dies, her bolshy children move her to the tiny village of Willowwood. She struggles to come to terms with her new life, and is bullied relentlessly by her children. One cold night Etta discovers a little Thoroughbred filly, lost and beaten, and takes her in, naming her Mrs Wilkinson. Mrs Wilkinson and Etta develop an unshakable bond, as the filly becomes a renowned racehorse and leads Etta into the world of syndicates, racing and controversy.
Surrounded by a vast cast of characters, the central story is that of a mare who gave Etta back her life.
I unashamedly adore Jilly's books. They are huge, untidy, gossipy and fun. When I settle down with one, I know that I will spend half my time bewildered by the many different names and who is bed-hopping with whom. I also know that I will be scooped up into a world where Jilly examines relationships, social considerations and class differences.
I thoroughly enjoyed the pairing of Etta and Mrs Wilkinson in this novel. They provided some structure to the book and gave the opportunity for Jilly to explore all matters jump racing. With both knowledge and passion, Jilly included subplots involving trainers, owners (including syndicates), jockeys and stable lads and lasses. Her clear thrill in racing can be seen in passages showing the excitement of race day - especially the biggest race of all, the Grand National.
The tale itself was rather cliched - poor, downtrodden horse and human find love and companionship, and come back against all the odds to win races and find love. However, I find myself not minding this, since it is a commonly used story (I've read similar from other books by Jilly, to those written by Fiona Walker, right through to the Black Stallion novels by Walter Farley). The skill lies in how this story is presented.
Jilly shows rare skill in presenting relationships from all walks of life - from bullying, to infidelity, from temporary passion, to love. I also enjoyed how she updated herself in this novel - let's not forget that Jilly is now a lady of 73 (sorry, Jilly!) and yet here there was a wonderful subplot involving a gay vicar and his discovery that his crush returns his love. Jilly even popped in a gay sex scene. She has also embraced technology, with mentions of Internet, mobiles and iPods. Seriously, my grandma would not be able to write with such knowledge about these matters, and I have great admiration that with every book Jilly adds modern flourishes to keep her stories from sounding dated.
I also adore the way that Jilly presents the animals. All of them have simply brilliant characters (in fact, it is often easier to tell apart the animals than the humans) and it was the sad moments involving the horses that had me close to tears!
I have a few negatives that I want to pick up on, however. After being so impressed with Jilly's take on relationships, I was not happy to have a couple of sex scenes that verged on rape, including one involving a foursome where a participant was being forced into joining in. I found it unnecessary - sure, include rough scenes with some bullying to emphasise the nature of some characters, but virtual rape is tough to read in any book, let alone one where it doesn't actually add to the tension of the novel.
I felt fairly uncomfortable as well with some of the work that Jilly did involving Pakistanis and Al Qaeda (I will leave you to wonder how she encompassed this into the world of jump racing!) Rafiq was a great character, and it is clear that Jilly is not racist in any way - and in fact was trying to present Muslims in a good light - but it felt so tacked on to the rest of the story. This included the rather cinematic ending, which had a bomb thrown in for good measure! It was simply preposterous.
All in all, I loved this book. It was rough and ready at times; some subplots didn't work at all; and there were *far* too many characters (even for a Jilly book!) but it was warm-hearted, exciting and romped along at a lovely pace. Mrs Wilkinson and Etta were a lovely central pairing and their story made me smile on many occasions. A whole-hearted thumbs up from me.
Surrounded by a vast cast of characters, the central story is that of a mare who gave Etta back her life.
I unashamedly adore Jilly's books. They are huge, untidy, gossipy and fun. When I settle down with one, I know that I will spend half my time bewildered by the many different names and who is bed-hopping with whom. I also know that I will be scooped up into a world where Jilly examines relationships, social considerations and class differences.
I thoroughly enjoyed the pairing of Etta and Mrs Wilkinson in this novel. They provided some structure to the book and gave the opportunity for Jilly to explore all matters jump racing. With both knowledge and passion, Jilly included subplots involving trainers, owners (including syndicates), jockeys and stable lads and lasses. Her clear thrill in racing can be seen in passages showing the excitement of race day - especially the biggest race of all, the Grand National.
The tale itself was rather cliched - poor, downtrodden horse and human find love and companionship, and come back against all the odds to win races and find love. However, I find myself not minding this, since it is a commonly used story (I've read similar from other books by Jilly, to those written by Fiona Walker, right through to the Black Stallion novels by Walter Farley). The skill lies in how this story is presented.
Jilly shows rare skill in presenting relationships from all walks of life - from bullying, to infidelity, from temporary passion, to love. I also enjoyed how she updated herself in this novel - let's not forget that Jilly is now a lady of 73 (sorry, Jilly!) and yet here there was a wonderful subplot involving a gay vicar and his discovery that his crush returns his love. Jilly even popped in a gay sex scene. She has also embraced technology, with mentions of Internet, mobiles and iPods. Seriously, my grandma would not be able to write with such knowledge about these matters, and I have great admiration that with every book Jilly adds modern flourishes to keep her stories from sounding dated.
I also adore the way that Jilly presents the animals. All of them have simply brilliant characters (in fact, it is often easier to tell apart the animals than the humans) and it was the sad moments involving the horses that had me close to tears!
I have a few negatives that I want to pick up on, however. After being so impressed with Jilly's take on relationships, I was not happy to have a couple of sex scenes that verged on rape, including one involving a foursome where a participant was being forced into joining in. I found it unnecessary - sure, include rough scenes with some bullying to emphasise the nature of some characters, but virtual rape is tough to read in any book, let alone one where it doesn't actually add to the tension of the novel.
I felt fairly uncomfortable as well with some of the work that Jilly did involving Pakistanis and Al Qaeda (I will leave you to wonder how she encompassed this into the world of jump racing!) Rafiq was a great character, and it is clear that Jilly is not racist in any way - and in fact was trying to present Muslims in a good light - but it felt so tacked on to the rest of the story. This included the rather cinematic ending, which had a bomb thrown in for good measure! It was simply preposterous.
All in all, I loved this book. It was rough and ready at times; some subplots didn't work at all; and there were *far* too many characters (even for a Jilly book!) but it was warm-hearted, exciting and romped along at a lovely pace. Mrs Wilkinson and Etta were a lovely central pairing and their story made me smile on many occasions. A whole-hearted thumbs up from me.
January 20, 2011
I'm a relative newcomer to the world of Jilly Cooper, until reading Jump! the only book I had read of hers was Wicked! When I saw she had a new book coming out I knew it would be the next book of hers I chose.
Jump! is a return to the world of horse racing, bringing back much loved characters as well as introducing a whole raft of new ones. The pace varies throughout the book, I felt that at times it plodded along beautifully giving the characters time to develop and then with the turn of a page it would begin to pick up and race along for a while before steadying back down. I loved this aspect of the book, I think it worked very well particularly as the book is so long.
I fell in love with far too many characters to begin to talk about them all. I felt like I really got to know the characters well and I really cared about what happened to them. So many times I found myself wanting to shout at characters, particularly Etta's selfish children. I found the characters to be believable, there were many who could have turned into stereotyped clichés but Cooper kept them on the right side of convincing. I also adored the non-human characters, particularly Chisolm the goat - her antics had me laughing out loud.
The plot worked very well for me, with such a cast of characters it needed to be involved enough to keep the reader interested without becoming over complicated. I don't know much about horse racing and horse owning syndicates but that didn't matter at all because everything that needed to be explained was covered.
Over the course of the book I laughed and I cried, I wanted to shake characters and I punched the air in delight. I absolutely loved this book and it's increased my desire to go back to the days of Riders and Rivals and find out how it all began.
Jump! is a return to the world of horse racing, bringing back much loved characters as well as introducing a whole raft of new ones. The pace varies throughout the book, I felt that at times it plodded along beautifully giving the characters time to develop and then with the turn of a page it would begin to pick up and race along for a while before steadying back down. I loved this aspect of the book, I think it worked very well particularly as the book is so long.
I fell in love with far too many characters to begin to talk about them all. I felt like I really got to know the characters well and I really cared about what happened to them. So many times I found myself wanting to shout at characters, particularly Etta's selfish children. I found the characters to be believable, there were many who could have turned into stereotyped clichés but Cooper kept them on the right side of convincing. I also adored the non-human characters, particularly Chisolm the goat - her antics had me laughing out loud.
The plot worked very well for me, with such a cast of characters it needed to be involved enough to keep the reader interested without becoming over complicated. I don't know much about horse racing and horse owning syndicates but that didn't matter at all because everything that needed to be explained was covered.
Over the course of the book I laughed and I cried, I wanted to shake characters and I punched the air in delight. I absolutely loved this book and it's increased my desire to go back to the days of Riders and Rivals and find out how it all began.
January 15, 2013
I've given this review a bit of a harsh rating, but I just cannot get over how very disappointed I was from this latest offering to come out of the Cooper stable. It's trite. It's hackneyed. The characters are poor faded shades of the vibrant witty loveable rogues she created in her earlier works (Riders and Polo being the best examples of these). As a result they barely deserve the title "characters" at all. They're just not believeable. Why is Rafik even there if not just to make a token nod to political correctness? He's not even very realistic or believeable - in fact, it just makes me mad that she's stereotyped so massively and that her publishers and agents let her get away with this. Valent is the same - he's not like any northern man I've ever met. I suspect Jilly Cooper can't have met many if this is the best she can do but he's "bluddy(?) awful". I'm afraid I couldn't even stay the course with this book - I put it down about half way through. As other reviewers have noted: Etta is so put on and submissive that one wants to shake her. It's not a good thing for a reader not to be able to identify or empathise with the main character. As one other reviewer very astutely writes "her agent and publishers have done her no favours at all by not rejecting this." It makes me so cross in a time when so many talented authors are struggling to get published that this utter horse-manure should make it onto the shelf and that we, trusting Cooper's previous record, should pay good money for it. Somebody somewhere owes me £10. It's my opinion that Cooper has lost it - she's lost her magic touch and her natural story-telling ability. Time to retire.
May 27, 2013
You know what you're getting with a Jilly Cooper book. Over the years I have read them all and enjoyed all except the dreadful Wicked. Jump! doesn't compare to my memory of Riders, Polo or The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, but the last 300 pages are classic Jilly. At 720 pages long though, the story takes a while to really get going! Some of the hundreds of characters are one-dimensional, I disliked many of them (particularly the women) and Rafiq's character is a terrible cliche (almost insultingly so). As usual though, the story romps along through highs and lows, with lots of relevant detail about the horse-racing world, plus some bonkers goings-on that only Jilly Cooper can pull off. I may also have shed a tear or two at one particularly poignant moment, so its not all high-jinx. Plenty of great characters from earlier Rutshire novels appear or are mentioned, and Jump! fits pleasingly into the series. I am tempted to go back and read some of the classic earlier stories now!
April 9, 2016
OK, another long ass book. Worth it. Rupert is in it but so mature and responsible. Geeze, at least he's still handsome.
I asked one of my Goodreads friends for recommendations of a book with a woman who has a lot of hard luck and then it gets worse. This was the book. Poor Etta. I think she only got pure happiness on last page. That puts me off that request. Etta got walked over pretty good. Towards that end it made her look pretty dim. She only stands up to some one who truly loves her.
Jilly manages one scene a book of shocking horror of sex (three/four some where someone is not into it and one of the ladies cry and the others are brutal towards her). I'm not a fan. Probably by this point in the book I'm already on to the characters being sexual behavior deviants in these particular characters and I'm turned off by rape in any form. No means no. Tears are a "no".
The review does not mean I did not like the book. I did. Jilly has better.
I asked one of my Goodreads friends for recommendations of a book with a woman who has a lot of hard luck and then it gets worse. This was the book. Poor Etta. I think she only got pure happiness on last page. That puts me off that request. Etta got walked over pretty good. Towards that end it made her look pretty dim. She only stands up to some one who truly loves her.
Jilly manages one scene a book of shocking horror of sex (three/four some where someone is not into it and one of the ladies cry and the others are brutal towards her). I'm not a fan. Probably by this point in the book I'm already on to the characters being sexual behavior deviants in these particular characters and I'm turned off by rape in any form. No means no. Tears are a "no".
The review does not mean I did not like the book. I did. Jilly has better.
June 28, 2016
Admittedly, I only started this book because it was available on overdrive, and I am aware and ashamed of my tendency to disparage contemporary romance novels.
But, I was pleasantly surprised by the portrayal of Etta, in all her sweetness, and liked reading about her welcome into a new community following the death of her husband, and amongst the callous way her children take advantage of her kind nature. I love a story of found-family and new friends.
Only to be surprised and let down by the sudden and out-of-tone scenes in the middle of the book, featuring drunken threesomes/foursomes, and then disgusted at the lightly-portrayed rape of an underage character, and the complete lack of depth and resolution to it throughout the entire rest of the book.
Take that whole sequence and storyline out, or at least treat it with much more appropriate gravity, and I'd have liked the book a whole lot more. Otherwise...
Nope.
But, I was pleasantly surprised by the portrayal of Etta, in all her sweetness, and liked reading about her welcome into a new community following the death of her husband, and amongst the callous way her children take advantage of her kind nature. I love a story of found-family and new friends.
Only to be surprised and let down by the sudden and out-of-tone scenes in the middle of the book, featuring drunken threesomes/foursomes, and then disgusted at the lightly-portrayed rape of an underage character, and the complete lack of depth and resolution to it throughout the entire rest of the book.
Take that whole sequence and storyline out, or at least treat it with much more appropriate gravity, and I'd have liked the book a whole lot more. Otherwise...
Nope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2013
Where do I begin? Well for a start thank The Lord I didn't pay to read this book! I loved Polo and Rider and even enjoyed Wicked but what was this utter horse-crap doing on any any book shelf? This has been one of the most difficult books to get through; boring, hard to relate to characters & ridiculous stereotypes that isn't even laughable! Etta bankroft, what an awful lead character, I was honestly hoping she'd end up head butted to death by that idiot goat Chisolm (his own column? Really??) what angered me the most is the foursome/rape scene involving a 15 year old girl which wasn't dealt with in any way, inappropriate isn't the word. Only through sheer determination and constant complaining did I finish this diabolical excuse for a book! Cooper has lost her touch.. Haven't read it? Then DON'T!!
August 31, 2010
Cooper is back to her better form - below is my review for Her Magazine.
The irrepressible Jilly is back! Plenty of old favourites, like Rupert Campbell-Black, along with a whole new village of characters to fall in love with. Etta Bancroft, newly widowed and completely bullied by her awful offspring is moved to a tiny bungalow in the Gloucestershire town of Willowwood. One snowy night she rescues a filly that has been horribly mutilated and while the previous owner is tracked down through DNA research, the filly is renamed Mrs Wilkinson and the whole village buys into her racing syndicate. Ridden by Rupert’s god daughter Amber Lloyd-Foxe, Mrs Wilkinson starts winning – and then bad things start happening. Cooper’s back on form – well researched, good escapist reading.
The irrepressible Jilly is back! Plenty of old favourites, like Rupert Campbell-Black, along with a whole new village of characters to fall in love with. Etta Bancroft, newly widowed and completely bullied by her awful offspring is moved to a tiny bungalow in the Gloucestershire town of Willowwood. One snowy night she rescues a filly that has been horribly mutilated and while the previous owner is tracked down through DNA research, the filly is renamed Mrs Wilkinson and the whole village buys into her racing syndicate. Ridden by Rupert’s god daughter Amber Lloyd-Foxe, Mrs Wilkinson starts winning – and then bad things start happening. Cooper’s back on form – well researched, good escapist reading.
May 8, 2011
If only Jilly Cooper would concentrate on fleshing out a scene, or something that has happened - it's so enjoyable when she does that and the rest of it is just crappy. I think it would be great if she was edited better ie the word beadily referred three times in the opening when referring to a particular character - surely this could have been edited? I know the stories are great and romantic and rolicking and sexy, but honestly Jilly, I want more of the good stuff and less of the dross...
May 21, 2011
I always liked Jilly Cooper and her puns. She always created OTT characters too, but somehow "Jump" was a little too bland with stereotypes and forced puns. Maybe I've just gone beyond her books and I'm too hard now. I also found her way of "head-hopping" during scenes rather disturbing. Still, when you're Jilly Cooper you can get away with everything :) I'll still read her books though.
July 7, 2011
enjoying so far on page 396 at the moment. One of my guilty secret authors!
January 12, 2021
I have read all of Jilly Cooper's books previously, although many years ago now, and as far as I remember I enjoyed them a lot, this was way before Good reads though, so I have no record!
I thought Jump! was full of a lot of waffle, mostly perhaps because there were far too many characters and so to give them all a mention throughout the book just seemed to fill it up without really telling the story. Not to mention I found it hard going remembering who was who, who was married to who, who was sleeping with who, currently and previously, who hated who etc etc!
It's not that I didn't enjoy it when I was reading it and I did love the whimsical tale of rescuing a neglected filly and rehabilitating her to become a top racehorse, I mean who wouldn't really!
I thought Jump! was full of a lot of waffle, mostly perhaps because there were far too many characters and so to give them all a mention throughout the book just seemed to fill it up without really telling the story. Not to mention I found it hard going remembering who was who, who was married to who, who was sleeping with who, currently and previously, who hated who etc etc!
It's not that I didn't enjoy it when I was reading it and I did love the whimsical tale of rescuing a neglected filly and rehabilitating her to become a top racehorse, I mean who wouldn't really!
August 29, 2020
A romp, on AND off the racecourse 😀
A little too many characters to get my head around sometimes but enjoyable all the same.
Can rely on Jilly to give us a smile.
A little too many characters to get my head around sometimes but enjoyable all the same.
Can rely on Jilly to give us a smile.
April 29, 2020
Very enjoyable if a bit slow. Took a long time to really get going. Good character development. I truly enjoy this entire tacky bawdy bitchy fun series.
June 6, 2011
Jilly Cooper's books never disappoint, and Jump! contains all the key ingredients; a large slug of gossip, a hit of glitz, a shot of scandal and lashings of fun. It's a sprawling tale with a huge ensemble cast, including several very familiar to fans (yes, Rupert Campbell-Black makes an appearance) and a raft of new faces, and a vast array of animals with their own distinctive character.
Following the death of her domineering husband Sampson, Etta Bancroft is uprooted from her home by her children and browbeaten into becoming a nanny, cook and general domestic. On a winter night, she discovers a lost horse, beaten and abused, and takes her into her care. The horse, named Mrs Wilkinson, forms a steadfast bond with Etta, and recovers to become a celebrated racehorse, competing in the biggest race of all, the Grand National at Aintree.
The writing is thrilling, particularly when describing the danger and excitement of jump racing, although elements involving terrorism and al-Queda felt like they didn't completely reconcile with the rest of the story. It did however, allow for an explosive conclusion (pun intended).
I loved the scandalous sidetracks, and keeping abreast of who's been sleeping in who's bed (the cast list of characters is always helpful). Niall and Woody were particularly sweet as a gay vicar and his hunky tree surgeon crush. However, a scene where a participant was forced to join in group sex was particularly jarring.
As always with Jilly's books, you get drawn in completely to her world, engaging with and caring about the characters (and awaiting the villains getting their comeuppance). I laughed and I cried, and I loved this warm-hearted book.
Following the death of her domineering husband Sampson, Etta Bancroft is uprooted from her home by her children and browbeaten into becoming a nanny, cook and general domestic. On a winter night, she discovers a lost horse, beaten and abused, and takes her into her care. The horse, named Mrs Wilkinson, forms a steadfast bond with Etta, and recovers to become a celebrated racehorse, competing in the biggest race of all, the Grand National at Aintree.
The writing is thrilling, particularly when describing the danger and excitement of jump racing, although elements involving terrorism and al-Queda felt like they didn't completely reconcile with the rest of the story. It did however, allow for an explosive conclusion (pun intended).
I loved the scandalous sidetracks, and keeping abreast of who's been sleeping in who's bed (the cast list of characters is always helpful). Niall and Woody were particularly sweet as a gay vicar and his hunky tree surgeon crush. However, a scene where a participant was forced to join in group sex was particularly jarring.
As always with Jilly's books, you get drawn in completely to her world, engaging with and caring about the characters (and awaiting the villains getting their comeuppance). I laughed and I cried, and I loved this warm-hearted book.
July 5, 2013
Cooper returns to her usual formula - a village of hugley mixed souls, super rich and struggling poor, famous people and desperate wannabees. Etta isn't that sad to lose her bullying husband to cancer, but is heartbroken when her children turf her out of the family home and install her in a impersonal, small bungalow so they can use her as free babysitting. Missing her dog and her home, she stumbles on a grey filly, starving and near to death in the woods. With the help of the villagers, sometimes without their knowledge, she nurses Mrs Wilkinson back to health. But this is only the start of the battle. When it turns out that she is a very well-bred thoroughbred racehorse, Etta dreams of putting her into training, but without any money she hopes in vain. Once again, the villagers turn out, forming a syndicate to pay her costs and reap some of the rewards. In the racing world, there are many people and Etta falls foul of some of the worse. But a happy ending is round the corner as Mrs Wilkinson becomes the darling of the whole country.
I ended up being really disappointed by this book. I loved Riders and Polo, and thought this would be much of the same, with the horses taking a staring role alongside the flightly humans. Instead, races are skipped by in a heartbeat and the filly's training is barely mentioned. It is really not that easy to produce a racehorse! Some of the characters came across as either unbelivably false or so stereotypical that it hurt to read their bits. A shame, as I really do enjoy this author's books, but just felt deflated by this one. I did read it all, but I'm not sure if I will read it again, although it will stay on the shelf with it's prequels for now.
I ended up being really disappointed by this book. I loved Riders and Polo, and thought this would be much of the same, with the horses taking a staring role alongside the flightly humans. Instead, races are skipped by in a heartbeat and the filly's training is barely mentioned. It is really not that easy to produce a racehorse! Some of the characters came across as either unbelivably false or so stereotypical that it hurt to read their bits. A shame, as I really do enjoy this author's books, but just felt deflated by this one. I did read it all, but I'm not sure if I will read it again, although it will stay on the shelf with it's prequels for now.
September 14, 2013
Jilly Cooper is Jilly Cooper and if you've read one of her books (particularly the horsey ones) then you know what you're in for. And Jump! delivers. Lots of horses, lots of ridiculously good-looking, very wealthy, connected people, literally dozens and dozens of characters, lots of sex, and cute sleepy English villages.
This was as enjoyable as any of her other books that I've read over the last 20 years with a few exceptions. The animal cruelty is just appalling. When Mrs Wilkinson, a horse, is found beaten and tortured, the immediate priority is, of course, nursing her back to health. What I don't understand is why no one, not any of the many many people who care for her nor any authorities, investigate and prosecute the hideous crime. It's a gaping plot hole that only gets resolved, almost as an aside, in the last few chapters.
The other thing that irked me was the non-consensual sex. First, the under-age group sex scene with 15 year old Trixie. She is essentially gang-raped by three much older adults. But one of those adults is a drop-dead gorgeous well-known actor and she quickly forgives him, and submits willingly to him, when he later turns on his famous charm. It seemed utterly implausible and cringeworthy to me. As did the scene where the elderly Major snuck into a hotel room and took advantage of a very drunk actress, who mistakenly assumed in the dark that he was her partner. Just gross. And technically also a rape.
I first started reading Jilly Cooper's books 20 years ago. It seems, unfortunately, that a lot of her attitudes towards sex have not moved with the times and remain very old-fashioned.
Otherwise, a fun and diverting read. Truly.
This was as enjoyable as any of her other books that I've read over the last 20 years with a few exceptions. The animal cruelty is just appalling. When Mrs Wilkinson, a horse, is found beaten and tortured, the immediate priority is, of course, nursing her back to health. What I don't understand is why no one, not any of the many many people who care for her nor any authorities, investigate and prosecute the hideous crime. It's a gaping plot hole that only gets resolved, almost as an aside, in the last few chapters.
The other thing that irked me was the non-consensual sex. First, the under-age group sex scene with 15 year old Trixie. She is essentially gang-raped by three much older adults. But one of those adults is a drop-dead gorgeous well-known actor and she quickly forgives him, and submits willingly to him, when he later turns on his famous charm. It seemed utterly implausible and cringeworthy to me. As did the scene where the elderly Major snuck into a hotel room and took advantage of a very drunk actress, who mistakenly assumed in the dark that he was her partner. Just gross. And technically also a rape.
I first started reading Jilly Cooper's books 20 years ago. It seems, unfortunately, that a lot of her attitudes towards sex have not moved with the times and remain very old-fashioned.
Otherwise, a fun and diverting read. Truly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2013
I've loved many other books by Jilly Cooper, and rate Riders as one of my faves of all time. Jump! unfortunately isn't really anything like those earlier novels. I can see all the similar elements, but it's put together in a strange fashion. Slow to get started, huge info dumps, scenes and chapters that end in strange places, and a heroine who's pushed off the page by too many other characters sharing the stage.
I was going all right until I hit the two chapters where Etta and Dora walk around the village info dumping the cast of thousands to the reader. After that I was lost. In previous novels, the cast was shown through a sequence of interactive scenes. For example, in The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, we have the launch party, a kitchen visit, a school function, and a dinner party to impart information. That works wonderfully. Jump! could have done something similar. Instead, I felt alienated from the world.
Adding to this was the scattered focus of the chapters. Etta never feels at the centre of the story as the other characters drown her out (and this is terribly maddening as I was looking forward to reading an protagonist who isn't the usual first-flush of youth type). This isn't a fault of the big cast (as Cooper has ably worked with those before), but the number of them given significant airplay in any one scene. I felt as though I was reading the equivalent of three songs all played at once, unable to pick the a melody out of conflicting rhythms.
I'm sad to say I've tried to force my way onwards, hoping for a glimpse of RC-B but I'm abandoning it at less than 50% still disappointed. I will continue to love many of Jilly's back catalogue; sadly, though, this one will not be joining it.
I was going all right until I hit the two chapters where Etta and Dora walk around the village info dumping the cast of thousands to the reader. After that I was lost. In previous novels, the cast was shown through a sequence of interactive scenes. For example, in The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, we have the launch party, a kitchen visit, a school function, and a dinner party to impart information. That works wonderfully. Jump! could have done something similar. Instead, I felt alienated from the world.
Adding to this was the scattered focus of the chapters. Etta never feels at the centre of the story as the other characters drown her out (and this is terribly maddening as I was looking forward to reading an protagonist who isn't the usual first-flush of youth type). This isn't a fault of the big cast (as Cooper has ably worked with those before), but the number of them given significant airplay in any one scene. I felt as though I was reading the equivalent of three songs all played at once, unable to pick the a melody out of conflicting rhythms.
I'm sad to say I've tried to force my way onwards, hoping for a glimpse of RC-B but I'm abandoning it at less than 50% still disappointed. I will continue to love many of Jilly's back catalogue; sadly, though, this one will not be joining it.
October 1, 2014
The story of Etta, put-upon widow and grandmother, whose generosity of spirit was abused by her domineering (wealthy) husband who left her at the mercy of her uncaring, grasping children due to the terms of his will. When Etta's home is sold out from under her and she's installed in a cramped little house close to her son and daughter-in-law, she's expected to be cook and full-time nanny for her spoiled brattish grandchildren, but the village into which she's propelled, Willowwood, has a cast of interesting characters and--because this is, after all, a Jilly Cooper novel--romance eventually blossoms, and not only for Etta. On the way Etta rescues Mrs Wilkinson, a battered, half-starved thoroughbred filly, who turns out to be a courageous little National Hunt racer. Etta and Mrs Wilkinson save each other, and the filly is a catalyst redeeming or condemning (each according to their worth) a whole cast of characters. Or maybe that should be cariacatures--because this is, after all, a Jilly Cooper novel. It's long, complex and tremendous fun featuring a few recurring favourites such as Rupert Campbell-Black.
Cooper's immersion in the world of jump racing is complete and very believable and I absolutely trust that she has the details of the sport accurately depicted. It's well researched, but not laboured.
Jilly Cooper is not a subtle novellist--her plots are twisty, her characters larger than life--but she delivers page-turning, emotion-packed stories, perfect for a bit of self-indulgent reading when you really should be getting on with something else, but, oh, never mind. Just one more chapter.
Cooper's immersion in the world of jump racing is complete and very believable and I absolutely trust that she has the details of the sport accurately depicted. It's well researched, but not laboured.
Jilly Cooper is not a subtle novellist--her plots are twisty, her characters larger than life--but she delivers page-turning, emotion-packed stories, perfect for a bit of self-indulgent reading when you really should be getting on with something else, but, oh, never mind. Just one more chapter.
May 6, 2011
After her rich husband dies, Etta Bancroft’s children move her from her beloved home to a grotty bungalow nearer their own homes – mostly in a plight for their own pockets. But, everyone falls in love with Etta, especially when a bedraggled and beaten racehorse shows up in her garden needing Etta’s love.
There’s something about Jilly Cooper’s sense of humour that just draws you in. Her books are like serial dramas. You get wrapped around the characters’ lives and are fully submerged for the duration of the book gasping for air amidst tears of sorrow and joy in the final pages. I don’t think I could read two Rutshire books back to back, because I get so seriously emotionally involved. I read some bad reviews of this one, but since I wasn’t impressed with the last of the series I’d read (The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous), I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was a return to horses being front and centre and the hero rescuing the damsel in distress. It was a village romp. Much of it was predictable (including me bawling my eyes out), but that’s OK. That’s why I read them. Sometimes we need a little fictional emotional rollercoaster so we can stay relatively normal in our real day to day lives.
May 27, 2011
Etta Bancroft - sweet, kind, still beautiful - adores racing and harbours a crush on one of its stars, the handsome high-handed owner-trainer Rupert Campbell-Black.When her bullying husband dies, Etta ‘s selfish, ambitious children drag her from her lovely Dorset house to live in a hideous modern bungalowin the Cotswold village of Willowwood.
Etta’s life is transformed when she finds a horribly mutilated filly wandering in the woods.She names herMrs Wilkinson and nurses her back to health. The filly charms everyone in the village, and whentests reveal her to be a spectacularly well-bred racehorse a village syndicate is formed to put the filly into training.Captivating vast crowds as she progresses from point-to-point to major races, she brings fame and fortune to the syndicate, until, at last, she is entered in the greatest jump race of them all.Can Mrs Wilkinson win the Grand National? And can Etta gain her heart’s desire?
Took me ages to get used to all the characters in this book, I found myself having to go back to the index at the beginning to check who the people were time and time again.
But I really enjoyed the book felt it was more modern than her previous books and I even shed a tear at the end.
Etta’s life is transformed when she finds a horribly mutilated filly wandering in the woods.She names herMrs Wilkinson and nurses her back to health. The filly charms everyone in the village, and whentests reveal her to be a spectacularly well-bred racehorse a village syndicate is formed to put the filly into training.Captivating vast crowds as she progresses from point-to-point to major races, she brings fame and fortune to the syndicate, until, at last, she is entered in the greatest jump race of them all.Can Mrs Wilkinson win the Grand National? And can Etta gain her heart’s desire?
Took me ages to get used to all the characters in this book, I found myself having to go back to the index at the beginning to check who the people were time and time again.
But I really enjoyed the book felt it was more modern than her previous books and I even shed a tear at the end.
October 24, 2012
This is a mighty book. It is HUGE, weighing in at 720 pages. Alas, the story is not as much of a colossus as Rupert Campbell-Black is said to be in his character description. For me, I felt like I was pushing through mud for an age, waiting for the story to hook me. Too many characters, too little action. It finally picks up the pace at around page 450 which was an extremely long wait. After that, the rest of the book is exciting, and raunchy, and thrilling, just like dear Jilly is supposed to be.
2 stars because a)I waited so long for the excitement to begin and b)there were some non-consensual, some rape and some disturbingly illegal sex scenes which I felt weren't dealt with properly in the story. Also, the description inside the sleeve tells you EVERYTHING that happens up until about 650 pages in, so that was, rather, a suspense killer.
I won't not-recommend this novel, but if you're going to read it then all I'll say is prepare to be rather bored for a while.
2 stars because a)I waited so long for the excitement to begin and b)there were some non-consensual, some rape and some disturbingly illegal sex scenes which I felt weren't dealt with properly in the story. Also, the description inside the sleeve tells you EVERYTHING that happens up until about 650 pages in, so that was, rather, a suspense killer.
I won't not-recommend this novel, but if you're going to read it then all I'll say is prepare to be rather bored for a while.
May 30, 2013
"Etta Bancroft- sweet, kind, still beautiful- adores racing and harbours a crush on one of its starts, the handsome high-handed owner-trainer Rupert Campbell-Black. When her bullying husband dies, Etta's selfish, ambitious children drag her from her lovely Dorset house to live in a hideous modern bungalow in the Cotswold village of Willowwood."
The name and the cover sounds pretty well, but when I started it off, all I felt was disappointment. A novel consisted of 907 pages, longer than the usual. The story is kind of very slow. I waited a long till it gets interesting. More than 70 characters, actually made it perplexed. I had to go back every time to recall the characters.
Martin and Romy Bancroft, were one self centered and hypocrite people.
Dora's character was more like Gossip Girl in Cecily Von Ziegesar Gossip girl series. Whole novel was a maze, I actually lost my mind
All in all it was a difficult read. People who have just started reading, should not start with this.
The name and the cover sounds pretty well, but when I started it off, all I felt was disappointment. A novel consisted of 907 pages, longer than the usual. The story is kind of very slow. I waited a long till it gets interesting. More than 70 characters, actually made it perplexed. I had to go back every time to recall the characters.
Martin and Romy Bancroft, were one self centered and hypocrite people.
Dora's character was more like Gossip Girl in Cecily Von Ziegesar Gossip girl series. Whole novel was a maze, I actually lost my mind
All in all it was a difficult read. People who have just started reading, should not start with this.
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