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Imogen
As a librarian, Imogen read a lot of books, but none of them covered real life on the Riveria. Her holiday included a glamourous group; a tennis ace, a journalist, a playboy and a photographer who were all full of revelations – and so was she. A prize worth winning – a wild Yorkshire rose among the thorny model girls. Imogen began to wonder if virtue really was its own reward.
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First published January 1, 1978
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About the author
Jilly Cooper
91 books865 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 75 reviews
January 8, 2016
First read this when I was about 14 and in the infirmary at my convent boarding school. For some reason the nuns banned Jilly Cooper along with Mills and Boon (and this was before Jilly published her bonk-busters like Riders etc). These shorter, earlier novels are delightfully innocent love stories with intensity of emotion but bedroom action only inferred. Tales of innocent girls falling in love with chiselled and often angry heros but written with such wit. I have so enjoyed revisiting them and they still stand up. Imogen is probably my favourite of all but Emily, Prudence, Octavia, Harriet and Bella are all great entertainment. Reading them is like sinking into a comfy armchair with a cup of hot chocolate: good for the soul!
March 28, 2024
Skaičiau ne vieną ir ne du kartus. Paauglystėje ypač. Labai juokingas ir smagus. Tai knyga, kuri dabar imama skaityti vien dėl nostalgijos ir žinojimo ko gali tikėtis.
March 11, 2016
In ‘Imogen’, Imogen works as a librarian and spends most of her time reading books. She also fantasizes about being swept off her feet by a handsome man. One day when famous tennis ace, Nicky spots her in a crowd and invites her to join him and two couples on a holiday, she eagerly seizes this opportunity to experience the sort of romance she’s been longing for. However, things don’t go as planned and she finds herself learning along the way.
Initially, I wasn’t quite engrossed in the story because of the introduction of several characters namely the couples – Matt and Cable as well as James and Yvonne all at once. However, they turned out to be a lot more interesting than reading only about Imogen and Nicky who were clearly mismatched. Cable was the typical gorgeous model who had no problem getting attention from any man and she knew how to use that to her advantage. Plus, she looked down on Imogen and constantly flirted with other men in order to make Matt jealous. Despite being unlikeable, the book would have been boring without her as she was entertaining and interesting.
Yvonne was pretty amusing as she was a snob in every sense of the word. Like Cable, she’s a model and she was very selective about what she ate and drank. She took the opportunity to show off her supposed superiority and belittled everyone else. In addition, she treated her husband James like a servant but she never cheated on him or flirted with other people hence she was a little more bearable than Cable. As for Imogen, she was naïve and lacked confidence but she knew how to hold a conversation and I was glad that she wasn’t obsessed with losing her virginity.
I found Nicky to be sleazy from the beginning and his subsequent behaviour during the vacation as well as his hot and cold treatment towards Imogen further proved that. Matt was smart, patient and funny – the opposite of Nicky. I felt sorry for James and can’t imagine why he even married Yvonne. The romance aspect was predictable but it was believable for the most part as the author took the time to properly develop a relationship between the two characters who eventually ended up together. The ending was hilarious and I really liked it.
Overall, ‘Imogen’ was a light and fun story. It wasn’t particularly memorable or spectacular but it’s certainly a relaxing read which will leave you with pleasant feelings.
Initially, I wasn’t quite engrossed in the story because of the introduction of several characters namely the couples – Matt and Cable as well as James and Yvonne all at once. However, they turned out to be a lot more interesting than reading only about Imogen and Nicky who were clearly mismatched. Cable was the typical gorgeous model who had no problem getting attention from any man and she knew how to use that to her advantage. Plus, she looked down on Imogen and constantly flirted with other men in order to make Matt jealous. Despite being unlikeable, the book would have been boring without her as she was entertaining and interesting.
Yvonne was pretty amusing as she was a snob in every sense of the word. Like Cable, she’s a model and she was very selective about what she ate and drank. She took the opportunity to show off her supposed superiority and belittled everyone else. In addition, she treated her husband James like a servant but she never cheated on him or flirted with other people hence she was a little more bearable than Cable. As for Imogen, she was naïve and lacked confidence but she knew how to hold a conversation and I was glad that she wasn’t obsessed with losing her virginity.
I found Nicky to be sleazy from the beginning and his subsequent behaviour during the vacation as well as his hot and cold treatment towards Imogen further proved that. Matt was smart, patient and funny – the opposite of Nicky. I felt sorry for James and can’t imagine why he even married Yvonne. The romance aspect was predictable but it was believable for the most part as the author took the time to properly develop a relationship between the two characters who eventually ended up together. The ending was hilarious and I really liked it.
Overall, ‘Imogen’ was a light and fun story. It wasn’t particularly memorable or spectacular but it’s certainly a relaxing read which will leave you with pleasant feelings.
May 16, 2022
An entertaining but coming to age romance.
October 8, 2011
This is one of Jilly Cooper's early romances; published in the 1970s. It's dated in attitude and incident, but it is very much a book of its time, so I read it as a period piece. Imogen is a dreamy parson's daughter. The put-upon eldest of the family, she falls for a tennis player who takes her on holiday to France... along with two models and their respective partners. This is the kind of romance in which the heroine mislays her Pills, gets sunburnt, catches "foreign tummy" and finds sand in uncomfortable places.
August 28, 2013
I read quite a few of Jilly Cooper's books as a young teenager and I can tell you that I learned quite a lot from her (if you know what I mean... wink, wink).
This was my first foray into the author's world and I knew from the moment I began that it wouldn't be my last.
She has a wonderful style, so easy to read and hilariously funny. Highly recommended... especially for good for teenage girls!
This was my first foray into the author's world and I knew from the moment I began that it wouldn't be my last.
She has a wonderful style, so easy to read and hilariously funny. Highly recommended... especially for good for teenage girls!
October 29, 2007
Silly Cooper. Fabulous trash. I'm so happy this series has been reissued.
April 22, 2012
I'm not particularly fond of some of the content of Jilly Cooper's novels but she writes a good story.
December 4, 2020
Hilarious. Frivolous. Silly. Extremely dated. What’s not to love?
July 15, 2023
This is a really nice introduction to Jilly Cooper. For someone who wants a straight romance, I would have to give it a three, though.
October 6, 2025
Fourth in the series that I'm currently re-reading. Once again it's not the fun, sexy, romantic read I remember from my youth, whether that's down to times a-changing or my tastes but to my mind this book has a whole different vibe about it now.
Young, innocent Imogen finds herself whisked away to the South of France with tennis ace Nicky. He spends most of his time wrapped around model Cable who herself is supposed to be with Matt, who...yup you've guessed it...becomes Imogen's new crush. But what I recall as being a fun tale of swapping partners to find true love, today seems to have a very grubby undertone to it.
Nicky is a serial lothario & his attempted seductions of Imogen made my skin crawl at times - talk about being just another notch on his bedpost! Imogen is far too naive to see this & consequently has a rather unhappy time until she's taken under Matt's wing. Taking pity on her he gives her a bit of a make over resulting in Imogen's affections being transferred to him. Between Nicky & Matt, at times it felt uncomfortably as if Imogen was being groomed.
While the story does seem very dated in parts (its firmly in the 70s) particularly with regard to the men's attitude to women, parts of the book are still good fun. The bitchiness of the models & Cables's jealousy/competitiveness comes to mind, I guess somethings don't change ;o)
Young, innocent Imogen finds herself whisked away to the South of France with tennis ace Nicky. He spends most of his time wrapped around model Cable who herself is supposed to be with Matt, who...yup you've guessed it...becomes Imogen's new crush. But what I recall as being a fun tale of swapping partners to find true love, today seems to have a very grubby undertone to it.
Nicky is a serial lothario & his attempted seductions of Imogen made my skin crawl at times - talk about being just another notch on his bedpost! Imogen is far too naive to see this & consequently has a rather unhappy time until she's taken under Matt's wing. Taking pity on her he gives her a bit of a make over resulting in Imogen's affections being transferred to him. Between Nicky & Matt, at times it felt uncomfortably as if Imogen was being groomed.
While the story does seem very dated in parts (its firmly in the 70s) particularly with regard to the men's attitude to women, parts of the book are still good fun. The bitchiness of the models & Cables's jealousy/competitiveness comes to mind, I guess somethings don't change ;o)
September 23, 2022
Not even sure why I finished, for the Riviera maybe? This was so, so, so dated that it was hilarious. Infinitely quotable as in "she'll be a great librarian as she will never get married".
I'm glad some things have changed in "women's fiction", at least. No more "all women are catty to each other" and the word fat being thrown around like there's no tomorrow.
Jilly Cooper is really not for 2022.
The audiobook narration was OK as far as the Yorkshire and other English accents were concerned. The French and Italian accents were atrocious.
I'm glad some things have changed in "women's fiction", at least. No more "all women are catty to each other" and the word fat being thrown around like there's no tomorrow.
Jilly Cooper is really not for 2022.
The audiobook narration was OK as far as the Yorkshire and other English accents were concerned. The French and Italian accents were atrocious.
October 21, 2020
Loved this story at the time and on re-reading! How vicar's daughter and Librarian Imogen navigates herself after attracting the interest of caddish tennis pro Nicky who asks her to join him and his jet set bed-hopping friends on a holiday to France where she meets the catty actress Yvonne and model Cable and Cable's partner Matt a Journalist and finds love rather than romance is told with expert humour and classic Jilly Cooper style. Remains a favourite.
June 7, 2011
I loved Imogen. She is so real in a crowd that is so fake so much of the time. No wonder the men loved her, she is so sexy, so beautiful and so good at heart. A fabulous romance and a really fun, quick read.
April 19, 2013
I have read all of Jilly's Rutshire chronicles and loved them all, I think her earlier works were a lot more "teen" so I didn't enjoy it as much, although it did get a few laughs. I think I'll just stick to Rutshire from now on.
October 23, 2008
I read a lot of Jilly Cooper when I was a young teenager and learned an awful lot from her! I loved it at the time and think its about time I read them all again! This one, in particular, I loved!
September 2, 2016
One if the first ever book I ever remember reading as a teen, when I first fell in love with books.
April 12, 2021
I Absolutely loved 🥰 this book...
February 23, 2025
This slowly became a guilty pleasure to pick up… the most surface level, get what you came for book I have ever read. Obvious turns in the story and VERY basic dialogue.. to the point it’s almost comical. The type of book that makes me think… hey I could have a crack at this writing business.
Then again… as I said, a guilty pleasure. It felt almost unfair to rate it at the end as I would say I did ‘enjoy’ reading this. But it’s kind of like how you might enjoy watching an episode of One Tree Hill with some mates on a hangover…you’re never going to rate the episode as highly as a season finale of Ozark.. but you might equally enjoy the experience?
My initial rating I think is 3/10… will see how that fairs after book club.
BOOK CLUB UPDATE
Ok so post Book Club… we all low key really enjoyed it and someone even gave it a t 9/10… which I still think is mental. Overall tho I’ve bumped this up to a 5/10. It was really fun and silly and the escapism it gave during a miserable January can’t be ignored.
Then again… as I said, a guilty pleasure. It felt almost unfair to rate it at the end as I would say I did ‘enjoy’ reading this. But it’s kind of like how you might enjoy watching an episode of One Tree Hill with some mates on a hangover…you’re never going to rate the episode as highly as a season finale of Ozark.. but you might equally enjoy the experience?
My initial rating I think is 3/10… will see how that fairs after book club.
BOOK CLUB UPDATE
Ok so post Book Club… we all low key really enjoyed it and someone even gave it a t 9/10… which I still think is mental. Overall tho I’ve bumped this up to a 5/10. It was really fun and silly and the escapism it gave during a miserable January can’t be ignored.
October 22, 2025
Review summary: A book that would’ve been good in its day
With Jilly Cooper passing I thought it would be nice to reread some of her books – I don’t think I’ve read Imogen before and I think it is a book that should stay in its time. It was an ok read but it fell a bit flat in places, but mainly because a lot of it is now offensive or just ‘ick’
With Jilly Cooper passing I thought it would be nice to reread some of her books – I don’t think I’ve read Imogen before and I think it is a book that should stay in its time. It was an ok read but it fell a bit flat in places, but mainly because a lot of it is now offensive or just ‘ick’
April 6, 2023
I never read Jilly Cooper before because I wrote it off as trash. It just goes to show that sometimes our prejudices are absolutely correct.
January 21, 2019
I've wanted to read a Jilly Cooper novel for ages, and the fact that this novel had been chosen by Backlisted podcast seemed like a great time to dip my toe in the water. IMOGEN is one of Cooper's early fictions and it was far less bonkbustery than I was expecting, fitting more in the young adult field, perhaps, than books like RIDERS and RIVALS for which she is most famous.
What I did get from this book was a fun and frothy social comedy in the style of Nancy Mitford's THE PURSUIT OF LOVE. The eponymous heroine is a hapless but thoroughly charming vicar's daughter whose head is turned by a celebrity tennis player, launching a riotous and farcical plot that takes her from the parochial villages of West Riding to the glamours of the French Riviera.
This book was a fantastic period piece. The handsome men of Cooper's world are pencil-moustached, medallion-wearing Lotharios. The descriptions of France, and indeed English attitudes towards its citizens, are very much of the time. Most of the characters are awful, but comically so, and although the conclusion is very obvious from early on, this doesn't mar the journey Imogen takes to get there.
This early work from Cooper is probably not going to set your world alight but it's a great comforting read, and definitely gave me the appetite to read some of her later novels.
What I did get from this book was a fun and frothy social comedy in the style of Nancy Mitford's THE PURSUIT OF LOVE. The eponymous heroine is a hapless but thoroughly charming vicar's daughter whose head is turned by a celebrity tennis player, launching a riotous and farcical plot that takes her from the parochial villages of West Riding to the glamours of the French Riviera.
This book was a fantastic period piece. The handsome men of Cooper's world are pencil-moustached, medallion-wearing Lotharios. The descriptions of France, and indeed English attitudes towards its citizens, are very much of the time. Most of the characters are awful, but comically so, and although the conclusion is very obvious from early on, this doesn't mar the journey Imogen takes to get there.
This early work from Cooper is probably not going to set your world alight but it's a great comforting read, and definitely gave me the appetite to read some of her later novels.
August 14, 2023
Imogen grows on me every time I read it. The title character is up there with Harriet when it comes to kindness; her character is so loveable. It's absolutely terrifying to me though that she thinks she's fat when she weighs 9st!
Vicar's daughter, Imogen meets famous tennis player, Nicky Beresford by chance, he seems really into the beautiful, virginal young woman, but are his intentions more sinister?
After a few months, he proposes a trip to France with her and a few of his friends, and over there, Imogen realises that Nicky isn't at all what he had seemed as she begins to feel utterly desolate with him and his snooty friends. Aside from his best friend, Matt, they all make her feel inadequate.
There are lots of laughs in this one as Imogen does her very best to finally lose her virginity and drinks and drugs her way through a hilarious celebrity party.
I have to say again how much I love Jilly Cooper's witty dialogue and larger than life characters. These books are so fun to revisit.
Vicar's daughter, Imogen meets famous tennis player, Nicky Beresford by chance, he seems really into the beautiful, virginal young woman, but are his intentions more sinister?
After a few months, he proposes a trip to France with her and a few of his friends, and over there, Imogen realises that Nicky isn't at all what he had seemed as she begins to feel utterly desolate with him and his snooty friends. Aside from his best friend, Matt, they all make her feel inadequate.
There are lots of laughs in this one as Imogen does her very best to finally lose her virginity and drinks and drugs her way through a hilarious celebrity party.
I have to say again how much I love Jilly Cooper's witty dialogue and larger than life characters. These books are so fun to revisit.
April 6, 2022
Full Of Surprises
Imogen is a sweet young thing with a low self esteem. Her father, the local vicar, has never forgiven her for not being born a male and has been unkind to her ever since.
Life is slow and dull until a philandering tennis play sets his sites on Imogen.
Clever storyline.
Imogen is a sweet young thing with a low self esteem. Her father, the local vicar, has never forgiven her for not being born a male and has been unkind to her ever since.
Life is slow and dull until a philandering tennis play sets his sites on Imogen.
Clever storyline.
decided-not-to-read
November 28, 2008This was in the free books bin. What can I say, every once in a while I feel the urge to read something which I know will only rot my brain. Just as bad as one might expect. It even fails at being, er, salaciously interesting, despite what the back cover copy might lead one to expect.
July 2, 2013
Loved all these one after the other couldn't put them down
May 16, 2015
Poor Imogen! You have to feel sorry for her...
June 24, 2017
I first read this as a teenager and I'm pleased to say I still love it. Imogen is sweet and innocent, Nicky is a slimeball and Matt is sexy. An entertaining, great fun read.
March 10, 2015
More fluff!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews