Absolute Rubbish!

I have been reading Jilly Cooper's books for many years now and I am rather horrified by this travesty (in my opinion) of the usual run of the Rutshire Chronicles. Yes, they have been 'naughty' but still entertaining and amusing but this one made me feel rather nauseated to say the least. Such a shame - they have been such fun in the past.

6 people found this helpful

Do not buy this

I believe i have read every Jilly Cooper novel. I have been disappointed over the years as they deteriorated, but there was still an element of fun in them. This one has nothing. Absolutely nothing. The characters are more unbelievable than ever, they have no charm, and there is no delight to be had in meeting them. There is not one redeeming feature in this book. I'm not sure that i even managed to get to the end, as i fell asleep for a while, it became so monotonous and boring. There seemed to be nothing but ill will throughout the book. If i can find a way to wipe it out of my Audible library, i will do so, as it is an embarrassment to keep seeing it there. Please do not waste your money on this book when there are so many others to choose from.

28 people found this helpful

Speed listened

What could Jilly Cooper have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Stop equating everyone’s physical appearance with their worth as a person! The stereotypes of the angry Muslim, the ecowarrior and the stable lass who got prettier as she lost weight (from stress not healthy choices) where especially grating.

Any additional comments?

The village is chock-full of charicatures which is pretty annoying because if makes very conversation ridiculous. You’ll also have to overlook the unkind nicknames and rude remarks they’re forever making about each other. I listened to this at triple speed to get through the duller sections.

8 people found this helpful

Unbelievably Boring!!

Having just listened to Riders I couldn't wait to listen to Jump!! Big mistake!! This books just didn't warrant my time.. Don't waste your time or money on this rubbish book..

3 people found this helpful

Too long and some odd bits of plot

I just found the whole thing rather strange. The fact that the rape of a 15-year-old was pretty much brushed under the carpet didn't really sit well with me - funny that!

None of the characters are particularly likeable, which made it a bit difficult to invest in.

3 people found this helpful

If you enjoyed "Riders" buy this !

Having greatly enjoyed the unabridged version of one of my old favourites Jilly Cooper's 'Riders' I was delighted to see her latest novel available by the same excellent narrator just before my holiday. It didn't disappoint - some great new characters and plenty of old ones and a brilliant story line - an ideal holiday companion. If you enjoyed 'Riders' I would highly recommend you buy this. Now we just need the rest of the unabridged Jilly back catalogue to come to Audible - 'Rivals' for starters please !

8 people found this helpful

Not Jilly's best

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

An easy listen although you may find yourself shouting at some of the characters, not a JC classic.

What will your next listen be?

The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook

Have you listened to any of Gerri Halligan’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I don't think it is as good as her performance in Riders but as that is a far superior story it may be unfair to compare the two. Some of her voices from Riders are the same as characters in this book so it can be confusing, it is hard not to imagine Helen Campbell Black on times.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

No.

Any additional comments?

The characters are horrific with few redeeming features. Many of the characters are just renamed rewrites of old characters. I don't think Billy Lloyd Fox got the send off that he deserved. All the children characters are insufferable and will make your blood boil as will the adults attitude/ behaviour towards them and the teen characters.I found the character having a sexual relationship and the rape of that school aged teen horrific, as with "Wicked" those pages are better off skipped. The attitude of the characters who knew about this deed was outrageously flippant. The main character is Daisy France Lynch but in a new form, sadly she does not have any of Daisy's likeable characteristics. She is wetter than a fishes wet bits and her attitude to the filly is ridiculous. She is treated badly by her children it is true but it is hard to feel sorry for her considering it was her dire mothering capabilities that produced such an odious pair.The horse and the human character relationships are totally unrealistic, it's basically a badly written teenage horse novel for adults. I wouldn't read it / listen to it again. The only good thing to say about it, is that it's better than Wicked.

1 person found this helpful

Jump!

This was an absolutely brilliant book - and although it was very long it kept me riveted as I needed to find out what happened to each of the characters who became very real during the storytelling. Gerri Halligan is an excellent narrator who made each of the characters come alive - am looking forward to listening to more narrations by her.



As usual Jilly Cooper knows how to thrill and excite the reader/listener

7 people found this helpful

Not great

This is more like a squeal book to her other book, Riders. It seems to follow on and have the same sort of scenes but with different characters. Again, lots of sexual scenes as the book progresses which include the same type of format as 'Riders'. Etta is portrayed really well and I enjoyed getting to know her character more and more but I did want to slap her son and daughter in law in the face! lol! It didn't really hold my attention as I felt it was far too similar to 'Riders' and much too predictable.

1 person found this helpful

Disappointing narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the story, it was typically Jilly Cooper - laughter, tears and a happy ending.

What didn’t you like about Gerri Halligan’s performance?

The narration was rather flat. She didn't seem to engage with the story.

Could you see Jump! being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Possibly.

Any additional comments?

This story doesn't have the depth of earlier Jilly Cooper books but it's a good, entertaining read.

2 people found this helpful