Riders [Paperback]

If you have never read a Jilly Cooper book before - make this your first and you are guaranteed to be hooked for life - I promise. The research that goes into her novels defies belief which is why when I pick up one of her books I know it is going to a good one and not only an immensely enjoyable read but also I can guarantee I will finish the book having learnt something new on the way.

In Riders, the key storyline is around the world of show jumping and three loveable characters Rupert Campbell-Black, Billy Lloyd Fox and Jake Lovell, you will fall in love all of of them but for completely different reasons Rupert for his being a loveable rogue and Billy for his being a loveable teddy bear and Jake for his mystic charms and misfortune.

Jilly takes us into their world, capivates us totally with their antics, achievements, scullduggery, highs and lows and makes you become totally involved! If only.....

Well, this is certainly no Pride and Prejudice! This is Cooper's debut book; a naughty romp through the elite world of show-jumping from local shows to the very top of the sport - the World Championships and the Olympics. Our main characters are Jake Lovell, a Gypsy underdog, and the first showing of Rupert Campbell-Black (who will appear in future books by Jilly Cooper), the good-looking rogue of the horsy set who jumps in and out of beds with no thought to the consequences.

There are masses of other characters that people the pages of this huge tome. Despite this, they are characterised simply and well, with distinctive traits and values. Unfortunately, it is hard to be sure who to root for! In the beginning we are firmly behind Jake - his tough start in the sport, his sympathetic treatment of horses, and his courageous win of the World Championship in the face of almost-impossible odds ensure that we feel certain he is the hero of the piece. We cheer when he finds Macauley, a horse that Rupert mistreats, and then uses this horse to beat Rupert in the Championship. We adore his family of Tory and Fen and his two adorable children. However, key events in the book lead us to firmly throw our weight behind Rupert - despite all his many, many faults. We find the behaviour of Jake and Helen - Rupert's wife - abominable.

My least favourite character is definitely Helen. I dislike her mismanagement of Rupert, her neurosis, her brittle perfection, her inability to stand up for herself. I think she is weak and end up believing she deserves everything she gets! I love Billy - he is one of the few characters who, despite flaws, is consistently a person to have sympathy for.

The book is long and rambling and could do with a little more structure, although Cooper's research is excellently done. It follows a now tried and tested formula of taking a gossipy approach to relationships and sex, but we should remember that Jilly was one of the first to tread this path. Riders was a genuinely naughty book when it was first released, with swear words and steamy sex scenes that are now included in books as a matter of course.

Certainly Jilly Cooper's writing is not to all tastes - her books are often considered lowbrow trash, only suitable for holiday reading. I, however, adore her books. I love the doorstop bulk of them, where you can really become invested in the characters and the story. I especially enjoy the fact that the horses and dogs are as big characters as the people themselves - in this book Sailor, Macauley, Revenge, Desdemona, Badger include some of those animals who simply leap from the page.

Altogether I would recommend this book to horse lovers who have no issues with a naughty slant; readers of "chick lit" and people who want a slyly funny and very good-natured read. Extremely enjoyable.

My Mom bought me this book on a trip to England back in the mid-1980's when it was published. All she knew was that it was "horsey", and I was a horse-crazy teen. I have thanked her ever since for bringing Jilly Cooper into my life! Perhaps because it was the first, "Riders" is still my favorite, although I love her subsequent tales as well -- even the non-"horsey" ones. The characters are so well-developed, that there are so many people to love and hate -- and hate to love! Rupert should not be a sympathetic character, yet who doesn't root for him in the final Olympic test of his heart and strength? Jake is moody, broody, and takes Tory for granted -- yet OF COURSE you want things to wind up well for him. And even though Fen takes a detour into bratty self-obsession, you have to hope that she and Dino will get it together in the end. I go back and re-read this book every year or two, and EVERY TIME I hate to put it down, and I'm depressed when I reach the end. I hope Jilly Cooper continues writing about the antics of these fabulous characters. I'd hate to think "Score" was her last tale about this group! There are so many stories left to tell. Read this book!