Polo - Jilly Cooper
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Polo - Jilly Cooper
Member Name: idodoyou
Product:
Polo - Jilly Cooper
Date: 10/08/01, updated on 10/08/01 (243 review reads)
Rating:
Advantages: Just read the op, the advantages are everywhere!!
Disadvantages: And they are???
Another book review from the keyboard and mind of ‘idodoyou’.
So sit back, relax, enjoy and comment if yoo wanna ……… ????
***HOW COMES I’VE GOT IT?***
After reading my most, most-est favourite book in the whole wide world of books, Riders, to go on and sample more of Jilly Coopers work seemed the most natural thing to doo. And so sample I did. Disappointment was not a feeling I experienced when the sampling came to an unfortunate end.
In my top 10 list of book, of which I am bound to get round to op-ing on at some point, this book would probably take its more than worthy position at number 2.
It is almost as well travelled as my copy of Riders, and at this moment, I can think of no holiday that this book has not accompanied me on??
***SPECS AND STUFF***
1ST PUBLISHED IN 1991 BY Bantum Press (a division of Transworld Publishers Ltd ~ just in case you wanted to know??) and weighing in at a hefty 766 pages.
This book is currently retailing at approx. £5.99. I have, up until now never come across this book priced at anything less than the R.R.P. Means one thing in my book (scuse the pun!!??) if its holding money, it must be good. And from what I can gather from my frequent trips round bookshops and stalls of all sizes, most, if not all of Jilly Coopers books manage to keep to their original selling price.
They say that yoo shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in this incidence it would be hard not to. The photograph, a pair of dirty Jodhpur clad male legs being seductively ‘touched up’ by a cherry red ‘taloned’ female hand reeks of class. The polo stick touch adds only to the actual title of the book, and to be honest, really wouldn’t make a lot of difference to me if it wasn’t there. The jodhpurs and the hand do the job of suggesting just what the book is mainly about ………….. Horses and ……. Um
mm…. Sex!!!
***HOWS IT WRITTEN?***
Superbly. Magnificently. And brilliantly are just a few words among others that spring to mind after deliberating that question for a few moments!!
Of course, leaving the answer at just those three adjectives serves no purpose except to once again let yoo know ‘idodoyou’ thinks that this book is great.
The style is very much in keeping with her other works. The words and story line flows easily and almost at once yoo begin to believe that yoo know the characters personally and that yoo are actually playing a part in the story line just by reading the book.
The one thing that I’m not so keen on in this book, are the vivid descriptions of how the polo ponies are treated in Argentina. Whether this is an accurate account of the treatment that they suffer there I don’t know, but after reading the foreword of the book I can only assume that there is some truth in the treatment. Although I doo have a small fault (gasp… shock horror…..no way!!) With this book, it in no way disparages the writing at all. And to be fair, that particular story line is over with in a couple of chapters anyway.
There are several separate story lines on going through out the book. One moment we are in Argentina, the next back in Rose Cottage snuggled in the Gloucestershire countryside. No matter, they are easy to follow and don’t make the story cluttered at all. And as with most of Coopers stories, those separate little story lines that are so relevant all finish beautifully together and combine an exciting and extremely worth while finish.
Last thing on the writing style thing……… I know that I have mentioned horses and sex when describing Cooper novels, but it really isn’t so. I’m sure that those of yoo that haven’t read any of her material are thinking along the lines of the Karma Sutra for Equines??!!??!!?? It isn’t like tha
t. Honestly. In fact, there really isn’t a great deal of sex in these books at all. Oh yeah, there’s some, but certainly not to the extent that yoo find in others, and when yoo do come across any, it isn’t graphically detailed such as yoo would find in a Jackie Collins novel. Anyway, glad I’ve cleared that up……..
***WHATS IT ABOUT?***
Horses ……….. Polo ………….. Sex!! There I go again, mentioning that sex word, there really isn’t a lot in Cooper books, honestly. It’s just that the critics say that, and it sounds sooo catchy and enticing!!
Once again we see the much-welcomed return of Rupert Campbell Black (see my ‘Riders’ op to learn in depth just how much I love this man!!???!!). And although he plays a key part in the story line, he doesn’t take centre stage as he did in ‘Riders’,
‘Polo’ is set around the glamorous, opulent, and glitzy world of the sport of which the book takes it name ‘Polo’ (yoo didn’t honestly think I meant an actual mint did yoo??)
From the Royal polo fields of England to the ‘estancias’ (ranches) of Argentina, taking in the heady heights of California along the exciting trip into a world that few of us have visited, and even fewer belong.
Top class polo players play to win, both in their sport and in the bedroom, and yoo just know that there will be wars on and off the fields.
***WHO’S IN IT?***
In my opinion (rather apt!!??!!) I consider the two main characters to be Ricky France-Lynch and Perdita MacLeod. All though there are many much needed characters ~ a down trodden wanna be artist, a revengeful Falkland war vets unfaithful husbands ~ several, high flying business men, jealous wives, and the classic good all round American guy that comes to the rescue. These two, their lives, triumphs and pit falls are the basis for
this story. They are with us at the beginning and stay until the end.
I could of course write a piece on all that contribute to the story line but to be honest, it would be hard to chose the secondary characters as they all play key parts. And so, I will take the easier, and quicker (for both yoo and me – yoo don’t want to be spending all night reading this one op dooyoo? I know I don’t want to writing all day either?) And stick to the principal two.
~ Ricky France-Lynch ~ BEWARE *** SPOILER ALERT ***
He had it all! A beautiful wife, an adorable son and a career as one of, if the top, polo players in the country.
But all too soon his world is tragically torn apart and he loses all that he loves.
Thrown into a world, in which he has never been and has no idea how to survive, he meets his saviour in the form of extremely rich, extremely successful and gay rock star Dancer Maitland. With his help he starts to rebuild his world, and takes on the challenges set before him.
To tell you why his world crashes down around his ears and what challenges he has to face would be cruel. But if you are all masochists I’ll tell you, for those of yoo that don’t want to know, SCROLL DOWN NOW ……. (I’ll tell you when its over…)
Rickys wife leaves him taking with her their only son. He comes home drunk and finds them gone, only to follow them to where they are staying, he grabs his son and drives. The inevitable happens, Ricky crashes the car and kills his 2-year-old son out right. He loses the use of his right arm, his polo playing polo plying arm and ends up in prison.
***SPOILER FINISHED***
Whoa……. Steady there, scrolling down at a fair old rate weren’t you? Nearly missed the rest of the op ………….or was that what yoo wanted to doo??!!
Anyway, where was I ….? Ahh yes, yoo can come back now,
the spoiler is way up there. Can yoo see why I didn’t really want to tell yoo ?
And so on to ……………..
~ Perdita MacLeod ~ (There’s no spoiler present in this one, I’m not going to do it OK? You’re gonna have to find this one out by reading the book, it’s too big!!)
A 14 year old brat that has only two loves in her short and shoulder chipped life ~ horses and Ricky France-Lynch.
Nothing else matters to her except becoming a polo player and ending up winning the love of Ricky.
She runs wild at school, and treats her mother with contempt. This would be the perfect time for me to slip the spoiler in ………….. But I ain’t gonna (ner ner). She is spoilt and will stop at nothing to get her own way, and she has no regard for those around her. But she is determined and at whatever cost, she will find a way to achieve her dreams. But are her dreams the ones she really wants? Have they just been dreamt enough that they seem to be the best thing for her? Will she realise before it’s too late that although dreams do come true they aren’t necessarily the ones that yoo are meant to have?
***DID I LIKE IT AND WILL I BE FEASTING MY PEEPERS ON THIS AGAIN?***
You bet ya!!
All of Jilly Coopers main novels are readable over and over again.
For me it’s the continuance of lead characters that grace the pages of each book for whatever reason. Yoo actually find yourself greeting them like long lost friends, or looking for them when they don’t seem to have a part in the story. Her books are so easy to read, and totally emerge you in the story line.
I really can’t emphasise just how great that I think Jilly Coopers work is.
Yoo can read op upon op telling you, advising yoo to read one of these books, but until yoo actually doo, yoo will never find out just how great they are.
Now, I know that not ever
ybody likes the same sort of genre when it comes to reading material, but if you love excitement, horses, being transported into new worlds, treachery and good old fashioned romance, with a hint of sex yoo really really really should check out these books.
Don’t just read and rate this, and then forget about it, go out and borrow, beg or steal a copy. Although if yoo doo decide to doo the latter ……….. I can’t be held responsible for what your actions might occur?? (yoo’ll have something to read in prison though won’t yoo??)
Read it, become part of it and then on finishing it say ‘God damn it, idodoyou was sooo right’!!
Yoo won’t be sorry, I promise………………& #8230;!!!
So sit back, relax, enjoy and comment if yoo wanna ……… ????
***HOW COMES I’VE GOT IT?***
After reading my most, most-est favourite book in the whole wide world of books, Riders, to go on and sample more of Jilly Coopers work seemed the most natural thing to doo. And so sample I did. Disappointment was not a feeling I experienced when the sampling came to an unfortunate end.
In my top 10 list of book, of which I am bound to get round to op-ing on at some point, this book would probably take its more than worthy position at number 2.
It is almost as well travelled as my copy of Riders, and at this moment, I can think of no holiday that this book has not accompanied me on??
***SPECS AND STUFF***
1ST PUBLISHED IN 1991 BY Bantum Press (a division of Transworld Publishers Ltd ~ just in case you wanted to know??) and weighing in at a hefty 766 pages.
This book is currently retailing at approx. £5.99. I have, up until now never come across this book priced at anything less than the R.R.P. Means one thing in my book (scuse the pun!!??) if its holding money, it must be good. And from what I can gather from my frequent trips round bookshops and stalls of all sizes, most, if not all of Jilly Coopers books manage to keep to their original selling price.
They say that yoo shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in this incidence it would be hard not to. The photograph, a pair of dirty Jodhpur clad male legs being seductively ‘touched up’ by a cherry red ‘taloned’ female hand reeks of class. The polo stick touch adds only to the actual title of the book, and to be honest, really wouldn’t make a lot of difference to me if it wasn’t there. The jodhpurs and the hand do the job of suggesting just what the book is mainly about ………….. Horses and ……. Um
mm…. Sex!!!
***HOWS IT WRITTEN?***
Superbly. Magnificently. And brilliantly are just a few words among others that spring to mind after deliberating that question for a few moments!!
Of course, leaving the answer at just those three adjectives serves no purpose except to once again let yoo know ‘idodoyou’ thinks that this book is great.
The style is very much in keeping with her other works. The words and story line flows easily and almost at once yoo begin to believe that yoo know the characters personally and that yoo are actually playing a part in the story line just by reading the book.
The one thing that I’m not so keen on in this book, are the vivid descriptions of how the polo ponies are treated in Argentina. Whether this is an accurate account of the treatment that they suffer there I don’t know, but after reading the foreword of the book I can only assume that there is some truth in the treatment. Although I doo have a small fault (gasp… shock horror…..no way!!) With this book, it in no way disparages the writing at all. And to be fair, that particular story line is over with in a couple of chapters anyway.
There are several separate story lines on going through out the book. One moment we are in Argentina, the next back in Rose Cottage snuggled in the Gloucestershire countryside. No matter, they are easy to follow and don’t make the story cluttered at all. And as with most of Coopers stories, those separate little story lines that are so relevant all finish beautifully together and combine an exciting and extremely worth while finish.
Last thing on the writing style thing……… I know that I have mentioned horses and sex when describing Cooper novels, but it really isn’t so. I’m sure that those of yoo that haven’t read any of her material are thinking along the lines of the Karma Sutra for Equines??!!??!!?? It isn’t like tha
t. Honestly. In fact, there really isn’t a great deal of sex in these books at all. Oh yeah, there’s some, but certainly not to the extent that yoo find in others, and when yoo do come across any, it isn’t graphically detailed such as yoo would find in a Jackie Collins novel. Anyway, glad I’ve cleared that up……..
***WHATS IT ABOUT?***
Horses ……….. Polo ………….. Sex!! There I go again, mentioning that sex word, there really isn’t a lot in Cooper books, honestly. It’s just that the critics say that, and it sounds sooo catchy and enticing!!
Once again we see the much-welcomed return of Rupert Campbell Black (see my ‘Riders’ op to learn in depth just how much I love this man!!???!!). And although he plays a key part in the story line, he doesn’t take centre stage as he did in ‘Riders’,
‘Polo’ is set around the glamorous, opulent, and glitzy world of the sport of which the book takes it name ‘Polo’ (yoo didn’t honestly think I meant an actual mint did yoo??)
From the Royal polo fields of England to the ‘estancias’ (ranches) of Argentina, taking in the heady heights of California along the exciting trip into a world that few of us have visited, and even fewer belong.
Top class polo players play to win, both in their sport and in the bedroom, and yoo just know that there will be wars on and off the fields.
***WHO’S IN IT?***
In my opinion (rather apt!!??!!) I consider the two main characters to be Ricky France-Lynch and Perdita MacLeod. All though there are many much needed characters ~ a down trodden wanna be artist, a revengeful Falkland war vets unfaithful husbands ~ several, high flying business men, jealous wives, and the classic good all round American guy that comes to the rescue. These two, their lives, triumphs and pit falls are the basis for
this story. They are with us at the beginning and stay until the end.
I could of course write a piece on all that contribute to the story line but to be honest, it would be hard to chose the secondary characters as they all play key parts. And so, I will take the easier, and quicker (for both yoo and me – yoo don’t want to be spending all night reading this one op dooyoo? I know I don’t want to writing all day either?) And stick to the principal two.
~ Ricky France-Lynch ~ BEWARE *** SPOILER ALERT ***
He had it all! A beautiful wife, an adorable son and a career as one of, if the top, polo players in the country.
But all too soon his world is tragically torn apart and he loses all that he loves.
Thrown into a world, in which he has never been and has no idea how to survive, he meets his saviour in the form of extremely rich, extremely successful and gay rock star Dancer Maitland. With his help he starts to rebuild his world, and takes on the challenges set before him.
To tell you why his world crashes down around his ears and what challenges he has to face would be cruel. But if you are all masochists I’ll tell you, for those of yoo that don’t want to know, SCROLL DOWN NOW ……. (I’ll tell you when its over…)
Rickys wife leaves him taking with her their only son. He comes home drunk and finds them gone, only to follow them to where they are staying, he grabs his son and drives. The inevitable happens, Ricky crashes the car and kills his 2-year-old son out right. He loses the use of his right arm, his polo playing polo plying arm and ends up in prison.
***SPOILER FINISHED***
Whoa……. Steady there, scrolling down at a fair old rate weren’t you? Nearly missed the rest of the op ………….or was that what yoo wanted to doo??!!
Anyway, where was I ….? Ahh yes, yoo can come back now,
the spoiler is way up there. Can yoo see why I didn’t really want to tell yoo ?
And so on to ……………..
~ Perdita MacLeod ~ (There’s no spoiler present in this one, I’m not going to do it OK? You’re gonna have to find this one out by reading the book, it’s too big!!)
A 14 year old brat that has only two loves in her short and shoulder chipped life ~ horses and Ricky France-Lynch.
Nothing else matters to her except becoming a polo player and ending up winning the love of Ricky.
She runs wild at school, and treats her mother with contempt. This would be the perfect time for me to slip the spoiler in ………….. But I ain’t gonna (ner ner). She is spoilt and will stop at nothing to get her own way, and she has no regard for those around her. But she is determined and at whatever cost, she will find a way to achieve her dreams. But are her dreams the ones she really wants? Have they just been dreamt enough that they seem to be the best thing for her? Will she realise before it’s too late that although dreams do come true they aren’t necessarily the ones that yoo are meant to have?
***DID I LIKE IT AND WILL I BE FEASTING MY PEEPERS ON THIS AGAIN?***
You bet ya!!
All of Jilly Coopers main novels are readable over and over again.
For me it’s the continuance of lead characters that grace the pages of each book for whatever reason. Yoo actually find yourself greeting them like long lost friends, or looking for them when they don’t seem to have a part in the story. Her books are so easy to read, and totally emerge you in the story line.
I really can’t emphasise just how great that I think Jilly Coopers work is.
Yoo can read op upon op telling you, advising yoo to read one of these books, but until yoo actually doo, yoo will never find out just how great they are.
Now, I know that not ever
ybody likes the same sort of genre when it comes to reading material, but if you love excitement, horses, being transported into new worlds, treachery and good old fashioned romance, with a hint of sex yoo really really really should check out these books.
Don’t just read and rate this, and then forget about it, go out and borrow, beg or steal a copy. Although if yoo doo decide to doo the latter ……….. I can’t be held responsible for what your actions might occur?? (yoo’ll have something to read in prison though won’t yoo??)
Read it, become part of it and then on finishing it say ‘God damn it, idodoyou was sooo right’!!
Yoo won’t be sorry, I promise………………& #8230;!!!
Summary:
