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Rupert Campbell-Black
Rupert Campbell-Black is a fictional character in the Rutshire Chronicles series of Romance novel, romance novels written by Jilly Cooper. He also appears in the film and television adaptations of Riders (1993 film), Riders and Rivals (TV series), Rivals. The character is based on several real life men, including Michael Howard, 21st Earl of Suffolk, Michael Howard, the Earl of Suffolk and Andrew Parker Bowles. The character is a central figure in four novels in the series: ''Riders (novel), Riders, Rivals (novel), Rivals, Mount!'' and ''Tackle!'' Physically depicted as tall, handsome and blonde, the character has a range of qualities, including cruelty to women and animals, but can also be tender. In 1986 the ''Irish Independent'' described Campbell-Black as "over privileged, overbearing and too fond of chasing women". The character has been portrayed by both Marcus Gilbert (actor), Marcus Gilbert, in the 1993 film adaptation of ''Riders,'' and by Alex Hassell in the 2024 adaptatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rutshire Chronicles
The Rutshire Chronicles is a series of romantic novels by Jilly Cooper. Set in the fictional county of Rutshire, characters recur across the series repeatedly, including the upper-class MP Rupert Campbell-Black. The first book in the series was published in 1985, and the most recent, as of 2025, in 2023. Three of the books from the series, '' Riders, Rivals'' and '' The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous'', have been adapted for television, in 1993, 2023 and 1997 respectively. Background The series is set in the fictional county of Rutshire, in the Cotswolds. The name of the county links to the sexual content of the books. Cooper has written over thirty other books, in addition to this series. The first book in the series was published in 1985, the most recent ''Tackle!'' in 2023. The series follows a cast of wealthy and largely upper-class families, and is known for its sexual plotlines and scandalous scenes. Indeed the ''Financial Times'' described the series in 2024 as "legendaril ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black+Decker
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psychologie de la couleur – effets et symboliques'', pp. 105–26. Black and white have often been used to describe opposites such as good and evil, the Dark Ages versus the Age of Enlightenment, and night versus day. Since the Middle Ages, black has been the symbolic color of solemnity and authority, and for this reason it is still commonly worn by judges and magistrates. Black was one of the first colors used by artists in Neolithic cave paintings. It was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as the color of the underworld. In the Roman Empire, it became the color of mourning, and over the centuries it was frequently associated with death, evil, witches, and magic. In the 14th century, it was worn by royalty, clergy, judges, and government o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bonkbuster
''Bonkbuster'' (a play on " blockbuster" and the verb " to bonk") is a term coined in 1989 by British writer Sue Limb to describe a subgenre of commercial romance novels in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as their subsequent miniseries adaptations. In 2016 Jilly Cooper suggested that the term ought to be updated to "shagbusters" as "bonk" felt out-of-date. Genre history Although the term has been used generally to describe " bodice-rippers" such as '' Forever Amber'' (1944) by Kathleen Winsor, as well as '' Valley of the Dolls'' (1966) and the novels of Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins, it is specifically associated with the novels of Judith Krantz, Jackie Collins, Shirley Conran and Jilly Cooper, known for their glamorous, financially independent female protagonists and salacious storylines. Many of these novels were adapted in the 1980s into glossy, big-budget miniseries, reminiscent of primetime soaps of the time, such as ''Dallas'', '' Knots Landing'' and ''Dynasty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jump! (novel)
''Jump!'' is a 2010 novel by English author Jilly Cooper. It is the ninth novel in the Rutshire Chronicles series. The plot follows the racing career of a one-eyed horse called Mrs Wilkinson, who is rescued by widow and grandmother Etta Bancroft. She forms a syndicate to race Mrs Wilkinson with others from her village and the novel follows them to major National Hunt races at Aintree, Cheltenham and the Grand National. Despite extensive research, Cooper struggled to write the novel, due to her husband's and her own ill health. The book received positive reviews, with some reservations. Reviewer Olivia Laing praised Cooper's "near-magical ability to conjure up a world", but criticised the underage, non-consensual sex as well as some of the novel's multiple side plots. Plot Widow and grandmother Etta Bancroft rescues a horse that she finds abandoned near her home in Rutshire. Known as Mrs Wilkinson, the one-eyed racehorse turns out to have impeccable bloodlines and the village, inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wicked!
''Wicked! A Tale of Two Schools'' is a 2006 novel by English writer Jilly Cooper. It is the eighth book in the Rutshire Chronicles series. The novel is based on the interactions of staff and pupils of two schools in the fictional county of Larkshire, the private school Bagley Hall and the state-run Larkminster Comprehensive. Students include "Feral" Jackson, a Larkminster pupil whose mother is a drug addict, and Paris Alvaston, who lives in care. Rupert Campbell-Black also features as a pupil, when he takes a bet that he cannot pass GCSE English. Cooper undertook extensive research in preparation for the book, visiting both state and independent schools, including: Dean Close School, St Paul's, Bryanston School, St Mary's, Calne, Barnwood Park School and Brighton College. The novel received positive reviews, with Mary McCarthy stating that "a solid dose of low brow, high quality, vintage Cooper is just what a girl needs". Plot The novel is based on the interactions of staf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pandora (2002 Novel)
''Pandora'' is a 2002 novel by English writer Jilly Cooper. It is the seventh novel in the Rutshire Chronicles series. Set in the art world, the book follows the career of Raymond Belvedon, who whilst a young army officer in the Second World War, steals a painting called ''Pandora''. The painting is later stolen from his family home and the novel follows the cast as they locate the painting. The denouement of the novel is a record-breaking sale at Sotheby's with the sale of ''Pandora'' as the centrepiece. Quentin Letts described the novel as Cooper "back on nostril-flaring, leg-splaying top form", whilst Robert Macfarlane described the novel's sexual activities as usually simple and happy, where "mutuality of orgasm is a given". Plot The book follows the career of Raymond Belvedon, who, whilst a young army officer in the Second World War, steals a painting called ''Pandora.'' The fictional painting is by Raphael and is kept by Belvedon over the subsequent years, hanging in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Score! (novel)
''Score!'' is a 1999 novel by British author Jilly Cooper, that is part of the Rutshire Chronicles series. It is both a bonkbuster and a Crime fiction, murder mystery, set during the filming of the Giuseppe Verdi, Verdi opera ''Don Carlos.'' It focuses on the murder of conductor Roberto Rannaldini during filming, and the subsequent spate of violence. The novel was Cooper's first attempt at crime fiction and as part of her research she visited film sets and spoke to police. It received mixed reviews, especially in terms of its expansive plot that mixed genres, as well as its attitudes to rape and sexual violence, with Tanya Gold describing how they are treated as footnotes to the plot. Plot The plot revolves around the life and death of Roberto Rannaldini, a famous conductor with a reputation for being evil and manipulative. One of his ambitions is to conduct a film of the Verdi opera ''Don Carlos'', which is filmed at his mansion, Valhalla. The director of the film is his godso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Appassionata (novel)
''Appassionata'' is a 1996 novel by British author Jilly Cooper. The Rutshire Chronicles bonkbuster follows the career of violinist Abigail Rosen, who survives a suicide attempt and goes on to reinvent herself as a conductor. Her first job is for the fictional Rutminster Symphony Orchestra. The novel then follows the lives of several other characters, including horn player and ultimate love interest Viking O'Neill, as the fortunes of the orchestra itself dip. Despite being a bestseller, the novel was subject to mixed reviews. Whilst Cooper referred to it as her "sex and Chopin" novel, and reviewers praised her detailed research into orchestral life, others criticised the plot and characterisation. Its release was accompanied by a compilation of music from the novel. The film rights were acquired in 2016. Plot The novel is centred around the career of violin soloist Abigail Rosen, nicknamed ''L'Appassionata'' (' the passionate one'). After she discovers her married manager, wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous
''The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous'' is a 1993 novel written by Jilly Cooper as part of the Rutshire Chronicles, is about Lysander Hawkley, a man who is employed by wives to make their adulterous husbands jealous, and reinvest in their marriages.The book was first published in hardback in 1993 and then in paperback in April 1994, and was later adapted into a television miniseries. Upon publication of the novel Quentin Oates writing in the ''The Bookseller'' commented that with this novel Cooper had "joined the great, the good and the reviewable", although many reviews did not appreciate the humour or the sex scenes. However Maeve Binchy described the novel as "a happy feckless romp". Plot Lysander Hawkley is a handsome young man without full-time employment. After his father refuses to lend him any money, his friend, Ferdinand, comes up with a scheme to make money out of his womanizing: to help wives make their adulterous husbands jealous. The plan, in theory, is simple: to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polo (novel)
''Polo'' is a novel written by the English author Jilly Cooper. Published in 1991, it is the third book in Cooper's '' Rutshire Chronicles'' series, preceded by ''Rivals'', and followed by '' The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous.'' The novel is 766 pages long and follows the recovery and revenge of polo player Ricky France-Lynch. The bonkbuster was described as a "frothy brew of sex, class and jodhpurs" by the ''Scunthorpe Star.'' Journalist Kate Saunders stated that "within its genre it is a work of towering genius". Plot ''Polo'' follows the lives of characters in the fictional county of Rutshire, centred on the life of polo player Ricky France-Lynch. He kills his son in a car accident, which also injured him. Jailed, France-Lynch becomes friends with a rockstar, Dancer Maitland, and they join forces once released from prison for Maitland to sponsor France-Lynch and a polo team. In parallel, France-Lynch's former wife, Chessie France-Lynch married his enemy Bart Alderton and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Show Jumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are limited exclusively to jumpers. Sometimes jumper classes are offered in conjunction with other English-style events. Sometimes, show jumping is but one division of a very large, all-breed competition that includes a very wide variety of disciplines. Jumping classes may be governed by various national horse show sanctioning organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation or the British Showjumping Association. International competitions are governed by the rules of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. Hunters or jumpers Show jumping events have hunter classes, jumper classes and hunt seat equitation classes. Hunters are judged subjectively on the degree to which they meet an ideal standard of manners, s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olympic Medal
An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold medal, gold, silver medal, silver, and bronze medal, bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols. Medal designs have varied considerably since the Games in 1896, particularly in the size of the medals for the Summer Olympic Games. The design selected for the 1928 Summer Olympics, 1928 Games remained until its replacement at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004 Games in Athens, where the use of the Roman Colosseum was replaced by the Greek Panathenaic Stadium, appropriate to represent Olympic values. The medals of the Winter Olympic Games never had a common design, but regularly feature snowflakes and the event where the medal has been won. In addition to generally supporting their Olympic athletes, some countries provide sums of money and gifts to medal winners, d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
