Growing up there was always one book on my grandparents’ shelf that intrigued me. It protruded from the line-up, begging to be read; bold gold lettering brandishing the spine, with a cover that showed a woman’s bottom in white jodhpurs being caressed by a man’s tanned hand, peaking out of a red riding jacket. It was, of course, Riders by Dame Jilly Cooper, the first in the Rutshire Chronicles, which has sold over one million copies in the UK since its publication in 1985. Now, the second novel in the series, Rivals, has been adapted for the small screen, in a series available to stream on Disney+.
Yet despite my childhood fascination with the Riders cover (which I have still never read), when the initial announcement of the Rivals TV series came about, I wasn’t particularly phased. As a reader at the older end (ahem) of gen-z, it just didn’t appeal to me. But I decided to dive in and read all 716 pages of Cooper’s bestseller regardless, to see what all the fuss was about.
Before I get into the nitty gritty of those 700 plus pages, here’s just a little bit of context. Dame Jilly Cooper is a certified icon. She began her career in journalism in the late 1960s before turning to novel writing, publishing a series of books before the Rutshire Chronicles. The first of the 11 novels in the series came out in 1985, while the most recent, Tackle!, was released in 2023.
The novels are known for their stories about the British upper-class, who are often mixed in with the horsey, showjumping and polo crowd, with stories often linked by the character of Rupert Campbell-Black. There’s deception, betrayal, cheating, partying and gossiping a-plenty. And, of course, a good old fashioned dose of sex scenes. Basically, they were THE beach read, aptly nicknamed “bonkbusters”, that our mums and grandmas wouldn’t get on a plane without. Just like our version of the latest Emily Henry, essentially.
So, are they worth the hype?
Rivals tells the story of Lord Tony Baddingham, the managing director of Corinium Television. He’s a ruthless leader who grew up going to grammar school. But after his father’s later success in life, Tony joined the upper class, married well and is now one of the most powerful men in the fictional county of Rutshire. But these early life insecurities around wealth continue in his adult life, as Tony tirelessly tries to clutch on to his power at the television centre, as a threat to his ‘perfect’ life comes into play.
The menace in question? Rupert Campbell-Black, a retired showjumping Olympian, who goes through an intense divorce in the previous book (although you don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy this one.) He’s now a Tory MP and the Minister for Sport, who then puts up a bid to buy Tony’s TV centre and forms an alliance against his rival.
The novel covers their intense rivalry and their friends, family and enemies who are at play. And there’s a lot of them. So many characters in fact, that Cooper provides a much needed list of biographies at the start of the novel, so you don’t get confused amongst the Toffs.
While at first the sheer volume of characters is overwhelming, once you get into it, you realise this is in fact the novel’s strength. They’re funny, deeply flawed and yet very loveable. From the strong-willed and fiery American TV exec Cameron Cook, to the shy and retreating Taggie O’Hara, to the hilarious Charles Fairbury; every page is littered with complexity and relatability.
And these characters form a soap opera-like plot, one that feels so suited to television because of the layers of action going on. It’s dramatic, punchy and unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Maybe it’s just my reading list or lack of attention span, but I can’t remember digging into anything quite as long in year. And at first, it felt a tad overwhelming. Could I really keep my interest up over 700 pages?
It turns out – yes. The plot is fast-paced, while also being slow enough to introduce new people and subplots. Then there’s all the romance to contend with (spoiler alert: practically none of the characters are loyal to their partners), as well as the way you find yourself rooting for surprising people. I lost count of the number of times I wanted Lizzie Vereker to leave her awful husband James.
As the novel steps into its second half, the bid for the IBA Franchise (which I will admit I had to Google to understand) really ramps up, and I found myself staying up past my usual bedtime to get to the end of the chapter.
But all that said, it did take me a good 100 pages to really get into it, so don’t give up if you’re not fully on board within the first chapter. And in fairness, there are some reading hurdles that do make it difficult to get into. It’s a novel from the 1980s, set in the upper class of the 80s, and certainly feels reflective of that time period. Throughout Rivals there are numerous sexist and racists remarks, that thankfully never see the light of publication today.
With the sex scenes, while some are just pure steam, others are non-consensual, full of violence, or coercion, and felt jarring to read. There’s one scene in particular where a young woman explains how she’s been sexually assaulted by an investor, and its disregarded by Tony Baddingham, who victim blames her for the assault.
And then there’s the relationship between Rupert and Taggie O’Hara, the 18-year-old daughter of Declan O’Hara, an Irish TV host brought into help boost Corinium’s ratings. Throughout the novel Taggie and Rupert, who is 20 years Taggie’s senior at 38 years old, have a “will they won’t they” relationship. Again, without giving away any spoilers, their relationship is set up as the true “romantic” story of the novel. And sometimes it does feel very romantic – and then you remember the glaring age difference and power dynamic between them.
Weirdly, despite having only just read it, I now feel very protective of its on-screen adaptation. Finishing the novel, you can see why it’s become an iconic piece of literature and sold millions of copies.
Yes, we have plenty of romance novels going viral on BookTok each month (and they often have special places in my heart) but nothing else feels quite as sharp, deep, full of details and laugh out loud as Jilly Cooper’s writing. So now, if you don’t mind me, I’m off to order every other copy in the Rutshire Chronicles.
Rivals is available to buy now. Disney+’s Rivals series is out now.