Riders by Jilly Cooper: Classic 80's Fiction

Rupert Campbell Black is stunningly gorgeous!

He has everything - rich, upper-class and incredibly talented. He is ferociously competitive, ambitious and his thirst to succeed brings out the bad streak in his personality. Rupert is very promiscuous, arrogant and has a terrible temper. Rupert can be cruel to his horses, beating them up and sending them to stone pits when they are no longer useful. He treats his wife with very little respect.

Despite this, you will root for him at the very end and hope he will succeed against all the odds. Throughout the book you will be hoping Rupert's redemption will come!

Show Jumping. Source: Tim Hipps at Wikimedia Commons

In 1993 a mini series of Riders was created for ITV (British television) and the English actor Marcus Gilbert played Rupert. Marcus Gilbert is a handsome man, but not perfect - and Rupert is, in my mind and millions of other women's, exceptionally beautiful!

Jilly Cooper based Rupert Campbell Black on four different men, Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles (the former husband of Camilla Parker-Bowles), the Earl of Suffolk Michael Howard, Rupert Lycett Green and the Duke of Beaufort David Somerset. Jilly was quoted to say "They were a wildly dashing and exciting group, and their bravery and charisma were the essential elements of Rupert's character." The bad aspects of his personality were made up and of no reflection of these gentlemen. Read the full article about who Rupert is based on here from The Telegraph: Camilla's ex-husband unmasked as Jilly Coopers Champagne Swilling Seducer

"Goodness, he was well constructed. Usually, men with such long legs had short bodies but Rupert, from the broad flat shoulders to the lean muscular hips and powerful thighs, seemed perfectly in proportion."

Image: Ronjamin at Wikimedia Commons

Apart from Rupert Campbell Black the other two main male characters in Riders are:

Jake Lovell - Dark, brooding and mysterious, Jake Lovell is a half gypsy orphan who wears gold earrings and has a natural instinct with horses and women! His life and upbringing is very different to Rupert's and after being bullied mercilessly by Rupert as a child, he is out to seek revenge on Rupert professionally and personally.

Billy Lloyd Foxe - Smiling, jocular, laid back and very sweet, Billy is Rupert's best friend. Billy inspires loyalty in Rupert, who sticks by him through thick and thin - and vice a versa.

Around these key characters orbit their families, girlfriends, wives, team mates and competition. The rivalry between Jake Lovell and Rupert Campbell Black is the pivotal point to the plot and from this revolves the sub-plots between the other characters. Jilly Cooper is a master at seamlessly weaving all this together into one big adventurous romp through the Cotswold countryside and playgrounds of the rich and famous.

Product Details
Paperback: 912 pages
Publisher: Touchstone (July 3, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0743297008
ASIN: B001O9CEPU
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

"The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness and kindness, can be trained to do most things."