Rutshire Chronicles

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 wrote 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 "legendarily filthy". Cooper was meticulous about her research for of the novels. This included travelling to Palm Beach and Argentina to research Polo.

Cooper acknowledged that the character of Rupert Campbell-Black was inspired by: the 11th Duke of Beaufort; Andrew Parker Bowles, the former husband of Queen Camilla; and the 21st Earl of Suffolk. Each of the books includes a character list prior to the main text. These lists have been described by Tamara Atkin as a "gateway to Cooper's over-sexed landscape of horse-riding toffs" but having the additional function of familiarity for the reader throughout the series.

Characters

• Rupert Campbell-Black
• Agatha 'Taggie' Campbell-Black, née O'Hara
• Marcus Campbell-Black
• Tabitha Campbell-Black
• Basil Baddingham
• Billy Lloyd-Foxe
• Janie Lloyd-Foxe
• Declan O'Hara
• Cameron Cook
• Tony Badingham
• Ricky France-Lynch
• Bart Alderton
• Luke Alderton
• Lysander Hawkley
• Flora Seymour
• Roberto Rannaldini
• Hermione Harefield
• Cosmo Rannaldini
• Anthea Belvedon
• Dora Belvedon
• Helen Hawkley, née McCauley (formerly Campbell-Black, Gordon, Rannaldini)
• Etta Bancroft
• Amber Lloyd-Foxe
• Valent Edwards

Rutshire Chronicles books

1. Riders (1986)
2. Rivals (1988; also Players in the USA)
3. Polo (1991)
4. The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous (1993)
5. Appassionata (1996)
6. Score! (1999)
7. Pandora (2002)
8. Wicked! (2006)
9. Jump! (2010)
10. Mount! (2016)
11. Tackle! (2023)

Adaptations

Several books from the series have been adapted for television, the first was Riders which was aired as a miniseries, despite being shot as a television film, in 1993. Polo was due to be adapted as a TV miniseries by Anglia TV in the same year. In 1997, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous was adapted as a TV miniseries for ITV, by Anglia Television. In 2016 the production company Filmwave acquired the rights to the novel, alongside those of nine other Rutshire Chronicles. The company was behind the 2024 adaptation of Rivals. A second series of Rivals was commissioned in 2025.

Reception

The series has influenced the real world in several ways. For example, Polo the novel brought the sport to a wider audience and attendance at matches increased. Horses feature to a greater or lesser extent in the majority of the series, most notably in Riders, Polo, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, Mount! and Jump!; this association has been linked with other novels that focus on desire, including The Nonesuch and Regency Buck.

Cooper's recent works, including Jump! received a variety of responses from critics, with Olivia Laing in The Guardian praising "her near-magical ability to conjure up a world and populate it with people for whom you feel a deep affection". Since the 2010s the series has been criticised for dated and problematic portrayals of race, homosexuality, gender roles and sexual consent. Her works have been described as "untouched by the #MeToo movement". In 2023 former British prime minister Rishi Sunak revealed that some of his favourite books were part of the series.

Notes

References

References

1. (2024-10-21). "Where was Disney+'s Rivals filmed? And can you visit Rutshire IRL?".
2. Teller, Matthew. (2013-11-07). "The Rough Guide to The Cotswolds: Includes Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon". Rough Guides UK.
3. Ellis, Samantha. (2015-01-08). "How to Be a Heroine: Or, What I've Learned from Reading Too Much". Penguin Random House.
4. "Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles books in order: How to read Rivals inspiration {{!}} Radio Times".
5. (2024-10-28). "Loved 'Rivals'? These Are The Dame Jilly Cooper Books To Read Next".
6. Sturges, Fiona. (2024-10-15). "Rivals review — star-studded Jilly Cooper adaptation is puerile, gratuitous and an absolute riot". Financial Times.
7. Bell, Jane. (13 May 1992). "Jilly Makes a Mint". Aberdeen Evening Express.
8. (2013-02-19). "Judging a Book by its Bonk".
9. [[Rowan Pelling]], [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11454433/On-its-30th-anniversary-why-Riders-is-the-best-erotic-fiction-of-all-time.html On its 30th anniversary, why Riders is the best erotic fiction of all time] {{Webarchive. link. (14 December 2024 dated 7 March 2015 at telegraph.co.uk, accessed 20 January 2018)
10. (9 August 2022). "Cotswolds author Jilly Cooper mourns death of Earl who inspired one of her most iconic characters". Gloucestershire Live.
11. Atkin, Tamara. (2019). "Book Parts". Oxford University Press.
12. "PAPERBACKS; 'THE WHOLE BUILDING THRUMMED WITH LUST'. - Document - Gale General OneFile".
13. "TELEVISION / Sex, beasts and Jilly Cooper". The Independent.
14. Devlin, Martina. (25 June 1992). "Jilly takes a Praed in her work as the stars saddle up for Riders". Daily Express.
15. (2024-10-21). "We've Got Good News And Bad News For Rivals Fans Awaiting Season 2".
16. "The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous".
17. "ITV series for Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles".
18. Bickerstaff, Isaac. (2025-05-09). "Get ready, Rutshire! A second season of Rivals is beginning filming later this month".
19. Rasmussen, Sonja. "24 May 1996". Aberdeen Evening Express.
20. Dyhouse, Carol. (2017). "Heartthrobs: A History of Women and Desire". Oxford University Press.
21. Laing, Olivia. (2010-09-11). "Jump! by Jilly Cooper". The Observer.
22. Radloff, Lili. "Book review: Mount by Jilly Cooper".
23. Morey, Kelly Ana. (2016-11-18). "Jilly Cooper's ninth 'bonkbuster' falls short".
24. (2016-09-06). "21 things that always happen in Jilly Cooper novels".
25. Redmond, Moira. (2023-11-07). "Jilly Cooper is the only modern icon who can get away with ignoring #MeToo".
26. (2023-05-25). "UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak loves a horsey "bonkbuster."".