A perfect drop of romance for anyone who wants an afternoon of pure escapism. Follow Imogen as she has her ugly duckling moment, transforming from mousey librarian in to a stunning St Tropez beauty. Don’t expect the raciness of Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicle novels, but this is charming and great fun.
July 2009 Guest Editor Louise Wener onJILLY COOPER I rediscovered Jilly Cooper last winter, having not read her since I was fifteen. As a kid I loved the books that concentrated on one woman, my favourite ever was Imogen. I can still remember the Pygmalion moment when she’s transformed from plain, meek librarian into sex siren with the help of a St Tropez tan (the real South of France one, not the bottle) and a decent hair cut. I started reading her again when my second baby was born and I was too tired to pick up anything that wasn’t instantly escapist and enjoyable. Her books are like pop songs. Daft, delicious and perfectly crafted, as comforting as a hot mug of cocoa. Even in the midst of sleep deprived madness, I loved reading Imogen again. It’s a brilliant period piece on top of everything else.
As a librarian, Imogen read a lot of books, but none of them covered real life on the Riviera. Her holiday with tennis ace, Nicky, and the whole glamorous coterie of journalist,playboy, photographer, was a revelation - and so was she. A prize worth winning. A wild Yorkshire rose among the thorny model girls, Cable and Yvonne, with a rare asset that they'd mislaid years ago... But the path of a jet-set virgin in that lovely wicked world was a hard one. Imogen began to wonder if virtue really was its own reward...
Jilly Cooper is a well-known journalist, writer and media superstar. The author of many number one bestselling novels, including Riders, Rivals, Polo, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, Appassionata, Score! and Pandora, she and her husband live in Gloucestershire with several dogs and cats.
Another author whom I met as a journalist! Her breathy voice
immediately casts you under a spell as does her writing. I loved her
earlier books like Pandora, which concentrated on one heroine's life but I also loved Riders and – well, all of them!.
