Players: A Novel

This novel is the second in the series for Jilly Cooper. Although many of the same characters appear again from her previous book "Riders", a whole new cast of characters are introduced. This book, like the authors other books had multiple plots going on for each character that eventually were intertwined. With the same attention to detail as in her earlier books, each character is well developed and easy for the reader to relate to and understand. By the end of the novel, the reader feels that they really know each character. Although the novel has some hot and steamy love scenes, it appeared much tamer than Riders. Overall, a good read, although I enjoyed Rider's more, likely due to the horse aspect.

Remember the Monty Python skit about "upper class twits"? Well, those made the characters in this book look like Mensa members. Actually, there are no characters here, just caricatures. I grasp that this is supposed to be some kind of "fun, trashy read" but that is no excuse for sacrificing plot entirely. By the time I read 50 pages, I still didn't know what this book was about. I'm not entirely sure the author did either. I got the feeling that she just kept putting description after description of beautiful people, intermixed with the occasional bawdy joke in front of her until she filled up the designated number of pages to qualify it for a "book."Do you like people screaming at each other constantly about totally minor matters? A huge cast that is gorgeous and rich but not in the least intriguing? Children who pitch a fit when they can't watch porn? Then you are going to LOVE this book!Apparently, this book is a bestseller in Britian. Obviously, there is a culture gap here. A big one.

This book features Rupert Campbell-Black after he retires from show-jumping. I really like the new setting, in the world of television. It's a very flashy and glamorous plot, with a lot of drama. It's almost like watching a soap. Just like Riders, it's a book that's hard to put down.I really like how Rupert Campbell-Black finally falls in love and abandons his playboy lifestyle, and the happy ending. However, I think it is too much of a change in his character. Taggie is not particularly witty, in fact, she's kind of a wallflower in my opinion. She's beautiful but her personality is rather plain. The only thing her and Rupert talks about is what's going on and how much they love each other.

This is the continuation of the Rupert Campbell-Black story. This time instead of showjumping, he is bedhopping, I mean trying to win a TV franchise from the evil Tony Baddingham. This is your classic fairytale of evil versus good but in this case also wicked. The reason I loved this particular book in this series is because Rupert Campbell-Black finally gets what he deserves - he falls in love with the daughter of his business partner, Declan O'Hara. Taggie O'Hara is such a sweet girl that you can't help but hope that RCB gets her in the end and that some of her sweetness may rub off on him. Not too much sweetness though, I would miss his wickedness in the books that follow Players (Polo, The Man That Made Husbands Jealous, Appassionata, Score and Wicked).

The copy of Players arrived in lovely condition, As I have just received it, I have comments on the content yet, but if it is anything like the other Jilly Cooper novels, it promises to be fabulous

I adore this book! In fact, I have purchased several copies because everyone who borrows a copy claims to have returned it.Players (Rivals in Great Britain) is full of amazingly quirky people. They are always broke, regardles of how much money they have. They smoke and drink too much and fall into bed too often, ususally with the WRONG person.Jilly Cooper creates characters that I would love to know! They are witty, passionate and ring very true. The fully-drawn characers cover the social strata of contemporary Great Britain. As Margaret Mitchel made all of her peripheral characters interesting in "Gone With the Wind" so too does Jilly Cooper.Buy this book. Devour it. Don't lend it out.

I want to move to the UK! Jilly Cooper is monstrously funny, her characters are finely drawn and even the villains are loveable. Tales of the intrigue that boils beneath the seemingly placcid countryside life are quite realistic to those of us who live in the country.The thing about Jilly Cooper's books is that they go together so beautifully [Riders, Polo, Rivals...] but they are a complete story on their own as well.I just loved Campbell-Black now he's turned respectable!

Title of this book altered for American mkt. if this had been mentioned before I purchased and not after , I would have known I already had it As RIVALS. Money wasted.

This book is a con it is Jilly Coopers Rivals under a different name so beware what you are buying