Listen to a sample
Rivals
Rutshire Chronicles (Related to this series)
- Author
- Jilly Cooper
- Narrator
- Georgia Tennant
- Publisher
- W. F. Howes Ltd
- Publish Date
- 11 July 2024
- Run Time
- 24 hours 46 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Rating
- 4.0 (2 reviews)
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
Who will take the Cotswold Crown?
Into the cut-throat world of Corinium television comes Declan O'Hara, a mega-star of great glamour and integrity with a radiant feckless wife, a handsome son and two ravishing teenage daughters. Living rather too closely across the valley is Rupert Campbell-Black, divorced and as dissolute as ever, and now the Tory Minister for Sport.
Declan needs only a few days at Corinium to realise that the Managing Director, Lord Baddingham, is a crook who has recruited him merely to help retain the franchise for Corinium. Baddingham has also enticed Cameron Cook, a gorgeous but domineering woman executive, to produce Declan's programme. Declan and Cameron detest each other, provoking a storm of controversy into which Rupert plunges with his usual abandon.
As a rival group emerges to pitch for the franchise, reputations ripen and decline, true love blossoms and burns, marriages are made and shattered, and sex raises its (delicious) head at almost every throw as, in bed and boardroom, the race is on to capture the Cotswold Crown.
'Jilly Cooper is the very best ... elegant, glamourous, wonderful fun' DAILY MAIL
'I couldn't put it down' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'A combination of drama, sex, and good social comedy ... unputdownable' THE SUNDAY TIMES
User Reviews
Book 4.0
Narration 4.5
-
4.0 5.0
Like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Rivals is a novel of manners, but in this case, the social satire comes with the twist of also being a shameless “bonkbuster”(a word new to me that I will always treasure). With a wink at the outsized sexy, soapy television melodramas of the time--Dynasty and Dallas--the book, written and set in the 1980s, revels in its own crass humor, sexism, shock value, and embrace of the kitsch. But underneath the loud window dressing, I would argue that we see the same themes as Austen's: the follies of class, the tensions between emotion and reason, and a keen awareness of the societal constraints placed on women. The audiobook narrator, Georgia Tennent, does a beautiful job.
I will rate it a 4 for its pure fun--and extremely problematic--listening pleasure.TippyCanoeGal 2026-07-06
Details
- Author
- Jilly Cooper
- Narrator
- Georgia Tennant
- Duration
- 24 hours 46 minutes
- Release Date
- 11 July 2024
- ISBN
- 9781004170548
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- W. F. Howes Ltd
- Rating
- 4.0(2 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.5(2 reviews)
Synopsis
A brand-new recording narrated by Georgia Tennant, star of Doctor Who: Dreamland and Staged.Who will take the Cotswold Crown?Into the cut-throat world of Corinium television comes Declan O'Hara, a mega-star of great glamour and integrity with a radiant feckless wife, a handsome son and two ravishing teenage daughters. Living rather too closely across the valley is Rupert Campbell-Black, divorced and as dissolute as ever, and now the Tory Minister for Sport.Declan needs only a few days at Corinium to realise that the Managing Director, Lord Baddingham, is a crook who has recruited him merely to help retain the franchise for Corinium. Baddingham has also enticed Cameron Cook, a gorgeous but domineering woman executive, to produce Declan's programme. Declan and Cameron detest each other, provoking a storm of controversy into which Rupert plunges with his usual abandon.As a rival group emerges to pitch for the franchise, reputations ripen and decline, true love blossoms and burns, marriages are made and shattered, and sex raises its (delicious) head at almost every throw as, in bed and boardroom, the race is on to capture the Cotswold Crown.'Jilly Cooper is the very best ... elegant, glamourous, wonderful fun' DAILY MAIL'I couldn't put it down' SUNDAY EXPRESS'A combination of drama, sex, and good social comedy ... unputdownable' THE SUNDAY TIMES
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.