Apassionata by Jilly Cooper - otherwise known as "classical musicians get laid too!"
I am clearly on a Jilly Cooper roll, as the newest book I finished is her Apassionata. This is yet another one in her 'Rutshire Chronicles' (books set in a fictional English county, following various people who know each other). Unlike Rivals, which revolved around various denizens trying to acquire a license to run a TV station, this follows a local orchestra and related shenanigans.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I love it? Yes and no. I loved all the parts which involved the Campbell-Blacks - whether Rupert/Taggie (OMG I ship them as much as ever) and their adopted kids, or Marcus (Rupert's despised, frail, music-obsessed son who I ended up adoring) or even Rupert's ludicrous ex-wife Helen and her 'courtship' by the arch-bad-guy Rinaldini. The problem is all the rest - which was the majority of the book. I don't dislike Abby, the wunderkind violinist who struggles to become a conductor but I have zero interest in her. And even though my attitude towards classical music is more positive than Rupert's (I quite like listening to it), I have about his level of interest in the nitty-gritty of performing or orchestra life or management, i.e., none. So I ended up skipping all those sections. Give me more of Rupert and Taggie in a Colombian orphanage and less of boring secondaries bitching about violas.
To itemize:
1. Could Rinaldini be any more of a bad guy? Maybe if he devoured puppies. He's cruel, selfish, abusive to everyone, liar and possibly a wannabe pedophile. Seriously. Unlike Tony, the antagonist in Rivals, who may have been a bad guy, but has some good points and you can understand why people like him, Rinaldini is pretty much a picture of a sociopath so he's not even fun to read about. It just makes you wonder why everyone in the world doesn't just join into smacking him.
2. Related - I believe Helen officially has the worst taste in men it's possible to have. Let's itemize - she's had three husbands - Rupert, Malise, and Rinaldini. Each are about the biggest disaster ever from any normal point of view. Now, I adore Rupert as a character and he certainly made a wonderful husband to Taggy but not only was he way too wild and immature to be married to anyone when he was married to Helen, they are about as incompatible as two people can be. Her marriage with Malise worked out but I can't get over that he was 30 yrs older than her and she liked him because she had someone organize her life (she's just hopeless at doing things on her own). And then she picks the creepy sociopath Rinaldini who only marries her to piss off Rupert and possibly get his claws into Rupert and Helen's daughter Tabitha. Woman, have you no sense? You are going to start writing to serial killers in jail next! (Side note - wtf, bad guy! I haven't yet read "The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous" which sets out why Rinaldini hates Rupert so much, apparently, but surely marrying someone just to possibly piss off her ex is much too much work for too little effort. Especially since Rupert can't stand Helen anyway and Rinaldini doesn't manage to do anything too fucked up to the children. Well, I am sure Rinaldini would prefer to mess with Taggie but is a realist).
3. Was I surprised that Marcus turned out to be gay? Nope, not at all. Was I shocked that Rupert actually didn't disown him or even get pissed off but just accepted it and told the press he's proud of him? Yeah. But then I get the sense that with Rupert, if he decides he cares for someone, that's pretty much it, plus he's good in a crisis. I am sure his un-PC, reactionary views in general are still intact, but the fact that Marcus is his son trumps everything - it's like the thing with Taggie in Rivals when he voted against death penalty or didn't burn his fields as he usually did because she freaked out about possibly trapped animals (the fact that Rupert, of all people, is married to someone concerned about animal rights, cracks me up). I am glad Rupert and Marcus made up - the poor kid needed it all his life.
4. Abby Abby Abby was soooooo boring. I didn't care about her struggle or love life or anything else - too bad that was the bulk of the book.
5. Rupert/Taggie !!!!! !!!!!!!! I have no idea why they hit every shippy kink I didn't know I had but they do. They've been together for what - seven years now? And he still worships the ground she walks on (with his sort of personality, he needs to - she must get a bit light-headed from the lack of oxygen due to the height of her pedestal). And takes care of her when she's sick and freaks out when he worries about her and apologizes when he loses his temper (!!! the last one impresses me the most). Ahhhhhhhh...Also, he must really love her to go with her to some hellhole and stay there for weeks so they can adopt because she can't have kids, because he doesn't need kids for himself - he's got kids already and he had zero interest in this whole endeavor. AWWWWWWWWWWW. Also, I totally cracked up when instead of one kid (baby Bianca that they came to pick up), they also ended up with a boy, who was crippled, neglected and *gasp* non-white because Rupert, of all people, latched on to him because he liked the kid's pluck. The thing is, I can see why it's killing Marcus - Rupert is pretty much enjoying being a perfect family man - with a loving and loved wife, and two kids he adores and who adore him - but Marcus never got any of this perfect family or paternal love growing up due to his parents both not being mature and loathing each other into the bargain.
Plus, who knew that Rupert, of all people, could say things like this:
"I was such a wreck when I met you," mumbled Rupert, "Helen just reminds me how vile I was. You've taught me to love." He kissed her wedding ring finger. "You've twisted me straight. I've got a present for you." Rooting in his pocket he produced a silver locket. Inside were Daisy France-Lynch miniatures of Xav and Bianca.
So cheesy, so awwwwwwwwwwwww.
6. Also, I finally figured something out - all of Jilly Cooper's sex scenes are awfully sleazy - maybe that is why she never really has any explicit scenes between couples who are the OTPs, like Rupert and Taggie or Marcus and his bf or whatever. I don't think she's capable of writing a romantic sex scene :)
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I love it? Yes and no. I loved all the parts which involved the Campbell-Blacks - whether Rupert/Taggie (OMG I ship them as much as ever) and their adopted kids, or Marcus (Rupert's despised, frail, music-obsessed son who I ended up adoring) or even Rupert's ludicrous ex-wife Helen and her 'courtship' by the arch-bad-guy Rinaldini. The problem is all the rest - which was the majority of the book. I don't dislike Abby, the wunderkind violinist who struggles to become a conductor but I have zero interest in her. And even though my attitude towards classical music is more positive than Rupert's (I quite like listening to it), I have about his level of interest in the nitty-gritty of performing or orchestra life or management, i.e., none. So I ended up skipping all those sections. Give me more of Rupert and Taggie in a Colombian orphanage and less of boring secondaries bitching about violas.
To itemize:
1. Could Rinaldini be any more of a bad guy? Maybe if he devoured puppies. He's cruel, selfish, abusive to everyone, liar and possibly a wannabe pedophile. Seriously. Unlike Tony, the antagonist in Rivals, who may have been a bad guy, but has some good points and you can understand why people like him, Rinaldini is pretty much a picture of a sociopath so he's not even fun to read about. It just makes you wonder why everyone in the world doesn't just join into smacking him.
2. Related - I believe Helen officially has the worst taste in men it's possible to have. Let's itemize - she's had three husbands - Rupert, Malise, and Rinaldini. Each are about the biggest disaster ever from any normal point of view. Now, I adore Rupert as a character and he certainly made a wonderful husband to Taggy but not only was he way too wild and immature to be married to anyone when he was married to Helen, they are about as incompatible as two people can be. Her marriage with Malise worked out but I can't get over that he was 30 yrs older than her and she liked him because she had someone organize her life (she's just hopeless at doing things on her own). And then she picks the creepy sociopath Rinaldini who only marries her to piss off Rupert and possibly get his claws into Rupert and Helen's daughter Tabitha. Woman, have you no sense? You are going to start writing to serial killers in jail next! (Side note - wtf, bad guy! I haven't yet read "The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous" which sets out why Rinaldini hates Rupert so much, apparently, but surely marrying someone just to possibly piss off her ex is much too much work for too little effort. Especially since Rupert can't stand Helen anyway and Rinaldini doesn't manage to do anything too fucked up to the children. Well, I am sure Rinaldini would prefer to mess with Taggie but is a realist).
3. Was I surprised that Marcus turned out to be gay? Nope, not at all. Was I shocked that Rupert actually didn't disown him or even get pissed off but just accepted it and told the press he's proud of him? Yeah. But then I get the sense that with Rupert, if he decides he cares for someone, that's pretty much it, plus he's good in a crisis. I am sure his un-PC, reactionary views in general are still intact, but the fact that Marcus is his son trumps everything - it's like the thing with Taggie in Rivals when he voted against death penalty or didn't burn his fields as he usually did because she freaked out about possibly trapped animals (the fact that Rupert, of all people, is married to someone concerned about animal rights, cracks me up). I am glad Rupert and Marcus made up - the poor kid needed it all his life.
4. Abby Abby Abby was soooooo boring. I didn't care about her struggle or love life or anything else - too bad that was the bulk of the book.
5. Rupert/Taggie !!!!! !!!!!!!! I have no idea why they hit every shippy kink I didn't know I had but they do. They've been together for what - seven years now? And he still worships the ground she walks on (with his sort of personality, he needs to - she must get a bit light-headed from the lack of oxygen due to the height of her pedestal). And takes care of her when she's sick and freaks out when he worries about her and apologizes when he loses his temper (!!! the last one impresses me the most). Ahhhhhhhh...Also, he must really love her to go with her to some hellhole and stay there for weeks so they can adopt because she can't have kids, because he doesn't need kids for himself - he's got kids already and he had zero interest in this whole endeavor. AWWWWWWWWWWW. Also, I totally cracked up when instead of one kid (baby Bianca that they came to pick up), they also ended up with a boy, who was crippled, neglected and *gasp* non-white because Rupert, of all people, latched on to him because he liked the kid's pluck. The thing is, I can see why it's killing Marcus - Rupert is pretty much enjoying being a perfect family man - with a loving and loved wife, and two kids he adores and who adore him - but Marcus never got any of this perfect family or paternal love growing up due to his parents both not being mature and loathing each other into the bargain.
Plus, who knew that Rupert, of all people, could say things like this:
"I was such a wreck when I met you," mumbled Rupert, "Helen just reminds me how vile I was. You've taught me to love." He kissed her wedding ring finger. "You've twisted me straight. I've got a present for you." Rooting in his pocket he produced a silver locket. Inside were Daisy France-Lynch miniatures of Xav and Bianca.
So cheesy, so awwwwwwwwwwwww.
6. Also, I finally figured something out - all of Jilly Cooper's sex scenes are awfully sleazy - maybe that is why she never really has any explicit scenes between couples who are the OTPs, like Rupert and Taggie or Marcus and his bf or whatever. I don't think she's capable of writing a romantic sex scene :)