Customer Reviews

Emily

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love Jilly Cooper's funny language and admire her storytelling ability. This volume contains two love stories. I gave it four stars, all o which mainly go to Emily. It's a story about a London girl who falls fast for a dashing but difficult artist, marries him and moves to Scotland. In Scotland married life turns out to be less than pleasant slightly "gothic", as Emily starts to wonder about her husband's motives. Cooper's writing is full of puns and really enjoyable.

Bella was okay as a story, and the writing is funny as well, but I don't like its naive heroine.

I read this book when I was a teenager and I never forgot it, so finally I tried to find it on Amazon.
I finally found it and stayed up one night and read it cover to cover. I have to say that, now that I am more mature, I found the characters odd and not explained enough. Not to mention that they almost seem surreal.

The following review reveals much about the story, and gives away the end.

Regarding Emily, this woman has absolutely no self-respect. A woman who puts up with a bad relationship after another, and no-good friends who doesn't seem to care for her. First she puts up with Cedric and doesn't seem to contribute to their relationship whatsoever. Not to mention that she doesn't seem to communication with him, or even try to communication, when he ignores her needs and attends a rallying party.
When she meets Rory, she seems to fall in love, but with what? There is not a single redeeming quality about him, he is sarcastic, cruel, vain and egocentric. And yet she falls in love, after two days in his company? I find that to be very hard to believe. Yet there is not a single attempt in the book to try to explain why she puts up with that kind of treatment?

After they move to the island, there is mention of how she tries to be somewhat independent (as to not nag Rory constantly, bother him in his work or stay bored) but yet she doesn't show any effort whatsoever. She doesn't pick up any hobbies, or try to entertain herself in any way. For several months!
I also find her attempts to cook laughable. There is a mention in the book of how she rises "early" in the morning to put together a lunch. Who does that? It doesn't take several hours to cook a simple lunch, for two people! What did she try to do, cook a 5- course meal? And for all her effort to learn to cook, she doesn't purchase a single cook book?

About Rory, I understand that he is suffering and in the first half of the book, his character is easily understood (even if no sympathy can be felt for him). But later on in the book, he revels to Emily that he has loved her for a while, a love that he cannot deny after Emily finds him in bed with Marina, yet he still seems to make Marina his priority. Instead of trying harder to make his marriage work, he spends several hours with Marina? And he has no problem revealing his emotions about Emily to Marina, but he doesn't seem to try very hard to tell Emily of his love. Even dough she stays in their marriage, after her hospital stay and kisses with Finn.

Furthermore, I would like to know what kind of doctors the author knows, that ignores an alleged claim of rape from their patients? Emily tells Finn that she got pregnant when "Rory sort of raped me". And Finn simply ignores those words? He doesn't comment that, or tries to talk Emily in to pressing charges. He doesn't even suggest that she talks to a rape counselor, or visit a women center. That event makes Finn seem aloof and ignorant, and frankly something that betrays how little thought the author has put to his character.

Finally, I must say that the author seems to believe that all the noblemen and/or rich people are vain, stupid, egocentric hyenas that only care for money, sex, alcohol and nothing else. And I find that very disturbing. Simply because one is born rich or noble, doesn't mean one is shallow. This story would have been more realistic and believable if the characters had had more depths to them.

On a final note, the only reason I gave this book three stars and not one or none stars, is because I read it as a teenager and never forgot the story. Had I read it as an adult, with no previous exposure, I would not have found it worth the money I paid for it.

I first read this book back in the 1970's, and kept it around until it got lost in a move. I remembered it as being a light, fluffy, romance that was several steps up from Mills & Boon (Harlequin).

I read it again over the weekend and have decidedly mixed feelings. The "humor" is still there as are the puns and quirky characters I remember, but upon re-reading, the hero is a spousal abuser (he hits the heroine when he gets angry) and there is a scene of spousal rape. In fact, the hero is the personification of the list of warning signs of an abuser, and I read the book wanting to shout at Emily, "get out, now!".