32/20
I read Rivals a few years ago and enjoyed every page!
Story
Rupert Campbell-Black and Tony Badingham follow as their long-running rivalry comes to an end. Coincidentally, Aidan Turner has previously filmed at Chavenage House (The Priory in Rivals). The same filming location was also used to portray Trenwith House in the 2015 BBC TV adaptation of Poldark.
The characters, especially Declan O’Hara as Aidan Turner, the famous journalist, and David Tennant, the evil Lord B, are excellent!
It’s a bit difficult to compare the book and its characters to its TV adaptation, as we all carry our own understanding of how certain characters should look and act. Also, we can read a book at our leisure, and TV has to move at a pace that suits the format and doesn’t drag, so some characters or side plots may have to be shortened. That being said, yes there are differences from the book, but not so big as to ruin the overall enjoyment and entertainment value.
We love Declan as much as we hate Lord B!
The 80s music is fantastic, although I find the opening high-pitched opera music annoying, which doesn’t really fit in. As for all the sex scenes, yes, we can do without them since we all have imaginations, but this is not the book Cooper wrote. It was great to get to know Jilly Cooper in the lunch scene at the restaurant.
I thought she thoroughly enjoyed the show
The last episode ended very differently than the book, so I hope there’s at least one more season to see what happens with Taggie and RCB. . .
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