Jill: A NovelThe novel is set in wartime Oxford, the city in which it was written. Protagonist John Kemp is a young man from "Huddlesford" in Lancashire, who goes up to Oxford. With great sympathy it analyses his emotions at this first experience of privileged southern life (he had never been south of Crewe). Socially awkward and inexperienced, Kemp is attracted by the reckless and dissipated life of his roommate Christopher Warner, a well-off southerner who has attended a minor public school, tellingly called "Lamprey College". The eponymous Jill is Kemp's imaginary sister, whom he invents to confound Warner. Kemp then discovers a real-life Jill called Gillian, the 15-year-old cousin of Warner's friend Elizabeth. Kemp becomes infatuated with Gillian, but his advances are thwarted by Elizabeth and rebuffed by Gillian |
From inside the book
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Page 113
... pushed their umbrellas here and there about the pavements and a newspaper seller sheltered in the doorway of a bank collected pennies swiftly . A chalked placard told of the news from Albania . He looked around him in a dazed way ...
... pushed their umbrellas here and there about the pavements and a newspaper seller sheltered in the doorway of a bank collected pennies swiftly . A chalked placard told of the news from Albania . He looked around him in a dazed way ...
Page 189
... pushed back , a white cloth on the table and barrels and clean glasses making the room like a bar . A fire of logs roared . There was gin the colour of morning mist and whisky like fairy gold . He wore a ten - guinea suit and smoked ...
... pushed back , a white cloth on the table and barrels and clean glasses making the room like a bar . A fire of logs roared . There was gin the colour of morning mist and whisky like fairy gold . He wore a ten - guinea suit and smoked ...
Page 213
... pushed against a front door , pushed and mewed , rubbed its head and looked up and mewed again . John crossed from street to street , streets he had never been in before , streets he had only known of by hearsay and never traced ...
... pushed against a front door , pushed and mewed , rubbed its head and looked up and mewed again . John crossed from street to street , streets he had never been in before , streets he had only known of by hearsay and never traced ...
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon asked Banbury Road beer began bottle bread Chris Christo Christopher Warner Christopher's cigarette College Crouch d'you damn dark desk door drink Eddy Eddy's Edward du Cann Elizabeth empty eyes face feel felt fire fountain pen gave Gavin Bone girl glass grinned hair Hallo hands head Higher School Certificate Huddlesford Jill Joe Kemp John heard John Kemp John's Junior Common Room knew Lamprey laugh laughter leaving letter light listened looked round mind Minerva morning mouth never night noticed overcoat Oxford Patrick Patrick Dowling paused pher pocket porter pulled pushed remember seemed sherry glasses sitting smiled smoke sofa sound stared stood stopped street talking teacake Thank there's thing thought took town turned Tutor voice walked watched Whitbread window wondered