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 23
... window , and she continued to hold the bag out , shaking it determinedly : " Go on , my boy ... plenty ... you'll be hungry .. .. 99 She wore a cream blouse under her beige travelling - coat and a steel brooch set in the collar . As ...
... window , and she continued to hold the bag out , shaking it determinedly : " Go on , my boy ... plenty ... you'll be hungry .. .. 99 She wore a cream blouse under her beige travelling - coat and a steel brooch set in the collar . As ...
Page 215
... window - pane , he looked into the front room : it was tidy as usual , there were ornaments on the mantelpiece and the clocks showed the right time . There was a pile of newspapers on the table and behind a glass vase he could see the ...
... window - pane , he looked into the front room : it was tidy as usual , there were ornaments on the mantelpiece and the clocks showed the right time . There was a pile of newspapers on the table and behind a glass vase he could see the ...
Page 241
... window with his hands in his pockets , staring moodily up the garden that was hung with trees . And there he saw Christopher , moving about half - way up the garden , poking about the bushes for something . An unreasoning terror seized ...
... window with his hands in his pockets , staring moodily up the garden that was hung with trees . And there he saw Christopher , moving about half - way up the garden , poking about the bushes for something . An unreasoning terror seized ...
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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