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 56
... four there are College Old , " said Patrick , pointing with the stem of his pipe . " I asked Bill for some specially . I'll have that . " " Right , ” said Christopher , pouring . Tony - his second name was Braithwaite - was one of the ...
... four there are College Old , " said Patrick , pointing with the stem of his pipe . " I asked Bill for some specially . I'll have that . " " Right , ” said Christopher , pouring . Tony - his second name was Braithwaite - was one of the ...
Page 69
... Four were of a fairly high standard of compe- tence , and these he laid aside to return to later ; the rest received marks from thirteen to three out of twenty , and a variety of calculated insults . One sentence in one of the four ...
... Four were of a fairly high standard of compe- tence , and these he laid aside to return to later ; the rest received marks from thirteen to three out of twenty , and a variety of calculated insults . One sentence in one of the four ...
Page 91
... four . It pleased him to imagine she was his own mother . She had listened pleasantly , occasionally asking questions . The café was a long low room , partitioned regularly into alcoves which seated four , and every one of these 91.
... four . It pleased him to imagine she was his own mother . She had listened pleasantly , occasionally asking questions . The café was a long low room , partitioned regularly into alcoves which seated four , and every one of these 91.
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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