The Common Years

For a decade, Jilly Cooper made her home on the edge of Putney Common, and each day she crossed its open green space on foot. Through most of those years she recorded in a diary how the shifting seasons changed the land, along with the people and dogs she met along the way.

This book grows out of those diary entries. It presents a candid picture of everyday life on the Common, flaws included. Cooper's descriptions of plants, trees, birds and wildlife are vivid, and she writes just as openly about the heartache and happiness that come with looking after dogs and children.

The book also captures the close-knit community around the Common, where gossip spreads quickly, affairs make headlines, and rivalries run deep.