Ardour

by Lily Prior

The pain of unrequited love is one of life's great tragedies, but even more heart-breaking is a love that is a love that crosses the divide between species. When a lonely olive grower sows seeds of love in search of romance, he cannot know the chaos he will cause. Instead of the voluptuous woman of his dreams, the District Health Authority mule, Gezabel, falls head over hooves in love with him. And, as Gezabel narrates, she is not the only lover to get her stars crossed when Ardour casts its spell over the region. As the villagers throw their love away on those who do not return it, remarkable phenomena add to the fevered atmosphere, and passions surge with the soaring temperatures of summer. When the heat wave ends, as it eventually must, bursting like a blister, the dead come back to life, and jealousy leads to murder, before the various lovers' eyes are finally opened, and, for some, true happiness is found. Ardour is a magical tale of love, hope, and fate, sprinkled lightly with tears, combined with a generous measure of comedy.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance, Italy, Love, Literary Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[MÉYO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing erotica/mind-fuck novel by Lily Prior that ended too soon! Like her other novels, the setting of this book takes place in Italy and borrows themes from countryside folklore. To ramp up the weirdness of this novel, the story is narrated through the eyes of a mule who is infatuated with a socially awkward olive grower named Arcadio who is infatuated with the new girl in town named Fernanda. In a village filled with ho-hum fatties, Fernanda's extravagant beauty causes quite a stir amongst the men who go crazy in a desperate race to win her love and affection. As Arcadio the virgin fails to muster the courage to speak to Fernanda, jealousy and rage consume him as Primo the pork butcher, Luigi the baker and Luigi's brother-in-law (Fidelio) all make inroads to capture Fernanda's heart. What transpires is a hilarious and fucked up story of lust, fantasy and erotica that had me glued to every page. If you enjoyed the weirdness of the movie "Magnolia," Prior's novels will definitely appeal to you.

[Ladiibbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical Realism - 4.5 stars

Another highly entertaining, amazing fairy tale-like story from the wonderful Lily Prior. Among her novels is LaCucina -- I've read every one of her books. She's a huge favorite of mine because of writing like this:

Ardor opens with our heroine, Fernanda Ponderosa, sitting on a dock waiting to board a ship with her most treasured possessions:

"The great oak chests containing linens and laces blocked the approach to the waterside. ... Cast onto the dock like the jumble of a bad dream was a wooden rocking horse with a mane of real hair, the life-size marble statue of the goddess Aphrodite, a chaise lounge, a spiral staircase, family portraits, a glass tank containing the turtle Olga and her seven coin-size babies, a weathervane, a baptismal font dating from the time of the first Crusades, a selection of hatboxes, a grand piano, the mounted head of a unicorn, a stuffed pygmy hippopotamus in a display cabinet, a harp supported by carved wooden angels, a heavy oak crib, a grandfather clock, a nest of galvanized buckets, an elephant's foot umbrella stand, copper pans, a feather bed, an American-style refrigerator stocked for the journey, tennis rackets, a crystal chandelier, a banana tree, and finally a valise containing gold ingots and precious jewels.

This selection was by no means the entire contents of the house, nor indeed the most precious, but ... the only things that she would have rescued in event of a fire." (pages 4 & 5)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily Prior writes with taste, smell and sound. I love her books, they are full of far fetched fancy that feels real. Her best is still La Cucina, but this is a very close second. The descriptions of unrequited love will have you looking back at your teenage years and remembering the pain, confusion and disappointment we all felt before we learned to communicate with each other. In the case of the mule falling in love with the olive grower, it is hard to imagine this ever being realised even with good communication skills.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rare beauty arrives at the village of her late twin sister and suddenly the whole town is acting strange.

Although the writing was very descriptive and gave off a sense of sunny, beautiful Europe, I did not find any of the characters likeable, and felt that their hearts turned too quickly - one look and they're completely smitten, despite having despised them before. I also felt the story line was rushed in some places but too slow in others.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt as though this book was very confusing. It started off with one character, then branched off to many other characters that were sort of all over the place. I wasn't too keen on the storyline of the mule falling in love with Arcadio. Although it was cute, it was a bit bizarre. Also, the story about Serafino growing wings and flying out of the window seemed too far-fetched. I know that Lily's books are definitely different from what's out there, but this one just seemed a bit over the top for my liking.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't know how to rate or describe this book. Nothing too erotic really, just brief references to bodily reactions. But overall kind of a bizarre story being told by the most unlikely of narrators. It is worth giving a try to make your own opinion.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

had great fun reading this book

[Irina Meriacre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ridiculous but funny novel.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the magical realism and meandering prose.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, delightful, clever bit of magical realism.

[Duchess_Nimue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little book about an Italian village and its inhabitants love stories during one summer. It felt more like a tragedy containing some funny remarks.

[Green Markos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quirky book that defies the norms of conventional storytelling. This author writes whimsical and sometimes outlandish tales that are slightly reminiscent of fairy tales. Delightfully peculiar!

[Victoria Novac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un roman pe-alocuri ciudat, pe-alocuri amuzant cu descriere captivanta a locației.

[Ruth]

I have never been left so unsure about a book before. It was like a fever dream.

[Diana Milano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Започнах тази книга като на шега,тъкмо бях приключила "Любов по време на холера"на Маркес и дълго след това не можех да се реша какво да чета.Първото нещо което привлече вниманието ми бе корицата,да знам....не трябва да съдим за книгата по корицата,но понякога като видя дадена книга тя сякаш ме зове...беше толкова екзотична,някак пропита с тайнственост.
И така...започнах да чета,вниманието ми бе грабнато още от първите страници,а когато я преполових вече бях влюбена в тази красиво написана приказка за големи.Точно така това е приказка.Като жанр бих могла да го определя като магически реализъм,но е толкова свежо,толкова забавно и така леко се чете,че те отнася в един приказен свят...на моменти тъжен,на моменти смешен и толкова прекрасен,пълен с аромати,чувства,вкусове,лек летен бриз и топли пропити със страст нощи.

[Nick Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dry uproariously funny story of unrequited love. The writing is tasteful despite the subject (a mule falls for a man). Don't be alarmed! The subject is just one thread amongst many stories of romantic desire and frustration (between humans!). Love between species isn't the only transgression contemplated by the desperate characters.

Spoken narrator, Laurence Bouvard, notes: Middle-aged female who can do a wide range of voices. Brisk strong (with the benefit of reverb), clipped delivery. United States dialect, New York?, news="nooz". Confident pronunciation of Italian names and words. Expressive.

[Davida Chazan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about love - misdirected love, unrequited love and love between people who, for one reason or another, never find a way to bring their mutual affection out into the open. What makes this story unusual is that at the center of this story is the love that a donkey has for a human! You can read my full review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2014/07/2...

[Katarina Seliger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is a fairy tale for adults, with a story as enchanting as the first warm breeze of the wind on the skin.
I am one of those that cannot live without the favorite books, I have to read them at least once a year and this is one of them.
Just reading the start I am transported to place full of colours and perfumes that I cannot wait to visit and revisit again.
I recommend this book to everyone who loved fairytales as a child.

[Britney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my mom - not having the first idea what it was but just needing something to read...I'm so glad it caught my eye! This book was SO much fun to read. It reminds me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez with all the magical realism (and we all know I love GGM), and also of Chocolat with the main character - Fernanda. I really never wanted to put it down. Loved it!

[Stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute little story with a very sexy ending. I wouldn't go out of my way to read it again, but it was worth a once go around as far as fiction goes. Beautiful descriptions of Italian country side. Irony plays a mjor role in this story. What goes around comes back three fold.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fanciful tale! Imaginative and well written. The character jump off the page. The author's use of language to describe the setting and characters are outstanding. A must read for those who need a bit of whimsy.

[Simona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though the resume on the back caught my eye - a fairytale for grown ups, The style reminded me of Marquez' s stort stories but here, I could not really relate to any of the characters. Ok for a one time read and because it is very short but honestly I would not recommend it.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING! It is a fanciful tale of lust and desire. Everything about it makes my mouth water, enough to read it again and again.

[Logophile (Heather) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's set in Italy, what can I say? I had to get it. It's not too long but it's awfully sweet.

[Bachyboy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual and full of characters. Everyone is lusting after everyone else and of course, there is plenty of food involved. And a mule who falls in love with the olive grower. Go figure :)

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

She has a facsinating way of using characters in totally unreal situations. Makes for compelling reading though.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! A grown up fairy tale.

[AJ Conroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for those who like magical realism (a donkey is the narrator), but everyone has distinguishable names, and it's short so it doesn't get tedious (Gabriel García Marquez, I'm looking at you).

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok, not great.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK it's make beleive, but so what?, you need to escape from reality once in a while.