Nectar by Lily Prior

Date of Publication: July 8^th, 2003

Memorable Quotation: “He held to himself the view that his wife would make a more competent grape picker than an opera singer. He had not the heart to tell her that her singing voice sounded like a cracked pot struck with a stick.” (pg. 52)

Captivating storyline: B-

Characters: B+

Ending: D-

Odds you will remember this book in five years: D+

Overall rating: C

The story follows Ramona, the arrogant and unappealing albino chambermaid of the estate, as she woes married men, old men, young men, any male with a non-congested nasal passage to a place of ecstasy simply from her natural fragrance. Becoming tired of working in the countryside, Ramona dreams of the city and stardom as an opera singer, but her arrogance and unworldly ways soon show her that the world does revolve around her and her magical scent.  

What starts as an erotic fairy-tale filled with magical realism quickly turns into a self-absorbed tale about Ramona and…that's about it.  With such a strong beginning, it is disappointing that the story loses its drive almost half way through the novel.  What first kept me interested was the way Lily Prior kept the story going at a nice, even pace with the humorous characters she created.  Unfortunately, the characters fell short of being memorable when their entire purpose turned into being pawns in Ramona’s game of life.  

As terrible as it is to say, the way I pushed through the rest of the book was through the hope that something terrible would finally happen to Ramona because she of the way she thought she could buy or be anything because of her scent. Unlike other books where I rooted for the main characters ambitions and goals, I hoped that she would not win and would finally get what she deserved after causing so much pain without caring about anyone but herself.

If you are hoping that the ending at least wraps everything up, you are mistaken.  Although the ending will remain untold, it does not solve all of the problems that are created throughout the novel and you will be left feeling neglected by the author.  All in all, Prior’s writing style is the only salvation to this tale of false love and misery but the storyline itself could have been so much better if the characters, other than Ramona, played a bigger part in the story.

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Thanks for reading! Until next time, happy reading!

~Shelly-Beans