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An Ice-cream War | 
| Author: William Boyd
Publisher: Penguin
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (24) Used (52) from £0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 12686
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0140065717
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780140065718
ASIN: 0140065717
Publication Date: February 25, 1999
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Weekday orders sent from the UK within 5 working days; Cover artwork may differ; 70,000+ Amazon orders sent out;
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| Customer Reviews:
not as good as some of his other work November 24, 2008
William Boyd is probably my favourite author at the moment. This is one of his earliest novels and if I wasn't aware of the incredibly high standard of some his later work (Restless is one of the 10 best books I have read) then I would have given this one 5 stars. The absurdity of war is described really well and especially the complete incompetence of the generals leading the British military during the first world war - for example a troop ship is instructed to drop anchor for 16 days just one nautical mile out of its departure port while it awaits the formation of a convoy. I also found the book highly educational - I had not been aware of the details of the campaign in East Africa and from what I can see, Boyd did his research thoroughly. A humbling, thought provoking book. Buy it.
 Boring September 21, 2007
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
I took this book with me to climb the Kilimanjaro, thinking I needed something entertaining to read as I lay alone in the tent on the cold nights going up. It was an absolute bore though... Thinking that the book may tell of the often ironic proxy war (very violent nevertheless) that took place in East Africa during WWI, it is hardly contains any explanations or historical facts. Instead, and here my expectations were likely unmatched by the actual storyline, it was a sorry of overly sexually obsessed Englishmen, an estranged brother and son, and an obsessed American caught up in the whole thing. I didn't identify with any of the characters, and with nothing else to read, it was just too boring to finish while going to the top of the Kilimanjaro.
Hugely disappointing.
 Clever, informative, and an enjoyable read April 18, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
The other reviews have summarised what the book is about. I will explain why I think it is so worth while reading.
An Ice-cream War tracks the lives of a range of interesting characters whose lives are turned upside down (or destroyed) by the war. It starts with three or four separate threads which gradually converge to reach a climax of....I won't spoil it but will say that it is beautifully consistent with the only possible message one can draw from the war as seen by those caught up in it - pointless, random, gruesome and incomprehensible. Boyd has a terrific way of showing these different aspects in a way that is at the same time serious and funny.
He does all this while giving the reader a vivid feel for the times: the artificial complacent English world that was swept away by the war, and the awfulness of the war itself. Both of these we have all been told about but rarely have we seen them brought to life in a way that is both accurate and touches the heart.
The book additionally deserves thanks for bringing to light the achievement of the brilliant leader of the German forces in Africa. Von Lettow-Vorbeck, with a tiny contingent of troops, sucked in a massive part of the allies' fighting and support resources, made the only incursion in to British territory in the entire war, and taunted the allies into chasing him around Africa from the beginning of the war until after it ended.
Finally spare a thought for the Africans who were appallingly treated by both sides. The campaign in Africa was every bit as awful, if not worse, than the better known horrors of the trenches in France.
I heartily recommend this book.
One of Boyd's Best Books - but not an ice-cream in sight March 26, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Set in East Africa and Kent during the First world War, this story has every ingredient for a great story; passion, betrayal, love, hate, heroism, revenge, gallantry, stupidy, comedy, tragedy, in fact all human life.
The story has great pace that is maintained throughout. Whether they're loathsome or loveable all the characters are extremely well drawn and the way they deal with the events they are caught up in never fails to keep you facsinated.
William Boyd has a lightness of touch that enables him to deal with cruelty and futility in a way that doesn't leave you feeling down. He can be comical without being irreverent. In this respect he must be unique.
A book you read with a smile. September 22, 2000
35 out of 42 found this review helpful
I am currently reading An Ice Cream War, and I really enjoy it ! As a French native speaker, I'd like to point out the fluency of Boyd's language and his subtle sense of humour (which sounds so British to me !). I've already read A Good Man in Africa before, and I expected to "meet" again his comic and rather pathetic characters, with all their failings, weaknesses and foibles which are so human. The story is actually composed of two parallel stories, one taking place in German and English East Africa, and the other in England during World War 1, the two stories being eventually interwoven thanks to the characters' fates. I am so eager to know what will happen to them all...and at the same time so unwilling to finish it ! (sorry for the mistakes in English)
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