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An Ice-Cream War (Paperback)

by William Boyd (Author) "'What do you think would happen,' Colonel Theodore Roosevelt asked his son Kermit, 'if I shot an elephant in the balls?' ..." (more)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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An Ice-Cream War + A Good Man in Africa + Brazzaville Beach
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (25 Feb 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140065717
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140065718
  • Product Dimensions: 18.1 x 10.9 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,703 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #3 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > B > Boyd, William

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Product Description

Product Description
Set in the years 1914 to 1918, An Ice Cream War follows the fortunes of two English brothers who enlist and fight in German East Africa. Contrasting the vibrant chaos of East Africa with the quiet gentility of Edwardian England, the novel tracks the brothers' very different but equally tragic experiences in the war and the pressures and sorrows of those they leave at home.

About the Author
William Boyd was born in Ghana in 1952. He was brought up there and in Nigeria. He was educated at the universities of Nice, Glasgow and Oxford. He is the author of a number of acclaimed and hugely popular novels and three volumes of short stories, and the recipient of many prizes, including the Whitbread First Novel Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Sunday Express Book of the Year Award. He is married and lives in London
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
'What do you think would happen,' Colonel Theodore Roosevelt asked his son Kermit, 'if I shot an elephant in the balls?' Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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An Ice-Cream War
64% buy the item featured on this page:
An Ice-Cream War 3.8 out of 5 stars (6)
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Clever, informative, and an enjoyable read, 18 April 2007
By Roland Davis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of Boyd's Best Books - but not an ice-cream in sight, 26 Mar 2007
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.
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36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A book you read with a smile., 22 Sep 2000
By A Customer
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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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars east africa in ww1
A well written and entertaining novel that informs us about a little-known but fascinating sideshow of the First World War: the battle between the British and the Germans for... Read more
Published 5 months ago by C. Wight

4.0 out of 5 stars not as good as some of his other work
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... Read more
Published 7 months ago by legslikeaspider

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring
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. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Erik Cleves Kristensen

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