or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
88 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
An Ice-Cream War
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

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)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.96 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.03 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, November 18? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
24 new from £3.39 61 used from £0.01 3 collectible from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Audio Cassette (Audiobook) Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd

An Ice-Cream War + A Good Man in Africa
Price For Both: £11.93

Show availability and delivery details

  • This item: An Ice-Cream War by William Boyd

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

A Good Man in Africa

A Good Man in Africa

by William Boyd
4.5 out of 5 stars (15)  £5.97
Brazzaville Beach

Brazzaville Beach

by William Boyd
4.6 out of 5 stars (18)  £6.99
The Blue Afternoon

The Blue Afternoon

by William Boyd
3.8 out of 5 stars (16)  £6.96
Stars and Bars

Stars and Bars

by William Boyd
3.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.96
The New Confessions

The New Confessions

by William Boyd
4.7 out of 5 stars (14)  £5.95
› Explore similar items

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: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,589 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

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

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

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
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 7 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

An Ice-Cream War
64% buy the item featured on this page:
An Ice-Cream War 3.9 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.96
A Good Man in Africa
14% buy
A Good Man in Africa 4.5 out of 5 stars (15)
£5.97
Any Human Heart
8% buy
Any Human Heart 4.3 out of 5 stars (59)
£7.19
Restless
8% buy
Restless 3.7 out of 5 stars (111)
£5.29
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 11 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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
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)
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars He always managed to kill a companion
British and German forces fought to preserve their colonial rights in Africa during the First World War and in many ways it was a completely different war from the one raging in... Read more
Published 2 months ago by E. Shaw

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 9 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 11 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 on 21 Sep 2007 by Erik Cleves Kristensen

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject










i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.