Published: 1982 ~ INTRODUCTION ~ The first Boyd I ever read was Armadillo and since then I regularly pick up his earlier works. The reason I enjoy them a lot is because almost all of his earlier novels are set in Africa which is not by accident given his upbringing. ~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ William Boys was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana to Scottish parents. He grew up in Ghana and Niger and studied in Nice, Glasgow and Oxford. His first novel 'A Good Man in Africa' was published in 1981. He's married and lives in London. ~ PLOT SUMMARY ~ Kent, England, 1914. Freshly back from his honeymoon in Normandy, young ...  Read the complete review

William Boyd has been a professional writer since 1981. His first novel, "A Good Man In Africa" was released to great critical acclaim in the summer of that year, winning numerous awards. His follow-up, "An Ice Cream War" took this one step further. "An Ice Cream War" was a finalist for the Booker Prize upon its release in 1983 and was thoroughly deserving of this accolade. The book centres around the campaign fought in Africa during the First World War, an area of the conflict usually glossed over by other writers. Boyd's novel takes in a number of protagonists, variously forwarding the ...  Read the complete review

This book did for me what I expect from a great book - I had my opinions changed, I learned much and when I finished the book I was sure I would very soon read it again. The book focuses on a little known part of the First World War - the action in East Africa. But more importantly it focuses on three men in particular and the effect the war has on them - an American trying to run a successful farm in Kenya and a pair of English brothers whose lives are changed by the conflict. I will leave the telling of the story to Boyd but urge you to read this and learn, as I did, of the genuine pointlessness of a war (you are given proof in this book rather ...  Read the complete review