Scan barcode
myoceanblu's review against another edition
2.0
I kept on losing interest and then pulled back in and then lost it again as I read this book - like I never wanted a book to end so badly. I thought there was gonna be more about the ice cream but I guess the ice cream just happens to be about who they are. The time jumps were definitely confusing, one time the story follows the main character & his brother when they were young and suddenly they were talking about their great-grandparents and how they started selling ice cream, and suddenly it jumped again to the present, etc. etc. Also the character can't seem to talk about women without describing their breasts and hips and legs??? Like my guy let me just get through the book. Also, the plot was a little slow and I felt like there were a lot of unnecessary details (like the boobs??? I think talking about them every 20 pages was a little excessive), and that one chapter he was describing hotel rooms across different countries?????
modub's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bethywa's review against another edition
1.0
I picked this book up while browsing the library because it is called The Ice Cream Makers. I thought that was enough. A cozy story about some brothers who make ice cream in Italy. No.
Two brothers are raised to take over their father's ice cream shop as many generations have done before. When the older brother decides he wants to run poetry festivals (not a poet himself, just a poet gatherer?) he in some ways leaves his family high and dry. As their parents age, the ice cream making brother calls on his older brother for help - but not at all for what you expect he ask for help with. You will never guess what the brother could possibly ask his other brother to do and it is wild. Not a good, what an interesting story wild, but wild.
This book sort of feels like it is about nothing. We hop around in time way too much to keep track of anything. I would imagine listening to this as an audiobook would be a nightmare. There are also a lot of stories about nothing. There is an entire chapter about the hotel rooms the poet-loving brother has stayed in all over the world. I am not kidding, 6 pages of "in Oslo there was a hot tub but in Jakarta they put cookies in a drawer and in Moscow there were no windows." WHY?!
I feel as though there was very little story, it was told in a confusing way, and then it just ended. I wonder a little bit if this is because it is translated? I also wonder if European writing is somehow different than here? I don't know how this could possibly be what people want to read. Your time is much better spent going to get a nice ice cream or maybe a cappuccino.
Two brothers are raised to take over their father's ice cream shop as many generations have done before. When the older brother decides he wants to run poetry festivals (not a poet himself, just a poet gatherer?) he in some ways leaves his family high and dry. As their parents age, the ice cream making brother calls on his older brother for help - but not at all for what you expect he ask for help with. You will never guess what the brother could possibly ask his other brother to do and it is wild. Not a good, what an interesting story wild, but wild.
This book sort of feels like it is about nothing. We hop around in time way too much to keep track of anything. I would imagine listening to this as an audiobook would be a nightmare. There are also a lot of stories about nothing. There is an entire chapter about the hotel rooms the poet-loving brother has stayed in all over the world. I am not kidding, 6 pages of "in Oslo there was a hot tub but in Jakarta they put cookies in a drawer and in Moscow there were no windows." WHY?!
I feel as though there was very little story, it was told in a confusing way, and then it just ended. I wonder a little bit if this is because it is translated? I also wonder if European writing is somehow different than here? I don't know how this could possibly be what people want to read. Your time is much better spent going to get a nice ice cream or maybe a cappuccino.
dozylocal's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I am not sure what made this such a painful read for me, but that is what it was.
Others in my book club gave it mid-to-high ratings. I almost abandoned it a couple of times and am relieved that it's finally over.
Update: I later learned it's translated from Dutch. I suspect that might have something to do with why I found this such hard going.
I am not sure what made this such a painful read for me, but that is what it was.
Others in my book club gave it mid-to-high ratings. I almost abandoned it a couple of times and am relieved that it's finally over.
Update: I later learned it's translated from Dutch. I suspect that might have something to do with why I found this such hard going.
suebarsby's review against another edition
1.0
17 pages in and there have already been several passages about one of the minor characters developing breasts. She is defined by these. The men think of nothing else. She thinks of nothing else. She spends time holding them, aching and wishing for a man to hold her to make her complete.
For fucks sake. Men, for the love of god stop writing wish fulfillment shite like this. Publishers - maybe once in a while call them on it will you? NO WOMAN THINKS LIKE THIS. If you want to write things like this, save it for crap porno mags or your own diaries. Don't foist it on the world.
For fucks sake. Men, for the love of god stop writing wish fulfillment shite like this. Publishers - maybe once in a while call them on it will you? NO WOMAN THINKS LIKE THIS. If you want to write things like this, save it for crap porno mags or your own diaries. Don't foist it on the world.
scribepub's review against another edition
Van der Kwast tells his multigenerational tale with great sensitivity, demonstrating through powerful observations the long-term effect of one person's decision upon others throughout the generations. A delightful read; smooth as ice cream on a hot summer day.
Kirkus Reviews
A delightfully quirky and sensual exploration of an Italian family’s obsession with two of the greatest pleasures in life: ice-cream and poetry. What’s not to love?
Jo Riccioni, Author of The Italians at Cleat’s Corner Store
The passion for making good ice-cream, the alchemy of creating a new flavour and the historical background of ice cream makers who used to make their ice-cream from mountain snow lend this page-turner its charm.
Dagblad Van Het Noorden
A moving story about two brothers growing apart.
Algemeen Daglad
The Ice Cream Makers is a rewarding novel. A second reading reveals just how perceptively it pits family pressures against the desire for freedom down the generations. The contrast between Giovanni’s world of high culture and that of his ice cream making brother Luca is cleverly realised. Van der Kwast leaves the reader in no doubt as to who the real poet is: the ice cream maker, of course.
NRC Handelsblad
It is an ode to poetry and to women. A tale of the tradition of ice cream making and the price is exacts. But above all The Ice Cream Makers is a book that sweeps you along like an avalanche.
Noordhollands Dagblad
Van der Kwast is simply magnificent when he describes the voluptuousness of pretty girls: you can feel the curves under your fingers. I want to sleep with all of these paper women. There are some truly moving scenes in The Ice-Cream Makers.
Humo
A beautifully poetic family saga.
Glamour
A compelling novel about the yoke of family relations.
Elle
Kirkus Reviews
A delightfully quirky and sensual exploration of an Italian family’s obsession with two of the greatest pleasures in life: ice-cream and poetry. What’s not to love?
Jo Riccioni, Author of The Italians at Cleat’s Corner Store
The passion for making good ice-cream, the alchemy of creating a new flavour and the historical background of ice cream makers who used to make their ice-cream from mountain snow lend this page-turner its charm.
Dagblad Van Het Noorden
A moving story about two brothers growing apart.
Algemeen Daglad
The Ice Cream Makers is a rewarding novel. A second reading reveals just how perceptively it pits family pressures against the desire for freedom down the generations. The contrast between Giovanni’s world of high culture and that of his ice cream making brother Luca is cleverly realised. Van der Kwast leaves the reader in no doubt as to who the real poet is: the ice cream maker, of course.
NRC Handelsblad
It is an ode to poetry and to women. A tale of the tradition of ice cream making and the price is exacts. But above all The Ice Cream Makers is a book that sweeps you along like an avalanche.
Noordhollands Dagblad
Van der Kwast is simply magnificent when he describes the voluptuousness of pretty girls: you can feel the curves under your fingers. I want to sleep with all of these paper women. There are some truly moving scenes in The Ice-Cream Makers.
Humo
A beautifully poetic family saga.
Glamour
A compelling novel about the yoke of family relations.
Elle
literaryfeline's review against another edition
4.0
Original review posted on my blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty: http://www.literaryfeline.com/2017/08/bookish-thoughts-ice-cream-makers-by.html
The Ice-Cream Makers by Ernest Van der Kwast
Atria (37INK), 2017
Fiction; 288 pgs
Source: E-copy provided by publisher via NetGalley
Poetry and ice cream: two of my favorite things. I ended up highlighting quite a few quotes in my copy of The Ice-Cream Makers, particularly about poetry. Giovanni Talamini* discovered his love for poetry during his teen years. Much to his father's consternation, Giovanni wanted nothing to do with the family business, a long held tradition his great-grandfather had started in following his own dream. Giovanni's dream, however, took him in a different direction, and it caused a big rift in his relationship with his family.
Giovanni constantly questions his decision in life, giving up tradition to travel and follow his passion. When his brother, married to the girl both he and his brother had a childhood crush on, asks him for a life-changing favor, Giovanni has a difficult decision to make. It also makes him realize just how much he sacrificed in following his dreams.
As Giovanni recounts his and his family's story, the narrative takes readers back and forth between past and present. He introduces us to his great-grandfather who worked hard alongside his own father and would eventually discover a love for making ice cream. Guiseppe spent hours perfecting the perfect ice cream, getting the texture and taste just right. He experimented with different flavors and impressed those around him with his skills. It was a legacy he would pass down to his own son who would then pass the family business onto his son.
When Giovanni decided to go down his own path, he left behind his younger brother who seemed to take pride in making ice cream. It never crossed his mind his brother might have had other aspirations. As it was, Giovanni's father's heart seemed divided between the family business and his love for invention.
The Ice-Cream Makers got off to a slow start for me, but I eventually settled into the rhythm of the narrative and was caught up in the story and in the lives of the Talamini's. I think most of us as adults know the struggle between obligation and following our dreams, especially as we get older and have families to support.
I was raised by a hardworking father who believed in doing whatever it took to put food on the table. He was the kind of guy who would put up with a job he didn't care for if it meant bringing financial stability to his family. There was no family business to carry on, but if there had been, I imagine he and Giovanni's father would share similar views. I admire their steadfastness and their strong work ethic.
That isn't to say Giovanni isn't hardworking--he is. Just not in the way his father and brother view it. They work with their hands and labor for hours at a time. It is a different type of work, but not less valuable to those they service. Giovanni knew he wouldn't be happy making ice cream all his life, and so he decided to follow his own dreams, something which I think takes a lot of courage.
The bigger the divide between Giovanni and his father and brother became, I longed for them to see themselves in each other: to recognize the art and poetry in ice-cream making and the hard work and sacrifice that went into the work Giovanni did.
I enjoyed my time spent in Italy and the Netherlands; Ernest van der Kwast brings it all to mind so vividly. I found the various stories about how ice cream came into being and how it was transported and sold fascinating. Flavors I never imagined were mentioned, some more appealing than others, but I longed to be the one able to taste test their creations.
The references to poets and poetry won me over as well. I could relate to Giovanni's love for poetry and just how much it moved him. To be able to travel the world like he does--I can only imagine!
I was quite moved by The Ice-Cream Makers in the end. I think this would make a great book club pick, whether to discuss legacy versus desire, family ties and conflict, or the consequences of the choices we make.
*My copy of the book (which I cross checked with Amazon's sample and the one on the author's website to verify as the name used in the novel) used the surname "Talamini," but the description on Goodreads, Amazon, and the publisher's site use "Calamine."
The Ice-Cream Makers by Ernest Van der Kwast
Atria (37INK), 2017
Fiction; 288 pgs
Source: E-copy provided by publisher via NetGalley
Poetry and ice cream: two of my favorite things. I ended up highlighting quite a few quotes in my copy of The Ice-Cream Makers, particularly about poetry. Giovanni Talamini* discovered his love for poetry during his teen years. Much to his father's consternation, Giovanni wanted nothing to do with the family business, a long held tradition his great-grandfather had started in following his own dream. Giovanni's dream, however, took him in a different direction, and it caused a big rift in his relationship with his family.
Giovanni constantly questions his decision in life, giving up tradition to travel and follow his passion. When his brother, married to the girl both he and his brother had a childhood crush on, asks him for a life-changing favor, Giovanni has a difficult decision to make. It also makes him realize just how much he sacrificed in following his dreams.
As Giovanni recounts his and his family's story, the narrative takes readers back and forth between past and present. He introduces us to his great-grandfather who worked hard alongside his own father and would eventually discover a love for making ice cream. Guiseppe spent hours perfecting the perfect ice cream, getting the texture and taste just right. He experimented with different flavors and impressed those around him with his skills. It was a legacy he would pass down to his own son who would then pass the family business onto his son.
When Giovanni decided to go down his own path, he left behind his younger brother who seemed to take pride in making ice cream. It never crossed his mind his brother might have had other aspirations. As it was, Giovanni's father's heart seemed divided between the family business and his love for invention.
The Ice-Cream Makers got off to a slow start for me, but I eventually settled into the rhythm of the narrative and was caught up in the story and in the lives of the Talamini's. I think most of us as adults know the struggle between obligation and following our dreams, especially as we get older and have families to support.
I was raised by a hardworking father who believed in doing whatever it took to put food on the table. He was the kind of guy who would put up with a job he didn't care for if it meant bringing financial stability to his family. There was no family business to carry on, but if there had been, I imagine he and Giovanni's father would share similar views. I admire their steadfastness and their strong work ethic.
That isn't to say Giovanni isn't hardworking--he is. Just not in the way his father and brother view it. They work with their hands and labor for hours at a time. It is a different type of work, but not less valuable to those they service. Giovanni knew he wouldn't be happy making ice cream all his life, and so he decided to follow his own dreams, something which I think takes a lot of courage.
The bigger the divide between Giovanni and his father and brother became, I longed for them to see themselves in each other: to recognize the art and poetry in ice-cream making and the hard work and sacrifice that went into the work Giovanni did.
I enjoyed my time spent in Italy and the Netherlands; Ernest van der Kwast brings it all to mind so vividly. I found the various stories about how ice cream came into being and how it was transported and sold fascinating. Flavors I never imagined were mentioned, some more appealing than others, but I longed to be the one able to taste test their creations.
The references to poets and poetry won me over as well. I could relate to Giovanni's love for poetry and just how much it moved him. To be able to travel the world like he does--I can only imagine!
I was quite moved by The Ice-Cream Makers in the end. I think this would make a great book club pick, whether to discuss legacy versus desire, family ties and conflict, or the consequences of the choices we make.
*My copy of the book (which I cross checked with Amazon's sample and the one on the author's website to verify as the name used in the novel) used the surname "Talamini," but the description on Goodreads, Amazon, and the publisher's site use "Calamine."
rozemarijn's review
4.0
3.8
Sinds ik dit boek heb gelezen heb ik een enorme craving voor Italiaans ijs. Ik kan niet wachten tot de zon goed is doorgebroken en het kwik omhoog gaat, want dan ren ik naar IJssalon Venezia! You bet!
Sinds ik dit boek heb gelezen heb ik een enorme craving voor Italiaans ijs. Ik kan niet wachten tot de zon goed is doorgebroken en het kwik omhoog gaat, want dan ren ik naar IJssalon Venezia! You bet!
sarahsmiles17's review against another edition
3.0
I took me some time to really get into this book. But eventually, I began to fall for the characters and the story.
I enjoyed the sentiments of one brother setting aside his aspirations to meet the family obligation to carry on making ice cream and one brother turning away from the family's expectations to pursue his own interests, and the resentments that develop. I felt at times that I could relate to elements of each brothers' story. I also enjoyed how Giuseppe seemed to pick up on those differences and note them.
I felt the ending lacked a transition and then seemed abrupt, unresolved.
I enjoyed the sentiments of one brother setting aside his aspirations to meet the family obligation to carry on making ice cream and one brother turning away from the family's expectations to pursue his own interests, and the resentments that develop. I felt at times that I could relate to elements of each brothers' story. I also enjoyed how Giuseppe seemed to pick up on those differences and note them.
I felt the ending lacked a transition and then seemed abrupt, unresolved.
doranna's review
1.0
So I hated this book. The characters are flat, unrealistic and incredibly stupid. The story is even worse. There is hardly a plot, and the little bit there is is very confusing because of the time jumps.
Seriously, they’re horrible. One moment, a baby boy is born. Two pages further, he’s all grown up. Then he’s seven months and then he’s grown up again.
Most characters are obsessed with sex. There’s no other way to put it. This writer has some serious issues. Especially the second sex scene was truly awful, because it made no sense whatsoever. I will never understand the logic behind that decision, and I suspect there is none. Which brings me to my next point.
None of these characters has something even close to a brain. They all make nothing but terrible decisions and blame each other for it. Except the youngest Giuseppe, as the author didn’t even bother trying to give him a personality. Thinking about it, with the others he definitely tried, but also definitely failed.
The writing is clearly supposed to be high-level but due to many errors in grammar and even more awkwardly formulated sentences feels like a twelve-year-old was trying to write literature. Usually you can read through small mistakes, but here things actually made no sense because the sentences didn’t.
At the beginning of the book, there’s a few pages from Maria Grazia’s perspective. I’m not even sure what happened here, but I can assure you it was written by a man, as I can’t imagine there’s a single woman on the planet who thinks like that.
The book has a habit of making random lists, which serve no purpose for the plot and are usually boring. Like summing up all the tools you can find in their basement. Or listing hotel rooms from all over the world and random facts about them (for four pages!).
In short, a respectable but terrible attempt at literature, with a boring and confusing plot, stupid and unrealistic characters, written completely from a man’s perspective, even when there’s a woman talking. One good thing about the book? Okay, give me a minute (seriously, I spent the whole time writing this review trying to come up with something). I liked the description of making ice cream (though it was repeated constantly, eventually making me hate it as much as the rest). Maybe the poetry, though I felt I was pushed to a certain opinion on poetry I didn’t even like that much.
Seriously, they’re horrible. One moment, a baby boy is born. Two pages further, he’s all grown up. Then he’s seven months and then he’s grown up again.
Most characters are obsessed with sex. There’s no other way to put it. This writer has some serious issues. Especially the second sex scene was truly awful, because it made no sense whatsoever. I will never understand the logic behind that decision, and I suspect there is none. Which brings me to my next point.
None of these characters has something even close to a brain. They all make nothing but terrible decisions and blame each other for it. Except the youngest Giuseppe, as the author didn’t even bother trying to give him a personality. Thinking about it, with the others he definitely tried, but also definitely failed.
The writing is clearly supposed to be high-level but due to many errors in grammar and even more awkwardly formulated sentences feels like a twelve-year-old was trying to write literature. Usually you can read through small mistakes, but here things actually made no sense because the sentences didn’t.
At the beginning of the book, there’s a few pages from Maria Grazia’s perspective. I’m not even sure what happened here, but I can assure you it was written by a man, as I can’t imagine there’s a single woman on the planet who thinks like that.
The book has a habit of making random lists, which serve no purpose for the plot and are usually boring. Like summing up all the tools you can find in their basement. Or listing hotel rooms from all over the world and random facts about them (for four pages!).
In short, a respectable but terrible attempt at literature, with a boring and confusing plot, stupid and unrealistic characters, written completely from a man’s perspective, even when there’s a woman talking. One good thing about the book? Okay, give me a minute (seriously, I spent the whole time writing this review trying to come up with something). I liked the description of making ice cream (though it was repeated constantly, eventually making me hate it as much as the rest). Maybe the poetry, though I felt I was pushed to a certain opinion on poetry I didn’t even like that much.