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Title: The Ice-Cream Makers

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Ernest van der Kwast

Narrator: Jacques Roy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-17

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Genres: Fiction, Literary

Publisher's Summary:

In this international best seller, a poet struggles to decide if he should put his family's or his own needs first when he returns to Italy to help run the ice cream dynasty he left behind years ago - a charming tale perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove.

As the heir to a proud Northern Italian ice cream dynasty, Giovanni Calamine's family is none too happy when he decides to break with tradition and travel the world as a notable poet. So when Giovanni receives an unexpected call from his brother, he is faced with a difficult decision: return home to serve in his family's interests, or continue on his own path in life once and for all?

In a heartwarming tale that weaves history with lore and poetry with delicious culinary curiosities, The Ice-Cream Makers paints a century-long, multigenerational portrait of a family wrestling with the conflicting pulls of legacy and desire.

Members Reviews:

A melancholy story about ice cream makers.

Who can resist a story about ice cream? I signed up for this book because of the title. I love ice cream and I was curious what story do ice cream makers tell.

There is a contention that ice cream did not originate from Italy. There is a claim that it actually came from China. But Giuseppe Talamini would absolutely oppose that. He thinks that Marco Polo did not actually go to China and brought ice cream making as one of the discoveries from the east with him. Giuseppe believes that his grandfather discovered ice cream. Ice-cream making is his way of life and the business will pass on to his sons and his sons' future sons.

This is a story about a family whose business and way of life is centered upon making delicious and creamy delights of multi-flavored ice cream. Yum! As it appears, ice-cream making is not as sweet as the concoction. It requires back-breaking dedication and a skill for turning fruits and flavors into heady and addicting combinations that will keep the customers coming back for more. As it turned out, not all ice-cream makers want to be ice-cream makers. Like in this story, Giuseppe, had no choice but to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the family business. He wanted to be an inventor. Someone who can create things. He is fond of tinkering and just making things, even if they do not have any specific purpose. But he has to forgo that dream and had to continue the family legacy of churning ice and fruits into mouth-watering gelato. And like Giuseppe, his first-born did not also want to be an ice-cream maker. Giovanni wants to be a poet and he became one, even to the cost of being estranged from the family. The second son, Luca, like his father was also forced to take over the family business because there is no one else. Luca's son is more curious on poetry rather than ice-cream making. Does ice-cream making and the business of the Talamini's end with Luca?

I think the story is very realistic. Even though it centers on ice-cream, the dilemma of who's going to takeover the family business passed down through generations is also a question for some of the businesses today. It explores the reality between following one's dream or to get trapped in continuing the family legacy. I definitely could not relate to this since we do not have any family business but a similar question had been asked of me. When I was younger, whenever I was asked what would I like to be, my answer was always something else other than being a teacher.