I saw "Armadillo" on AandE and was fascinated throughout. When I went to the library, "Armadillo" was not available, so I got another book by William Boyd, "An Ice-Cream War." This book was a disappointment to me. I think the writing was superficial, it didnt seem to have a plot and I never could get into the story. People asked me what it was about, and I had a hard time telling them. Im glad others were involved, captivated, engaged etc. but I was not.
I think it is a nice and readable book but not really a masterpiece
An Ice-Cream War is a historical novel concerning the war front in the African colonies of Germany and Britain during WW I. As with most folks I suppose, I know relatively little of WW I ... and nothing of the battles fought in these colonies. William Boyd educates the reader of this forgotten slice of history very nicely by enveloping it in a very realistic story concerning reluctant soldiers, both German and British, and their families. The author strikes a successful balance of wry humour and pathos, with the end result being that indeed war, or at least this war, is horribly tragic and senseless. This is the second William Boyd novel Ive read, the first being Brazzaville Beach. Although both novels involve Africa, they are quite different (Brazzaville Beach is a story about modern sub-Sahara Africa). Sadly for me, I had lofty expectations of An Ice-Cream War since I thought Brazzaville Beach was one of the best novels Ive ever read. So I was in a sense disappointed with An Ice-Cream War even though it is a perfectly competent and interesting story. Bottom line: historical fiction on par with the best works from Michener and Uris. However it doesnt quite reach the levels of literary excellence of Boyds Brazzaville Beach.
