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| Final Rating: 4/5 |
Everyone loves a villain and practically everyone loves ice cream, so what a perfect combination in this a life revisited through the words of a woman who is dubbed The Ice Cream Queen of America and yet in the early 1980's is a celebrated pariah who is about to face the tabloids, the all too eager accusing public eye and critical fight to salvage her image, career and life. It is open season on Lillian M. Dunkle as the courtroom and papers play out as a bad scandalous episode of "This is Your Life" and her once brilliant empire of cold whipped butterfat, milk substitute and corn syrup seems to melt before eyes, but wait this is not a tragedy oh no Lillian stands with her own crown of dignity and tells the reader her side of events before they pass judgment. So picture it darlings a back and forth tale of struggles, humble tragic beginnings and rise from obscurity with an extreme and unconventional narrator who uses blunt and sometimes crass wicked humor to relate the moments of her life. Who knew ice cream played so much an integral role in America during the 20th century (at least according to our anti-heroine), with sharp wit and candid access the reader is privy to this hard to ignore magnetic being who seems to have more than 36 flavors of personality and stories to tell. So pull out your favorite ice cream out of the freezer, try to ignore the summer heat and enjoy a real treat with The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street.
In the end, the unaccustomed weather is what drove this reader to sample The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street and I am very happy I did, this was a wonderful entertaining treat that helped me ignore the mugginess outside. The integral whipped combination of history and unconventional narrator had me sneaking away to my kindle at any available moment and I finished this title very quickly. Lillian Dunkle was a charismatic personality that reminded me of Sophia Petrillo-Weinstock (played by the beloved late Estelle Getty) with all the spunk and ease of spinning an engrossing story with a pearl of wisdom hidden deep inside. In Lillian's case though more profanity, wicked humor and manipulation is whipped into her story and also combines the drama and negative publicity of: Joan Crawford, Martha Stewart and the extravagance of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Leona Helmsley to create a believable character that dares the reader to judge before her side of events are shared. I loved the history and details of the fanciful field of ice cream, it seemed more of a confessional behind the locked gates of Willy Wonka's factory learning the secrets of the trade and what drives the consumption and desire of the public. And the forgotten theories on the devastating disease Poliomyelitis were fascinating from a medical standpoint and really pulled this reader in further. Not only a funny read there are also pages of sadness and transformation that caused a few tears to fall (especially at the end)- Ms. Gilman's has a talent with description and building a heart-rending scene. Overall, I would recommend this read for those who need a good laugh, the outrageous scenarios are sure to surprise or cause a smile and you may learn something. So enjoy!
* I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street
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