The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street

Author: Susan Jane Gilman
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2014
Pages: 528
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Now in paperback, bestselling author Susan Jane Gilman's IndieNext Pick novel about an immigrant girl's transformation into an indomitable businesswoman in early 20th century New York.

As a child in 1913, Malka Treynovsky flees Russia for New York with her family—only to be crippled and abandoned in the streets. Taken in by a tough-loving Italian ices peddler, Malka survives. When she falls in love with Albert, they set off together across America in an ice cream truck to seek their fortune; slowly, she transforms herself into Lillian Dunkle, "The Ice Cream Queen of America"—doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises and a celebrated television personality.

Spanning 70 years, Lillian's rise—fraught with setbacks, triumphs, and tragedies—is inextricably linked to the course of American history itself, from Prohibition to the disco days of Studio 54. And when her past starts catching up with her, her world implodes spectacularly.

Review: Not the most likeable, but certainly to be admired, although not necessarily respected, Lillian Dunkle is an interesting character. She is survivor. This is an immigrant story like you have never read.

I enjoyed Lillian's voice, the smattering of Yiddish throughout, and her non-apologetic approach to life.

I cannot even imagine the hours of research Gilman put into writing this novel. There is so much historically-accurate detail that it is hard to tell where fiction ends and truth begins. Did people really think ice cream caused polio? Yes, they did. Is there really such a thing as a Mocktail Milkshake? Yes there is.

In this novel, Lillian Dunkle and her husband Bert invent soft serve ice cream, but the manner by which it happened is loosely based on how it really happened (read the Carvel Ice Cream story here). Who knew ice cream was not only delicious, but fascinating as well. It's true, sometimes the best things in life happen by pure accident, or by capitalizing on a opportunity.

I enjoy well-written family sagas, and following Lillian over the course of 70 years struck that same sweet spot. This is an entertaining summertime read.

So, why not a highly recommend rating? There are times when the essence of Lillian gets lost in too many historical details, cliches and stereotypes run rampant, and the middle pages of Part III were downright tedious to read.