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Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements: book review



Vivien’s HeavenlyIce Cream Shop (2013) is set in Brighton, England. In this novel, Vivien McAlvoy established the Sunset 99s ice cream shop, with her husband Stanley, in July 1953.

When the lawyer read Vivien’s will to her family after her death, it was a surprise that she had not left the shop to either of her two sons, Tom who lived nearby with his with Jan, or Martin who lived in Paris with his wife Francoise. Francoise was particularly miffed, as she would have liked to convert it into a French restaurant.

Instead, 28-year-old Anna and her younger sister Imogen – Tom and Jan’s daughters – inherit their grandmother’s ice cream shop. But both had their own lives. Anna was a marketing director in England and Imogen was a budding photographer in Thailand. Anna had just moved into a new apartment with Jon and his one-year-old son from his ex-partner, Mia. Imogen had fallen in love with American, Luca. Anna and Imogen had no intention of operating the shop.

At the funeral, Anna and Imogen took a look at the ice cream shop next to Finn’s surf shop on the Brighton coast. It was “shabby, full of junk.” A family feud led the two sisters to decide to give it a go. They change the shop’s name to Vivien’s Heavenly Ice Cream Shop and set about refurbishing it. On its first day, under a new banner, it poured with rain.

How were two inexperienced sisters going to make a success out of an ice cream business? Customers were few, they had no hygiene certificate, the weather was rainy and gloomy, and they had bad online reviews.

Anna goes to Pisa in Italy for a week to learn the craft of gourmet ice cream making, leaving Imogen to look after the shop. With a newfound inspiration, they sell gourmet treats, such as hazelnut with chocolate and pretzel pieces, Earl Grey tea sorbet, praline indulgences, espresso granitas, blueberry sorbet, and salted caramel.

Imogen was getting on nicely with Finn, but she still yearned to continue her photography in Thailand, and Anna yearned to continue concocting new flavors with Matteo whom she met in Italy. All the time, a photograph of grandmother Vivien hung above the counter keeping an eye on her former business.


It’s a quick, easy breezy read about the trials and tribulations of ice cream making, and running a business, while reflecting on other work strengths and career dreams. And there are ice cream recipes in the annex.


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