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.

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

Independence statue, Phnom Penh

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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