The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street: A Novel Audiobook

Quotes

• “The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street is a wonderful read, by turns poignant and wickedly funny. This is the immigrant story updated, with a brazenly reimagined American anti-hero, and delicious all along the way.”

  — Kevin Baker, New York Times bestselling author

• “We all scream [for] Susan Jane Gilman’s novel.”

  — Time

• “Suspenseful and bittersweet…Gilman, who has a gift for realistic dialogue, has composed an incredibly engrossing read.”

  — Real Simple

• “A familiar schmatta-to-silk brocade story of immigrant New York….polished yet pointed, deceptively cheery but shaded in the sinister—an upside-down, funhouse treat.”

  — USA Today

• “Big-hearted…[A] smart, darkly comic story, which is perfect for a summer weekend read…Gilman understands the great sweep of the twentieth century, from life in a tenement on Orchard Street, to Italian Communists, Joe McCarthy, McDonald’s franchises, suburbanization, and, of course, the history of ice cream in America. She blends it in a delicious swirl, and adds a topical spin.”

  — Chicago Tribune

• “Entertaining…Although this is Gilman’s fiction debut, she knows how to tell a sweeping story…Lillian Dunkle is sometimes sympathetic, sometimes reprehensible but always fascinating. And that, darlings, is all that matters in telling a good story.”

  — Dallas Morning News

• “The writing is forceful, the travel is fun, and the characters are memorable, making this novel by award-winning writer Susan Jane Gilman pretty much the perfect summer read.”

  — Christian Science Monitor

• “This page-turner of a book is a of a book is a tart alternative to the usual sweet summer refreshment…The author’s research is meticulous. Gilman’s Dickensian description of the Lower East Side of the early twentieth century conjures up the intensity of such classics as The Rise of David Levinsky or Call it Sleep…The historical references are seamlessly woven into the story and add an extra topping to an already delightful tale…Gilman’s talent is taking sentimental stock characters and turning them inside out.”

  — Jewish Week

• “Gilman puts a modern twist on the traditional saga of a woman’s rise to power and the tragedy and triumphs therein. Her heroine, a bit Martha Stewart and a tad Leona Helmsley, isn’t always likable, but readers won’t be able to stop themselves from being captivated by her gutsiness, courage, and wicked sense of humor…Easy to read, fast-paced, at times sad and at others uplifting, this is a highly enjoyable novel.”

  — RT Book Reviews (4½ stars)

• “An outstanding fiction debut…Gilman’s numerous strengths are showcased, such as character-driven narrative, a ready sense of wit, and a rich historical canvas.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• “At the heart of memoirist Gilman’s first novel is ice cream entrepreneur Lillian Dunkle, a fascinating character who, like American businesswoman Leona Helmsley, believes that ‘only the little people pay taxes’…With its vivid depictions of old New York City tenement life and its tale of the American ice cream business set against the backdrop of the major events of the twentieth century, this rags-to-riches saga will appeal greatly to readers of American historical novels.”

  — Library Journal

• “An ambitious and lavish immigrant rags-to-riches-to-rags first novel rife with humor and moxie.”

  — Booklist

• This shrewd and lively novel tells us about those chasms between public success and private truths that make up so much of American life. The energetic narrator, the ice cream queen, is a confidence-woman, and her darkly comic story about life in the big city and in the media spotlight will give readers chills.

  — Charles Baxter, author of The Soul Thief

• Riveting... part coming-of-age story, part travel journal, part political thriller, and completely unputdownable.

  — Elaina Richardson, O Magazine

• [A] standout travel memoir...Gilman's descriptions of their trials and tribulations crackle with wit.

  — Booklist

• What emerges from these exhaustively told tales is a genial comic presence, a good-time girl who doesn't always get it right, whether it's her relationship, her job, or her prose...This is Gilman at her best: stubborn, perversely honest, and, yes, hypocritical. And we're entirely on her side.

  — Claire Dederer, The Chicago Tribune

• [Gilman's] takes on sex and work, love and friendship, mind and body are refreshing, and her personality engaging.... This memoir offers the pleasure of spending time in the company of an observant and vivid writer.

  — People Magazine (four stars)