Customer Reviews

Ice-Candy-Man

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A wonderful book: an eye-opener for me. Having grown up in neighborhood teeming with Parsis, in an apartment building behind a Fire Temple, I could identify with the protagonist and her friends. The book is peopled by characters like Ayah, Ice-Candy Man and others who are so realistic. Godmother and Slavesister could have been some of my neighbors during my childhood.

The cozy feeling induced by the cast and the anecdotes is a cushion for the shock that one feels as the author describes in gory detail scenes from that awful event in the history of the Indian subcontinent, the Partition. Growing up in the 60s, I heard whispers about the horrors but had never come face to face with them until I read Sidhwa's novel. The book really shook me up.

Reading the book was an enriching experience; it is certainly one of the best books I have read recently.

Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel, Ice Candy Man, ... was a thoroughly enjoyable and excitable read.
The award-winning authoress was born in Lahore during the days reflected upon as undivided India. Her early childhood was spent seeing her country and countrymen divided right before her eyes and this is easily deciphered through her character’s narration in the novel. She has done an exceptional job of transporting her reader to that bloody era and forcing them to experience the betrayal, terror and separatism faced by a country of a billion plus citizens. The reason I decided to even pick up this book was all owing to the writer’s name because I had previously enjoyed her other novels; this recent read being no exception to my delight. Her previous existing novels, Crow Eaters, An American Brat, and The Bride all reflect Ms. Sidhwa’s strong sense of her Parsee culture and also consistent with this author’s style Ice Candy Man is filled with humorous anecdotes and lovable characters.

The story is set during the tumultuous period when India gained her independence
from the loathsome British Raj. The release of the subcontinent country from European rule
is overshadowed by the notorious year, 1947. The year names were replaced by religion.
The year friends became enemies. The year 11 million people lost their homes. The year
millions were raped, tortured, killed. The year known as Partition.

Bapsi Sidhwa tells the novel, somewhat autobiographical, through the thoughts of a
precocious and very mature Lenny Sethi. “Baby Lenny” begins her story living in an idyllic
bubble as a naïve four year old and concludes four years later completely stripped of her
childhood illusions and her bubble sufficiently deflated....

Ireally loved this book, being from that part of the world myself, I really "get" all of the hilarious phrases. unfortunately they tend to lose just a slight edge when translated in to english. None the less it is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. The movie "earth " is based on this book, not on "The Bride" which is what is written in the review for "The Bride". I really recommend this book, no matter what part of the world you are from. Best reading is the three books in this series in order. I beleive the first is "The Croweaters" Love it. Thanks

Ice, candy man- a story that very methodically began with the conditions of India in the time before two nations emerged out of it, Pakistan and India. "Lenny", the main narrator, gives the reader a brief account of the pungent surroundings of the city of splendor- Lahore. Her guardian "Ayah" also plays a very important role in this young lass's life.

But as they say, the sun never shines for ages, soon the sun set here too. Ice candy man, the very cheeky fellow, who everyone thought was Ayah's Romeo, emerged out as a traitor and took the form of the character Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Ice Candy Man, in the Hindu- Muslim riots forcibly drags out his love, Ayah, for she was of Hindu caste. Ayah was made into what they call ' Dancing Girls', while the cheat himself, turned into a poet.

The story moves up and down as Lenny tells the reader about all of her Parsee family. Her weird cousin, who always seeks opportunities to pounce on her, Adi, her belligerent brother, Father and Mother all are very wittily described. But, the savior is Rodabai. This fat, stubby lady is Lenny's godmother and together they find the whereabouts of her lost Ayah. Rodabai manages to track Ayah and she and Lenny dash of towards Diamond Market to find the maid.

In the end, the 'trying to talk very sweet' Ice-candy man, gets a taste of his own medicine as he is fiercely beaten and Ayah rescued. The story ends, as Ayah rolls of in a truck to Lahore, to her family and the Parsees having lost everything, their friends, bonds, Ayah and Ice candy man once again move on.

Truly, this tale is a witty, breathtaking, wondrous experience. If you want to enjoy some high quality reading time, Bapsi Sidhwa's Ice- Candy man is just the right book.

Nikhil Pandhi, India, Haryana 122017

In the voice of a curious and intelligent little girl growing up in Lahore as British India as it is about to be partitioned into India and Pakistan, this book more than any other I've read helps an outsider understand the ongoing animosity between the two. Atrocities by Hindus against Muslims, by Muslims against Hindus, and intra-communal violence against members of faith communities who refused to see members of other faiths as less than human created a hell on earth. Politicians, politicized religious leaders, and defense hawks on both sides of the partition line still today exploit memories of 1947 (and 1965, and 1971) to justify and promote animosity toward the other side.

Wonderful to read, the author makes the child's voice believable. One's sense of foreboding grows as the child describes, without understanding, adult behavior that culminates in horrific results. A must-read for anybody trying to understand the emotional underpinnings of international relations in South Asia.

In 2000, one of the few films that moved me to tears was Deepa Mehta's "1947 : Earth" Coming from the South of the Vindhya's, the Partition was something mentioned in passing in text books. We did not know any affected families and hardly anyone down South spoke about this bloody episode in India and Pakistan's shared past.

According to Richard Symonds 1950, The Making of Pakistan, London, "at the lowest estimate, half a million people perished and twelve million became homeless".

1947 : Earth brought this part of our history to life and I wanted to read the book which spawned the movie. (Everyone knows that books are better than the movies they inspire.) This was on my "To Read" list for almost 4 years before I bought the book and it took me another 3 years to read it. Even reading the book itself took over a month, because it induced strong feelings of despondency, depression and immense sorrow.

The problem with history books is that they tend to dehumanize history, apart from the fact that history is interpreted by the writer for his/her own convenience. Bapsi Sidhwa's Ice Candy Man manages to avoid both these cons. The story is semi fictional but it is also based on her own experience and that of Rana Khan.

The entire story is told through the eyes of Lenny Sethi (Sethna in the movie) from the time she is 7 to early teenage. Lenny is a Parsi girl. Her religion and age does play a pivotal part in the story telling because most of the events around her do not affect her or her immediate family directly, although it affects the lives of everyone else around her.

As Ralph Crane puts it "It may be that the atrocities of 1947 are best seen through the innocent naive eyes of a child, who has no Hindu, Muslim or Sikh axe to grind. . . Lenny is free both from the prejudices of religion and from the prejudices against women and the constraints she will be subject to as she grows older."

Lenny's naivety is brought home often, like when she comes to know that her mother and Electric aunt are acquiring petrol and immediately jumps to the conclusion that they are the ones responsible for setting all the fires in Lahore.

Sidhwa's characters are extremely well etched from Ayah, to masseur, to Ice Candy man, to Imam Din to Mucho, to cousin, to Godmother to Hari (later Himmat Ali). All these characters play an important part in Lenny's life. Each of their religions takes centre stage as matters escalate. And the rich detailing of each character makes the reader commiserate with the plight of each of the "victims".

Her imagery is excellent and brings each scene to life. Visualising Rahul Khanna, Nandita Das and Aamir Khan in the roles of Masseur, Ayah and Ice Candy man simply helped the process.

An extremely touching and poignant story. Khushwant Singh (A Partition survivor himself) says this book deserves to be ranked amongst the most authentic and best books on the partition.

SIDWA'S BOOK, I CANT SEEM TO GET OVER IT, AND I READ IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.I HIGHLY RECCOEND READING OF THIS BOOK TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE GRUSOME HORROR OF THE PARTION AND ALSO TO THOSE WHO HAVE AND LOST THIER KITH AND KIN AS IT WILL HELP THEM TO REALISE THAT THEY WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO SUFFERED THIS BREAKING UP OF THE EARTH.

THE PARTION OF INDIA WAS FATE AND IT HAD TO HAPPEN, AND SIDWA'S BOOK NOT ONLY HELPED ME AN KNOWLDGE OF THE EVENT, BUT IT WAS AS IF I WAS PRESENT IN THAT ERA AND RELIVING THE HORROR.

KUDOS TO BAPSI SIDWA,FOR DEMONSTARATING SUCH A GOOD FLAIR OF IMAGINATION AND WRITING.