Mrs Whippy

by Cecelia Ahern

A woman in trouble turns to ice cream, and just might find love in its pursuit. Emelda is 46 years old. Her husband, Charlie, has just left her for a 23-year-old dancer. Her five difficult sons worship their father and blame Emelda for his departure. On top of everything else, she has to struggle with a new job at the local supermarket. For comfort she turns to her only true friend ice-cream. But lately there's a handsome man driving the ice-cream van. Could romance be about to blossom?

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Short Stories, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Irish Literature

75 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Cecelia Ahern was born and grew up in Dublin. She is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over twenty-five million copies of her novels worldwide. Two of her books have been adapted as films and she has created several TV series.

Reviews

[Raneem · Rating 4 out of 5]

ms. ahern should probably take this book and rewrite it into a full 400 pages novel book

[Ayda Razak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be perfectly honest....this book caught my eye while at the library because of the ice cream on the cover. Haha, never go to the library snackish...or maybe I should, because this was a great little read. I have my hands tied not to go into too much detail due to this being a short book, or I would give away the whole thing. So here is my condensed, but hopefully helpful view:
Emelda, the main character of this book, is absolutely amazing and someone I could see myself quickly making friends with! She is overweight and very much down on her luck in love, and in her friendships and also in her family life. However, through all this she finally decides enough is enough and starts doing things to try and changer her situations all the way around. Every little bit helps and finally finding support can help too...if she ever finds that. I think the reason I loved this book the most is because I could relate to Emelda completely. Right down to how her pig of an ex husband treats her because he thinks he can. I also laughed out loud about how all her memories are quickly related to ice cream flavors. This puts a smile on my face, even as I type this. You hear how songs or restaurants or smells do this for people, but for Emelda it's ice cream flavors. This is hilarious and amazing all at the same time to me!!!

Like I said, I can't detail much more because of the short read, but trust me you just MUST pick up this book and read it. I found myself laughing, almost crying, and cheering all throughout this read. It is short and quick and easy to read, so just take the time to do it! If you love it like I did, it was well worth it and if you for some reason hate it, well you didn't waste much time reading it. But I highly encourage you to read it!

5/5 Stars!!!

[Gunjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the way she described ice-creams flavors in this book. :)

[Ioanna Stefani · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good story, I really enjoyed the flow and the descriptions, it was very fun ❤️

[Carol Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute but predictable story about a downtrodden woman who starts to take control of her life

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one novella of a series project designed as material for encouraging adult literacy in Ireland. The project has commissioned works from several popular UK authors of adult fiction. What I love most about this is the idea ([late] literacy is close to my heart) and the solid execution (accessible + meaningful = literary). What I love second-most is enjoying the dialect differences (vis-a-vis ASE). I almost never read pop Brit lit, so for me enjoying the idiom in this medium is fun in a novel way.

Mrs. Whippy made me laugh and cheer with a lot of triumph and a *little* bit of schadenfreude. Sweet and short. Maybe forgettable, but not regrettable.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story by Cecelia Ahern.
Emelda's husband has left her for a younger woman. She has three troubled sons who have about as much respect for her as her husband did. She turns to ice cream for comfort. (The descriptions of ice cream and the memories different flavors evoke are scrumptious and make you want to reach for a bowl.)
Emelda surprises her family by getting a job packing groceries at the local store. She meets the local ice cream truck vendor, Mr. Whippy. His quiet attention coupled with her new found sense of capability and self-worth change her life.
This is a predictable tale, a fairy tale of sorts, that leaves you feeling satisfied.

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short little novella. Emelda is in the process of a difficult divorce from an abusive husband after twenty-five years. He's leaving her for a younger, thinner woman. He takes their sons every Saturday overnight until Sunday morning. As it is in many situations like this, his three sons think he's the fun parent. He is constantly running their mother down, blaming her for everything, and treating her like crap. He still has the house key and walks in anytime he feels like it even though he doesn't live there anymore; he helps himself to the food and complains about it just as if he still was head of the house. His behavior has set an example for the boys who are also beginning to treat her poorly. Emelda is depressed. She knows she's put on weight since their wedding day, mainly because throughout her life, ice cream has been her go to soother and solver of problems. It always reminds her of happier childhood times. Needing to get a job to supplement her miniscule amount of child support, Emelda takes a job at the local grocery store as a bagger. It's hard work and she hasn't had to work so she's very nervous about keeping up and doing a good job. She tries confiding in her best friend, but the friend is having an affair behind her husband's back and all she wants tio talk about is her affair. She's also been using Emelda as her alibi for when she's off cheating, saying she was with Emelda instead. Emelda is overwhelmed with her new job, her ex-husband's continued abuse, her sons' behavior, and her friend's disloyalty. The only thing that gives her joy is when she hears the music of the Mr. Whippy Ice Cream Truck coming down her street. She hurries out to get an ice cream and strikes up a friendship with Mr. Whippy himself who makes her feel so much better about herself. Gradually, Emelda starts to change her thinking and her way of life with Mr. Whippy's encouragement. Will she finally stand up to her ex and stop taking his abuse? Will her sons see what the truth is? Will she dump her best friend? Will she and Mr. Whippy get together? This was a good story, I enjoyed it very much.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of the women’s fiction genre study at work. I found the author in a NoveList readalike search for either Marisa de los Santos or Sarah Addison Allen. This likely wasn’t the best book to get a sense of the author’s writing style, but this book was of interest because it’s part of a series meant to appeal to new/reluctant adult readers, similar to the hi-lo books I was familiar with when ordering books for youth services.

This is a very fast read and intentionally does not have a lot of background info or development. The main character is the focus, and she is recently divorced and trying to stand up for herself. Her love of ice cream leads her to meet the ice cream truck driver.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little read. The main character was believable and relatable but somewhat predictable. Unlike some of Aherns books this one lacked the under current of magic I enjoy most. I did enjoy the sense of female empowerment, standing up for yourself and knowing your own worth. I struggled not to get angry with Mrs whippys kids they mimicked theirs dad's treatment of her so that's a sign of a good emotive book for me.

Overall, glad I read it. Would have enjoyed knowing more about where the whippys took their relationship and how her kids ended up. Pretty such by the last chapters tone on Susan, she was a things of the past and quite rightly too!

[m. neral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love small books, so when I saw this on the shelve at the library I knew I had to grab and read it.

I finished the 75 pages quickly and experienced a surprising about of emotions in that time. I even cried!

There are so many powerful feelings represented- self love, self hate, respect, the lack of it, betrayal, loss, acceptance and disgust- too many to list.

Plus! We love to see a fat protagonist! Even though there was quite a bit of fat shaming- it is always, obviously, portrayed as an evil thing.

I’m just so glad everything worked out in the end- I couldn’t have handled a bad outcome in this scenario.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Cecelia Ahern and read anything of hers that I can get my hands on. This little book finally made its way up my wish list on Paperbackswap.com and I was able to get a copy last week. I didn't realize it was a short story/novella of just 75 pages, but that did make for a nice little day trip read on Saturday. For such a short story, it packed some heartwarming punch about surviving and eventually thriving after disappointment and life's major setbacks. Enjoyed it, just would have enjoyed more.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a motivational read that's short and sweet, then this one is for you! I love books that get straight to the point without any fluff. A quick dose of inspiration this book gave me.Life can be tough, but a little positivity can go a long way. This woman's story is inspiring, showing how even small good things can make a difference. Facing challenges head-on is never easy, but it's doable with the right mindset. It's amazing how a little bit of good can turn things around. Keep your head up, and things will get better!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely taste of Cecilia Ahern.
An uplifting tale with a very relatable character - for such a short story I found myself very invested.
This will be a scenario familiar to many and whilst the title doesn't necessarily resonate with me this book is most certainly worth the time and I think it works well as a short story to encourage adult literacy - this is something I think other reviewers have forgotten when complaining it is too short.

[Ranee Babu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was not what I was expecting. I did not expect to feel so much for Emelda within a couple of pages. I did not expect Cecelia Ahern to leave me a sense of hope within a couple of pages. In this short book, she showed how a woman can pick up the pieces of her life, expel all the bad people from her life, and find happiness. I love how Emelda associates a certain ice cream flavor with a memory or experience she has.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cecelia Ahern always crafts a spectacular story, whether it is in short form or long. She continues to do so with Mrs. Whippy, a short story about a woman who lost herself in being a wife and mother suddenly having to find out who she is outside of those roles, and redetermine who she'd like to be in them.

Though the subject material is dense, covering emotional abuse and gas lighting, Ahern sprinkles in humor and lightness with plenty of hope. The story is encompassing, told in the first person from a woman who loves ice cream. Her memories are tied to food, all in some way connected to ice cream, and it fits cleanly into the narrative.

As the protagonist finds her way back to herself, the reader gets to glimpse the hope that can follow hard times: an apt message for these times.

[sonataiscool · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute and inspiring!! The characters were written very well and I loved Emelda and Joe and hated Charlie with my whole heart which I am sure the author intended. Still , it was really interesting and it was great seeing her gain confidence and have things go right for her. I also liked how not EVERYTHING went perfectly like her losing her best friend and not getting her back , because it made the book feel less fiction-y.

[Ophelia Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short read and I wished it had gone on longer. I wish Mr Whippy would have had more scenes and dialogue and this story idea could definitely have grown legs to become a full sized novel. Cecelia did a great job at showing the nasty character the husband was even within a book of such few pages. I would still recommend any Cecelia Ahern fan to read this.

[Cara Noyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great short story! At only 75 pages, it was a quick read but poignant nonetheless. I like the author's writing style in this book and in the Flawed books.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, enjoyable read.

[Bookworm86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short read ideal for someone who wants a quick read literally took me about half hour from start to finish but really enjoyed the storyline and love the author

[Ngdecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew this was a very short book or booklet, but it is by an author I enjoy, so read it. It is really a sweet story and I enjoyed it!

[Michelle Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little read.
Poor Emelda has put her life on hold to be a good wife and mother only to have that blowup in her face. Her husband of 25 years has an affair and ends their marriage.

[Louise Viney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Emily Harrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little read 😊

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick little read by one of my favorite authors. This book is part of a series written to promote adult literacy in Ireland. Short and concise story.

[Arniaty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short empowerment read

[Jamie Martz · Rating 5 out of 5]

As each book I read from this woman... Espectacular topic and well written.