A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

Marina Lewycka — 2006

When their recently widowed father announces he plans to remarry, sisters Vera and Nadezhda realise they must put aside a lifetime of feuding in order to save him. His new love is a voluptuous gold-digger from the Ukraine half his age, with a proclivity for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine, who stops at nothing in her single minded pursuit of the luxury Western lifestyle she dreams of. But the old man, too, is pursuing his eccentric dreams - and writing a history of tractors in Ukrainian. A wise, tender and deeply funny novel about families, the healing of old wounds, the trials and consolations of old age and - really - about the legacy of Europe's history over the last fifty years.

Reviews

Amelia C @coffeewithamelia

May 20, 2024

funny, sad, enlightening..shows how dysfunctional and messy love is!!!

Sarah Sammis@pussreboots

Apr 4, 2024

Over all it was a good book but the middle third of the story lingers too long in the past. I was most interested in the present day story of the two sisters, their father and the tart he had married. The extensive bits of family history near the end seemed out of place when the present day story was gearing up for one last confrontation.

Daniel Kilby@d291173

Jul 21, 2023

I loved this book so much. I discovered it in a Tesco while on holiday, and was so intrigued by the title that I had to buy it. Such a strong debut.

Sarah Escorsa@shrimpy

Mar 8, 2022

After reading the comments on the book cover, I expected this to be quite a funny read... What a disappointment, it didn't even make me smile... May be I just didn't get it, I don't know!

Phil James@philjames

Sep 3, 2021

If you've heard that this book has been nominated for all sorts of prizes you might be expecting something different; but if I tell you it reminds me of Anne Tyler or Joanna Harris you might not be disappointed and might even be a little surprised at the steel edge under this tragi-comic family story.