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A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

By Marina Lewycka

(200)

| Paperback | 9780141020525

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Book Description

“More than just a jolly romp with political undertones is the way it captures the peculiar flavour of Eastern European immigrant life.. . a very rich mixture indeed, as well as very enjoyable reading” (The Times)

"An amusing, astonishing debut . . . about how a family learns to let go of the Continue

“More than just a jolly romp with political undertones is the way it captures the peculiar flavour of Eastern European immigrant life.. . a very rich mixture indeed, as well as very enjoyable reading” (The Times)

"An amusing, astonishing debut . . . about how a family learns to let go of the past and live and love in the present." (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize : Winner 2006
Orange Prize for Fiction : Shortlist 2005
British Book Award : Winner 2005

With this novel, Marina Lewycka takes her place alongside Zadie Smith and Monica Ali as a writer who can capture the unchanging verities of family. A wise, tender, deeply funny novel about an eccentric elderly Ukrainian widower in England and the struggles of his two feuding daughters to thwart the voluptuous young gold-digger from the old country who sweeps him off his feet.

Critics

  • Human traffic

    A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka 336pp, Viking, £12.99 There is something fascinating about any minority ethnic group and, therefore, a great interest in novels about them. In this case, for example, we might want to find ou ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

  • Tractor fan? Read this

    In the beginning there was wind and water power. And the people were sore and heavily callused. Then there was 1750ish, when the Industrial Revolution came upon them, and with it James Watt and his steam engine. And lo, there were smoke-belching fact ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

14 Reviews

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  • 3 people find this helpful

    Supposedly an uproariously funny book. I found myself annoyed at the way it was written though. A bit too contrived for my taste.

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    annemarie said on Apr 26, 2007 | Add your feedback

  • 3 people find this helpful

    Hilarious with an intriguing plot. The characters are funny and the prose fluid. You would have attended a lesson on Ukranian history after finishing the book.

    Ukrania is not a fun place to live though ...

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    Tracy W said on Apr 12, 2007 | Add your feedback

  • 1 person find this helpful

    So, the cover of this edition sells the book to you as hilarious and funny... I must say I don't agree that much. Maybe it's me, maybe I don't have a good sense of humour, but I actually found this novel bittersweet and melancholy. True, there are some funny moments - but they always have this sort ... (continue)

    So, the cover of this edition sells the book to you as hilarious and funny... I must say I don't agree that much. Maybe it's me, maybe I don't have a good sense of humour, but I actually found this novel bittersweet and melancholy. True, there are some funny moments - but they always have this sort of lurking background sadness.
    That said, it's very intelligent, a very interesting description of old age and senility, of greed, of family relations and of the importance of memory. I liked it. it's thought provoking, and the writers masters language very well, occasionally creating very funny scenes with it.
    So, I do recommend it, but not if you just read another sad book and are in search of something lighter, like I was ;)

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    natalia said on Oct 17, 2009 | Add your feedback

  • Maybe not as funny as I expected, but I enjoyed it very much.

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    Bedo said on Mar 23, 2011 | Add your feedback

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9780141020525 Paperback $12.86 -- The Book Depository
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