On the HahaFiction shelf
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
Audiobook available · 8 hr 46 min
Vera and Nadezhda have been feuding since their mother died. Their eighty-four-year-old father Nikolai brings them together again by planning to marry Valentina, a thirty-six-year-old Ukrainian divorcee. As the sisters try to intervene, Nikolai pursues romance and his own history of tractors, while old family wounds resurface.
From the author’s blurb
“writing a history of tractors in Ukrainian”Read the full description at Marina Lewycka, author description
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What makes it funny?
Valentina wants Western luxury, but the bargain Rolls-Royce turns out to be almost beyond repair. Nadia’s self-deprecating narration follows the family’s maneuvers, while the dialogue uses Ukrainian expressions translated literally into English. Book-group readers praise the comedy and particularly recommend hearing it aloud.
The comedy at work
The sisters have to take responsibility just as their father decides to enjoy another youth. Nadia’s tolerant self-image is tested by how badly she wants Valentina gone, and her alliance with Vera requires working with someone she can barely stand.
Try this if…
Family quarrels and conflicting immigrant experiences give this novel plenty of friction. The domestic tricks sit beside a serious interest in what parents remember, what they keep quiet about and what their children misunderstand.
Good to know
The farce includes bereavement and abuse of an older person. Family memories return to war, repression and famine in twentieth-century Ukraine.
A few distinguishing details
- Feuding sisters united by their father’s new romance
- A tractor history written amid domestic upheaval
From book groups
Questions readers ask
- Why does the dialogue mix Ukrainian and English?
- The author explains that some strange-sounding English expressions are literal translations of Ukrainian idioms. She enjoys the freedom of mixing the languages.
- How much does it have to do with tractors?
- The author says tractors began as background fun, but researching them drew her in. Nikolai’s history includes technical material and a route into the social and political past.
More funny family comedy
Sources & further reading
- A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian — Penguin Random House
Publisher
- A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (Unabridged) — Apple Books
Book information
- Publisher
Publisher
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
- The Complete Review
Review
- Author description and interview
Author commentary
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