A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian | 
 enlarge | Author: Marina Lewycka
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  86 reviews
Sales Rank: 37767
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0143036742
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780143036746
ASIN: 0143036742
Publication Date: March 28, 2006
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Condition: NEW BOOK UNREAD MAY HAVE REMAINDER MARK
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Product Description
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
With this wise, tender, and deeply funny novel, Marina Lewycka takes her place alongside Zadie Smith and Monica Ali as a writer who can capture the unchanging verities of family. When an elderly and newly widowed Ukrainian immigrant announces his intention to remarry, his daughters must set aside their longtime feud to thwart him. For their fathers intended is a voluptuous old-country gold digger with a proclivity for green satin underwear and an appetite for the good life of the West. As the hostilities mount and family secrets spill out, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian combines sex, bitchiness, wit, and genuine warmth in its celebration of the pleasure of growing old disgracefully.
A charming comedy of eros... A ride that, despite the bumps and curves in the road, never feels anything less than jaunty. Los Angeles Times
Lewycka is a writer with a fundamentally optimistic vision of the future and a healthy curiosity about the past. Chicago Tribune
Charming, poignantly funny. The Washington Post Book World
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| Customer Reviews: Read 81 more reviews...
 Waste of time July 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I recently picked this book up used at my local library for $1. The cover burst advertised that it was nominated for a Man Booker Prize, and the back cover copy boasted that it was an international bestseller that was shortlisted for the Orange Prize.
My thoughts on that after reading the book: WTF?
The quick synopsis of the plot is this: Gold-digging Ukrainian immigrant hussy latches on to an elderly Ukrainian widower in England, marries him, and tries to take his money and his house. His two adult daughters (Vera and Nadezhda) try to prevent it from happening. And that's pretty much it. There is an attempt at incorporating many zany characters along the way, and we learn about Vera and Nadezhda's strained relationship, and their relationship with their kooky father. Oh, and every single character is disgusting and hate-able. I almost found myself rooting for the hussy.
Man, this book needed an editor, or at least one more (ruthless) revision. But it was nominated for the Booker, so what the hell do I know? What I do know, though, is this manuscript as is would never have made it out alive if presented to my writer's group.
For instance, the author doesn't seem to have much confidence in her own writing. Written in the first person of the Nadezhda character, the narrative is constantly interrupted by the character's explanation of things in parenthesis. Even during dialogue! And it is a constant interruption. More than a handful of times I just wanted to scream out, "Let the f-ing characters talk! Stop interrupting!"
The other no-no that the author does is to somehow allow her lead first-person narrator to know what someone else is thinking. This is after the old man's young wife is treating him particularly bad:
Maybe he would beat her if he could, but he cannot. For the first time he realises how helpless he is. His heart fills with despair.
Oh really? How do you know this, Nadezhda? My writer's group would have taken me to task if I had presented them with this.
As a writer, you are influenced by many authors and countless books. Sometimes you'll read something so good (think John Irving in his prime) that it inspires you, and shows you just how transcending the written word can be. Then you have a novel like this--which also influences you as a writer. By showing you what not to do.
I need to read some Owen Meany now to cleanse myself. I feel so dirty. But what do I know? This thing was a best-selling, award-nominated novel.
 Generational and cultural mis-cues July 25, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
_A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian_ was recommended to me on the premise that an octagenarian Ukrainian immigrant marries a much younger, glamourous Ukrainian woman; hilarity ensues. Is it a love match, or is the younger woman merely a gold-digger seeking citizenship and the "good life" in the West? How the geriatric widower and his two well-meaning middle-aged daughters see the relationship tells much about their pasts: the time and circumstances in which they grew up and where they are at that particular moment in their lives.
A good deal of the story plodded along - as a previous reviewer noted, it would have made a much better short story than a book - I became increasingly frustrated as the story developed, although this may have been intentional, Lewycka wanting me to empathize with the well-meaning (if exasperated) daughters. The conclusion was rewarding, and I felt was the strongest writing of the book as well - Lewycka quite movingly shows the internal mechanisms that all families face: sibling rivalry, the struggles of caring for elderly parents, differences in political and social outlook - with the additional burden of cultural differences between those born in Ukraine and those born in Britain.
While some may apparently found it funny, I didn't think so; perhaps the relationships between characters and the events were a little too close to home for me to find any humor in them. (Or maybe I don't have as good a sense of humor as I thought I did.) A good diversionary read, but not a great book.
both serious and light July 25, 2008
Between the usual solid review from Mr. Fleisig and the catchy title, the novel called out for a spin. Ms. Lewycka has made a fine contribution to the vast collection of Russian fiction, although of course "Russian" doesn't really apply here. The insights into the old days in the home country, the transition during the war, and views into the immigrant experience in England and life in recent Ukraine were welcome and usually interesting.
The author combined a decent amount of humor (amusing at times, occasionally funny) with what in reality is a serious theme. You can see her experience with the care of elderly in the family dynamics that drive the novel. Papa struggles with old age while being mentally alert enough for technical discussions and his book-within-a-book on tractors. His daughters in turn wrestle with how to handle Papa, compounded of course by the plan to marry the mismatched Valentina and the turmoil that inevitably follows.
Dysfunction takes over and there the novel had less appeal for me. Some of the action seemed too forced, or perhaps it's that I don't really like reading about major dysfunction and bad behavior and people doing stupid things. I preferred hearing more about the family's background and watching the younger daughter (and narrator and native English) learn more about the past, including that of the older sister, and for the two of them gradually to come to some accommodation.
A book-within-a-book can be a real dud, just as with a play-within-in-play. The essay on tractors worked better than one might expect, although I can understand if a reader finds it unattractive. Similarly, a reader with little interest in the former Soviet Union or its people will not appreciate one of the novel's strengths. Therefore, I recommend this more for a specific audience and pass as an option for the general reader or a book club.
 A Short History Of Tractors In Ukranian July 23, 2008
This is a very funny book, and its evocation of life in the English Midlands is comically well-observed.
Underlying the humour though, is a story of tragedy and survival in a time of genocide.
The eighty-something father who is seduced by a thirty-something Ukranian woman (with "most superior breasts"!) is sympathetically drawn despite his obvious flaws, and his occasional rambling monologues on politics & philosophy are genuinely informative.
The antagonism and eventual raprochement between the two sisters is funny, touching and totally believable.
All the characters are well-drawn.
I strongly recommend this great book.
 Strange family saga June 2, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I didn't really enjoy this book. Some parts were entertaining/humorous, but I found the book hard to pick up. It definitely did not capture my attention. The general consensus of our book club was that we would not recommend this book to our friends.
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