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What are readers saying about Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-24 04:13:01.
(Language: English)
  
I think it is quite a serious read. It tells truly tragic and horrible things about life in Ukraine in the post WWII era. I really appeciated how accurately she sees the games and roles played in relationships especially the one with her sister. She writes about how it is only just the point of view that makes one the victim or the villain and that how desperate people can be when hoping for a better life and that sometimes it is hard or even impossible to mend family relations but it is not a question to sick up for each other against third parties.However towards the end I just couldn’t make myself to read the parts about tractors.Oh, the ending is truly brilliant!
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-09-12 10:09:18.
(Language: English)
It's funny yet moving. However, shouldn't they pay more attention in the editing?
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-20 04:56:28.
(Language: English)
Chick-lit attempting to be 'socialogical'. Elderly father marries eastern european many years his junior, so she can claim a visa. Daughters object, and interfere. Predictably, visa-hunter becomes undone. Interspersed are tales of hardship of first generation immigrants, which are black reading, the most depth the book generates. These are overshadowed by frequent observations on the bodily functions of parents and elderly men, that neither add to the story or give unique insight and remind one why these are not usual topics of polite conversation. An amusing tale, but overall, their is a dissapointment that instead of being offered something new, you are presented with a 21st century tale of modern life.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-10-19 04:10:00.
(Language: English)
It's about sisters, father and daughters, father and death of their mother's death, and the aftermath of total chaos. This book was not a terrible book but the rarely-come-to-light subjects just made me disgusted and very angry. The father is an old man. The daughters are adults. But the woman and her 'child' of 16 who gets involved in their lives, is a nightmare to behold. The father and the woman (who becomes his new 'wife') is a very complicated yet easily deciphered 'relationship', which brings the original trio (2 daughters and father) closer.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-15 10:23:23.
(Language: English)
Are you plagued by siblings at war with you and aging parents who only exacerbate the problem? This is the book for you. Two warring sisters, one born in pre-WWII Ukraine, the other in post WWII Europe,suddenly have a common enemy. Their eighty-four year old father, widowed two years earlier, is mezmerized by a thirty-six year old Ukrainian divorce'. They are separated by ten years, completely different early childhoods, and disagreements after the death of their mother. But they are committed to saving their father from squandering what little money he has on a set of boobs looking for a permanent visa. Among other things, this book struck home because I was raised my parents who were Depression babies. Even though my father was reasonably successful, to the day he died he would wake up every morning convinced that he could lose it all. The same is true for familes from central Europe before during and after WWII -- just a different paranoia. I have to confess, I didn't understand the symbolism of the old man's opus magnum, a history of the tractor in Ukranian. As with most of the novels I read, I shared it with my wife. She figured it out. Good book--worth the read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-03 04:32:26.
(Language: English)
Marina Lewycka (2005): "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" The glorious title "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" was just sufficiently oddbally original and intriguing to cause me to grab & read the book. I liked various parts and aspects of the story, and Marina Lewycka has a definite talent (which she hesitated quite a long time to show to the world; this, her first novel, was published when the author was close to 60 years old, so there is hope for most of us). But overall the details tended to more than a bit stereotypical regarding Ukrainian aspects, and I was not quite able to feel that the supposedly very funny parts were that funny. But her characterisations are well polished, the story flows with its natural intensity and speed. One literary device in particular, that of pushing the two emotionally distant daughters towards each other because of the practical and heart-wrenching drama that befalls their father, works very well. I must also admit that my heart bled a bit where it ought to, so I give the book almost four of my five fingers.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-03 04:31:30.
(Language: English)
Marina Lewycka (2005): "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" The glorious title "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" was just sufficiently oddbally original and intriguing to cause me to grab & read the book. I liked various parts and aspects of the story, and Marina Lewycka has a definite talent (which she hesitated quite a long time to show to the world; this, her first novel, was published when the author was close to 60 years old, so there is hope for most of us). But overall the details tended to more than a bit stereotypical regarding Ukrainian aspects, and I was not quite able to feel that the supposedly very funny parts were that funny. But her characterisations are well polished, the story flows with its natural intensity and speed. One literary device in particular, that of pushing the two emotionally distant daughters towards each other because of the practical and heart-wrenching drama that befalls their father, works very well. I must also admit that my heart bled a bit where it ought to, so I give the book almost four of my five fingers.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-29 12:29:48.
(Language: English)
***SPOILER ALERT***This is a novel which relates the experience of a Ukrainian the survived WW2 more or less intact and moved to England. The plot of the novel centers on the experiences of the father a widower for a couple of years who meets and marries a much younger Ukrainian divorc?who is really just looking for money and a passport. She has a teenage son and several lovers. This crisis causes to sisters who had been fighting to come together and help their father. The sister were born 10 years apart into very different circumstances. The older sister was born just prior to the war in the Ukraine and survived both the absence of her parents and a time in a camp. She knows all of the secrets her parents had not talked about for half a century. The younger daughter was born into a family of relative opulence after the war and never suffered hardship. She grew up to be a sociologist and worked to help the needy and be open minded. The elder sister is as hard as nails. The father's na? experience with the divorcee leads to him being abused emotionally and physically, him squandering all of his savings on no less than 3 cars. The woman becomes pregnant and is forced by the authorities to return to the Ukraine where her ex-husband takes her back. The crisis does cause a drawing together of the three remaining members of the family who never really knew each other before.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-20 06:25:33.
(Language: English)
What an excellent little book. Funny, thought-provoking, told almost through a series of anecdotes. History, family life and a little philosophy intermingled in an honest and down to earth tale, each aspect speaking to the others.I was particularly interested in the 'lists' of things 'left' or 'preserved', 'grown' or 'consumed' by the two wives. Yet Lewycha is not judgemental of the people and the values they give to their 'lists', more she is critical of the societal change and the wanton embracing of the capitalist mindset in all its ugliness. There is also a clever play on the area of migration and who or what can cross borders: peoples, cultures, ideas and families migrating and changing, whilst also acting as a catalyst for the recipient culture. All in all an intelligent and enjoyable read, self critical and self aware but with real humanity.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-19 06:38:09.
(Language: English)
I found myself starting to read this book simply because it had been sat on my shelf untouched for months. As such the first few hours seemed a bit of a chore and I found the story somewhat lacking. However, something changed.Whether it was my perception or a change of direction in the narrative I do not know. Either way I became gently engrossed in Lewycka's slowly woven legacy of three generations of a Ukrainian refugee family. The central premise of the novel is that of an 84 year old man planning to marry a 34 year old Ukrainian national in order for her to become a British citizen. However the story is expanded beyond this boundary through a series of reminiscences, secondary accounts and the included sections of Nikolai's self-penned epic that gives this story it's title.The story becomes more than the meager sum of it's parts and more than just the view of our narrator (the 84 year old's younger daughter). Instead we have a tale of redemption, loss, family and history..
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-16 07:07:36.
(Language: English)
I enjoyed this book. It wasn't a rushed read, like the mystery/thrillers I often pick up. It just kind of plodded along, much like the lives of the characters, taking its time and meandering to its final destination. It was, in turns, funny (almost farcical), sad, frustrating and joyful. The characters were somewhat overdone, but in almost every one of them I could recognize traits of people I have known. Poppa, in his insistence to stay in his own home, reminded me of my great grandmother during her last years, unwilling to give up her independence without a fight. Vera the staunch capitalist and Nadia the liberal college lecturer both brought to mind friends and acquaintances. These associations made the story feel comfortable and familiar even though it was set in a country I've never been to and the plot line was nothing I've ever experienced. I really enjoyed the peeks into the family history, as Nadia slowly learned that there was more to the people in her life than she had ever expected and how their pasts had shaped their lives (and hers as well). It seems strange that she would not have known these things about her own family sooner, but perhaps that's not unusual in immigrant families that have escaped a difficult life. I might want to leave those things in the past too, if it had been me who experienced them. Lewycka wrapped things up a little too neatly, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I'm not sure that it was worthy of a Booker nomination, but it was a pleasant read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
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Hilary posted a review at 2011-08-13 12:33:52.
(Language: English)
One of few books I've given up on. I may go back to it, but it didn't grab me by about quarter of the way thorugh, so probably isn't going to
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Michelle posted a review at 2011-07-09 03:43:36.
(Language: English)
This is a bittersweet family saga that depicts events from past and present, childhood, adulthood and old age, two generations that experienced war and peace, and the immigrant's experience in a new land both after WWII and in the present. There are some comic instances but I found this book very touching and melancholic at times. Although I didn't laugh as much as I had been led to believe, I enjoyed this story very much.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-09-13 01:52:44.
(Language: English)
I found this very sad, although other people I know thought it was funny.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-17 02:38:14.
(Language: English)
Don't let the title put you off. It is largely a story about families and relationships in them, in this case a Ukrainian one (in the UK). Also ponders history, family stories and whether we do need to know them (what relevance now and can we understand the past?). The scenes and conversations are often quite funny. The main narrating voice makes my perspective on different chararacters, and my sympathies change over the course of the story. Overall quite enjoyable
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-30 05:08:41.
(Language: English)
I couldn't put this book down. It was given to me by a Ukranian friend. It had just the right mixture of humour and poigniant moments. I felt it was less about the culture difference and more about relationships. I really related to the chalk and cheese nature of Nadia and Vera's relationship, and the unjust but tangible jealousy between them. Especially arguing over personality traits! But really i liked everything about this book, the tractor analogies were very fitting and not too long and the general style was modern and easy to read. The characters were well fleshed out and resulted in the reader having at least a little empathy for Valentina by the end. I can't wait for more books by this author
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Helen posted a review at 2009-09-27 04:00:02.
(Language: English)
More like a short history of the Mayevskyj family. I wouldn't say it was hilarious, but it was certainly amusing...an image of 'the crap car' immediately springs to mind. It was also disturbing in the way Valentina bullies Nikolai. Ultimately it's a story of a torn family through both war and death, and their struggle to have what they want. Nikolai wanting companionship and 'superior breasts' in his old age. Vera wanting respectability and an assurance her father is in a safe place. Nadia wanting her father to be happy and also to find out a niggling truth. I didn't guess the ending until the point we were meant to guess it...and it did make a few things clearer. Overall it made for a pleasant read but not enthralling.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-11-21 07:11:15.
(Language: English)
So...this is a comic novel is it? Right...hmmm... I didn't even crack a smile. Not once throughout the whole thing. It's more a tragic farce than a comedy. God knows what the mental state of the critics who have drooled thier words all over the cover is. It's not that it's a bad book...it's just,,,it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. It hints at the dark terrors of war, of the secrets families carry and keep from each other but...it covers it all with a light fluffy coating that just seems...insulting and pointless. I'm either reading the wrong books oe there's a serious crisis with contemporary women's fiction at the moment. Don't believe the hype.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-31 12:50:44.
(Language: English)
I didn't mind this one, but it didn't knock my socks off. Lewycka does better when she tells the historical vignettes which provide the backstory for her characters. These are more interesting, as they focus on her parents' experiences in Ukraine, including Stalin's purge and their internment in a workcamp during WWII. Less compelling is the present-day story which revolves around Nadia's elderly widower father, Kolya. The retired engineer is living in England when he meets and marries a thirty-something Ukrainian woman who seems more focussed on getting her U.K. citizenship than taking care of her new husband. Soon she is demanding new car(s) and appliances, to the point that Kolya's grown daughters decide that their father's new bride must be shipped back to Ukraine. Much silliness ensues, but for me, it is never as good as the afore-mentioned vigenettes. Lewycka did far better with her next book, "Strawberry Fields". Read that instead.
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Wendy posted a review at 2007-10-26 06:17:03.
(Language: English)
The first paragraph reads: "Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blond Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside." And that pretty much describes the book. It is written from the point of view of Nadezhda, the younger daughter, who is a sociology instructor (but her family keeps calling her a social worker). Her father, Nikolai, and mother and older daughter, Vera, moved to England after the Second World War where Nadezhda was born. Her parents were married for sixty-five years before her mother died of cancer. After the mother's death the two daughters fought about their mother's will and haven't spoken since. However, the news about the impending nuptials with the Ukrainian divorcee (Valentina) necessitates desperate measures and Nadezhda calls Vera. The title comes from a book Nikolai is writing and excerpts are scattered throughout the book. Nikolai was an engineer and worked in a tractor factory so he does know his stuff. He is not too smart in terms of money and scheming women though. His marriage to Valentina only ran smoothly as long as his money held out. I couldn't decide if this book was a tragedy or a comedy but perhaps it is a combination of both just as life is for most of us. There are some funny passages but mostly it is just a story about a family.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-21 11:08:57.
(Language: English)
A fast read, that is, a good page-turner; not very intellectually challenging but a very well observed study of human nature and its foibles. Not the laugh-fest one might expect from the review extracts on the cover, but mostly amusing if sometimes faintly disturbing due to its treatment of domestic abuse. The book explores much about human nature, not least the development of understanding between the two sisters. The back story of the family's experiences in WW2 is poignant but some things are left unsaid - which in many families is perhaps how things should be.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-09 09:26:18.
(Language: English)
Bought it at Sydney Airport to waste my last Auzzie$$. Thought I might try to kill time on the return flight and was drawn to it by the comment "Extremely funny" by some wirdo at THE TIMES. Couldnt' find anything funny inside. But still managed to read this book within one day. Easy story about two sisters trying to save her 84-year old father from the claws of a 36-year old ukrainian doll with extreme cleavage, fighting for her british passport. After all (but for the stupid recounts of old russian history) ok. to read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-07-31 09:32:35.
(Language: English)
It's a very good read with some unpretentiously touching moments.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-11 05:25:00.
(Language: English)
Overall this book was a light, fun, quick read--perfect for the summer. I read it in a day on a car trip. However, I can't say that its a great book. It's full of promise and has a good story, but Lewcka's writing style is very self conscious and she relies heavily on smilies. It was quite awkward at times and didn't flow. There were also some inconsistencies in references to Ukrainian cities, where sometimes she uses a Ukrainian spelling and others she uses Russian. Her characterization also were inconsistent as she used Russian stereotypes to describe a Western Ukrainian 'villain.' Three story arcs run throughout the book: the presen and main story, the main character's family's past and relationships, and a history of Ukraine that doesn't really seem to fit. It also seems to be a forced lesson in Ukrainian geography. Cute book for people who are fans of this part of the world and other readers may not be as particular.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-20 05:23:27.
(Language: English)
Don't be put off by the title, which is one of the stories within the story. I loved this story of 2 sisters with so much in common yet such different childhoods because of their ages and circumstance: one born in wartime and into hardship and famine, and another in peacetime. Then there is the comic element of the usurper in their midst. Lewycka's characters are multi-dimensional, realistic and loveable. The family history is really interesting, even if there are a few gaps that the reader is left to fill in - the unspoken horrors and hardships. It is a great read with tragedy, comedy, and drama, plus a little education for you on the topic of Tractors.
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