Choices - Fiction
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
By Marina Lewycka
When their recently widowed father announces that he plans to remarry, sisters Vera and Nadezhda realise they must put aside a lifetime of bitter rivalry in order to save him. The new woman in his life is Valentina, a voluptuous gold-digger from Ukraine, fifty years his junior, with fabulous breasts, and a liking for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine.
As battle commences, old secrets come tumbling out, including the ones from the war, most deeply buried of all. The novel takes in love and suffering, tanks and tractors, sibling rivalry, and the joys of growing old disgracefully.
Written with wit, empathy and grace, it was a debut novel which won a place on the 2005 Man Booker long-list and the Orange Prize short-list.
