# A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

By Marina Lewycka

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/a-short-history-of-tractors-in-ukrainian-f0025ae3/

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.

## 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.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- On the shelf: Family comedy
- Kind of humor: Farce · Wordplay
- Format: Novel
- Length: 304 pages
- Audiobook: 8 hr 46 min

## A few distinguishing details

- Feuding sisters united by their father’s new romance
- A tractor history written amid domestic upheaval

## 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.

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian — Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/295611/a-short-history-of-tractors-in-ukrainian-by-marina-lewycka)
- Book information: [A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (Unabridged) — Apple Books](https://books.apple.com/gb/audiobook/a-short-history-of-tractors-in-ukrainian-unabridged/id511306872)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/295611/a-short-history-of-tractors-in-ukrainian-by-marina-lewycka)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/bookrecommendations/permalink/6414116898663069)
- Review: [The Complete Review](https://www.complete-review.com/reviews/popgb/lewyckam.htm)
- Author commentary: [Author description and interview](https://www.marinalewycka.com/tractors.html)