A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

I loved this book. It perhaps helps that I am of Ukrainian ancestry, but the humour in the book, and the way the author introduced us to her eccentric family made me want to keep reading.

A wild little ride. Laugh out loud funny in places. But also

I came across this title and thought it was so odd that I had to get it. Then I read it and it seems like something very common. I did not read this expecting a funny novel. There may have been light hearted parts and it ends well. You will like it better if you don't expect it to be funny. More poignant, less funny.
The main character begins to re-evaluate herself and her family as she finds out all the things they wouldn't say in the process of removing their father's new bride. The characters are more sympathetic than I expected. The ending is happier than I expected as well. This is not my typical genre, but I'm glad I picked this one up.

I just couldn't get into this book. Maybe another time, but doubtful.

Two sisters and their elderly father collide as they have always collided in the past but with tremendous force and great frequency when the elderly father falls for a young woman who wants to immigrate to England from Ukraine.

The dialogue is clever and fun and painful and the dad's obsession with tractors is a nice sidebar to the story.

If you've heard that this book has been nominated for all sorts of prizes you might be expecting something different; but if I tell you it reminds me of Anne Tyler or Joanna Harris you might not be disappointed and might even be a little surprised at the steel edge under this tragi-comic family story.