A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
16 journalers for this copy...
I really liked this book, I thought it was very warm and charming. Maybe not as "hilarious" and "uproariously funny" as the blurbs would like you to believe, but it definitely has its heart in the right place and made me all warm and fuzzy inside. :)
From the backflap:
" 'Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde 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 waters, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside'
Sisters Vera and Nadezhda must put aside a lifetime of feuding to save their émigré engineer father from voluptuous gold-digger Valentina. With her proclivity for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine, she will stop at nothing in her pursuit of Western wealth.
But the sisters' campaign to oust Valentina unearths family secrets, uncovers fifty years of Europe's darkest history and sends them back to roots they'd much rather forget..."
This is my 100th registered book and is going out as a bookring in honour of this momentous occasion! :)
Participants:
Queensissi (in Portugal - pref. in Europe)
Harry-sougin (in UK - send anywhere)
Darkhorse4460 (in UK - send anywhere by surface)
KanaPoutz (in France - send anywhere)
Passiontoread (in US - send anywhere)
GrannyAnn (in US - send US)
Lucinda (in US - send anywhere)
Msjoanna (in US - send anywhere)
Perryfran (in US - send anywhere)
Spoiledrotten (in US - send US)
Rrrcaron (in US - send anywhere)
Aunt-sophie (in Canada - send anywhere)----> it's here!
Sherlockfan (in NZ - send anywhere)
If you want to join, just PM me and I'll add you to the list!
From the backflap:
" 'Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde 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 waters, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside'
Sisters Vera and Nadezhda must put aside a lifetime of feuding to save their émigré engineer father from voluptuous gold-digger Valentina. With her proclivity for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine, she will stop at nothing in her pursuit of Western wealth.
But the sisters' campaign to oust Valentina unearths family secrets, uncovers fifty years of Europe's darkest history and sends them back to roots they'd much rather forget..."
This is my 100th registered book and is going out as a bookring in honour of this momentous occasion! :)
Participants:
Harry-sougin (in UK - send anywhere)
Darkhorse4460 (in UK - send anywhere by surface)
KanaPoutz (in France - send anywhere)
Passiontoread (in US - send anywhere)
GrannyAnn (in US - send US)
Lucinda (in US - send anywhere)
Msjoanna (in US - send anywhere)
Perryfran (in US - send anywhere)
Spoiledrotten (in US - send US)
Rrrcaron (in US - send anywhere)
Aunt-sophie (in Canada - send anywhere)----> it's here!
Sherlockfan (in NZ - send anywhere)
If you want to join, just PM me and I'll add you to the list!
This is in the mail to Queensissi as of Feb. 19th!
Journal Entry 3 by QueenSissi from Queluz, Lisboa (distrito) Portugal on Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Arrived today - it was really fast... Thanks Rapturina.
I forgot to had a JE. I really liked this book and ready it quite quickly - it is definitely much better than I first assumed considering its name. I really liked the characters and their particularities.
Sent it to harry-sougin,
I forgot to had a JE. I really liked this book and ready it quite quickly - it is definitely much better than I first assumed considering its name. I really liked the characters and their particularities.
Sent it to harry-sougin,
recieved this book with thanks! cantwait to read it.
sent to DarkHorse4460 to continue the ring!
Journal Entry 6 by darkhorse4460 from Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Thursday, May 10, 2007
Received today from harry-sougin - thank you. It will be next on my list to read.
Journal Entry 7 by darkhorse4460 from Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Sunday, June 10, 2007
I'n always a bit suspicious of blurbs that say a book is 'hilariously funny' and tend to avoid such books. However, I'd heard good things about this one so thought I'd give it a try.
Its not hilariously funny all the time, there's only so much laughter you can wring out of the linguistic boo boos of someone for whom English isn't their first language. However I did enjoy it as a sometimes amusing, sometimes farcical, but often quite sad insight into family behavour and relationships born out of the experiences, often tragic, of migrants, past and present.
A recently widowed old man intends to marry a glamorous gold digger half his age and his daughters are outraged and do their best to scupper it. The first half is a bit repetitive and seems to consist mainly of phone calls between Nadia (worried and outraged) and her besotted father (in denial) and between Nadia and her sister Vera (angry and outraged). However as the plot thickens we begin to find out more about the history of the family, some tragic secrets are revealed and the characters become more real and sympathetic.
The story ends with hope and reconciliation which is satisfying and I hope not giving too much away.
KanaPoutz has asked to be left out of this one - so its on to Passiontoread
Its not hilariously funny all the time, there's only so much laughter you can wring out of the linguistic boo boos of someone for whom English isn't their first language. However I did enjoy it as a sometimes amusing, sometimes farcical, but often quite sad insight into family behavour and relationships born out of the experiences, often tragic, of migrants, past and present.
A recently widowed old man intends to marry a glamorous gold digger half his age and his daughters are outraged and do their best to scupper it. The first half is a bit repetitive and seems to consist mainly of phone calls between Nadia (worried and outraged) and her besotted father (in denial) and between Nadia and her sister Vera (angry and outraged). However as the plot thickens we begin to find out more about the history of the family, some tragic secrets are revealed and the characters become more real and sympathetic.
The story ends with hope and reconciliation which is satisfying and I hope not giving too much away.
KanaPoutz has asked to be left out of this one - so its on to Passiontoread
Journal Entry 8 by darkhorse4460 at By Post/Hand in -- By Post or by Hand--, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom on Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (6/14/2007 UTC) at By Post/Hand in -- By Post or by Hand--, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom
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Mailed to passiontoread in the US. Enjoy and pass on!!!
Mailed to passiontoread in the US. Enjoy and pass on!!!
Just received in the mail today! Relieved it got here after so long. Thanks so much for sending!
Just finished today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Somewhat sad and so frustrating at times with the father and Valentina. Interesting how the history of the family is revealed in the end. A very enjoyable read and thanks for sharing. Contacting GrannyAnn for an address.
Mailed today to GrannyAnn. Happy reading!!
Received today. I''m intrigued by the previous journal entries and I''m looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed this book but I didn't find it hilariously funny. In some parts it was quite sad. The situation of the 84 year old father and the gold-digging 34 year old was humorous but the family history and the history of the Ukraine was rather sad.
All in all,though, it was a book worth reading.
Sent via media mail to Lucinda. DC# 03070020000095963468.
All in all,though, it was a book worth reading.
Sent via media mail to Lucinda. DC# 03070020000095963468.
Just received today. I have two books ahead of it and then I'll start reading it. Thank you!
I agree, not as hilariously funny as the blurbs would have you believe, nevertheless I enjoyed it immensely. Am sending off to msjoanna today.
This has arrived safely in NYC. I have about 100 pages left in the book I'm currently reading, then I'll start this one. Glad it's made it's way to me.
I thought this book was cute, but not especially memorable and certainly not "hilarious." I enjoyed the characters and found the book to be light and easy to read while having enough seriousness to make it seem worthwhile. Still, I don't think I'll be rushing to recommend this one to others.
I'll be mailing it out tomorow.
I'll be mailing it out tomorow.
Received in today's mail. Looking forward to reading this but I have a couple of other bookring books in front of it. Will get to it ASAP. Thanks rapturina for including me in this bookring!
I enjoyed this both amusing and sad story of a family who immigrated as refugees from Ukrania to the UK after WWII and the plight of the daughters when their 84-year old father marries a much younger buxum woman who is seeking British citizenship. Although Valentina, the young wife, is obviously after the old man's money and citizenship, I felt sorry for her plight and the plight of other immigrants as the story progressed. The novel also tells the story of the family's history during and preceeding the war which was very heartbreaking. Overall, I would recommend this one.I have Spoiledrotten's address and will get the book in the mail today. Thanks rapturina for including me in this bookring!
Journal Entry 20 by 
perryfran
at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, November 10, 2007
perryfran at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, November 10, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (11/10/2007 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
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On its way to spoiledrotten in Fair Lawn, NJ. Enjoy!
USPS DC# 0307 0020 0000 1996 9620
On its way to spoiledrotten in Fair Lawn, NJ. Enjoy!
USPS DC# 0307 0020 0000 1996 9620
Received this in the mail today and will read as soon as I am done with my current book. Thanks Rapturina for including me.
Well, I didn't particularly care for this book. I do agree with msjoanna in that I didn't find it "hilarious" in fact I found the book to be more sad than funny. I do appreciate rapturina for including me because one of the best things about bookcrossing is that I have read many books I would not normally have picked up and I definitely think that is a plus!!!!
I have rrrcaron address and will try and mail out tomorrow.
I have rrrcaron address and will try and mail out tomorrow.
Sent out this morning to rrrcaron, hope you like it more than I did!
I received this book in the mail today. I have a few to read beforehand, hopefully it won't be too long...
Ruth
Ruth
I received this over the last days. I'll get down to it once I'm done with the books I am currently reading.
On the cover, the book is described as hilarious, which I also find a bit exaggerated. There is indeed a touch of humor which makes us smile, but it is not rolling-on-the-floor funny. Some parts are even rather dark. However, it is a simple and interesting story, a very pleasant read. Thank you for sharing the book via this ring, rapturina!
Sherlockfan got another copy of the book, so I'll contact rapturina to see what she wants to do with the book next.
Sherlockfan got another copy of the book, so I'll contact rapturina to see what she wants to do with the book next.
Well, rapturina told me to do whatever I want with the book, so... I am going to pass it on to carelaisa, who had it on her wishlist and was very curious about it!
got it yesterday. Can't wait to read it!
Thanks aunt-sophie for bringing me this book :)
Thanks aunt-sophie for bringing me this book :)
Well, I'm glad to have read it! Everything is told in a light and humoristic tone, without going into abuse and derision. It's a story that reads very well, the characters are quite attaching and we do get a good laugh - the author does know how to make us smile! I do have a fondness for British humor, so I was already a bit sold to the novel even before reading it!! I will read the other book by this author somewhere in the future...
Journal Entry 30 by carelaisa at RABCK, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Released 15 yrs ago (11/19/2008 UTC) at RABCK, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases
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sent to a fellowbookcrooser who has won the Smile Day RABCK int'l. Hope she/he will like it :)
sent to a fellowbookcrooser who has won the Smile Day RABCK int'l. Hope she/he will like it :)
Arrived today - thank you so much! I read Two Caravans really recently and really liked it, so have been looking out for this for ages. Can't wait to start it :-D
18.12.08
I really enjoyed this! I didn't really agree with the blurb on the cover either, but it was really good. Thanks for sharing :-)
18.12.08
I really enjoyed this! I didn't really agree with the blurb on the cover either, but it was really good. Thanks for sharing :-)
Released 15 yrs ago (12/19/2008 UTC) at
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Sending to Danielle23 because it's on her wishlist.
Sending to Danielle23 because it's on her wishlist.
Journal Entry 33 by Danielle23 from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Monday, December 22, 2008
This arrived today from lucy-lemon and it came as a complete surprise so thank you so much. I will be reading this as soon as possible and then sending it on another journey.
Journal Entry 34 by Danielle23 from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Saturday, December 27, 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book but like many others who have read this, I disagree with the blurb, it was more of a sad tale about survival than an 'Extremely funny' one.
Journal Entry 35 by Danielle23 from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Saturday, January 10, 2009
Reserved for BertieBassett. Will post out ASAP.
Journal Entry 36 by Danielle23 at Sunderland, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Thursday, January 15, 2009
Released 15 yrs ago (1/15/2009 UTC) at Sunderland, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom
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On the way to another bookcrosser who had this book at the top of her wishlist. I hope you enjoy this Rose xx
On the way to another bookcrosser who had this book at the top of her wishlist. I hope you enjoy this Rose xx
Journal Entry 37 by BertieBassett from Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom on Monday, January 19, 2009
Thank you so very much!!!
It arrived today to brighten my Monday morning!
Looking forward to reading it and then will send it off on its way
It arrived today to brighten my Monday morning!
Looking forward to reading it and then will send it off on its way
