For years, Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, raised in England by their refugee parents, have had as little as possible to do with each other - and they have their reasons. But now they find they'd better learn how to get along, because since their mother's death their aging father has been sliding into his second childhood, and an alarming new woman has just entered his life. Valentina, a bosomy young synthetic blonde from the Ukraine, seems to think their father is much richer than he is, and she is keen that he leave this world with as little money to his name as possible. If Nadazhda and Vera don't stop her, no one will. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy feat - Valentina is a ruthless pro and the two sisters swiftly realize that they are mere amateurs when it comes to ruthlessness. As Hurricane Valentina turns the family house upside down, old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the War, the one that explains much about why Nadazhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage, a grand history of the tractor.

This book is now off to Purple-pixie, who won it in a live bookswap on BCUK.

Arrived safely, thanks Teachie!

A very quick, funny read -it made me wonder how I would have reacted if my father had taken up with such a woman.

Sending to a fellow bookcrosser who has this on his wishlist.

This book and a lovely card was waiting for me when I returned from holiday. What a pleasant surprise. Many thanks I look forward to reading it.

Lewycka succeeds in creating some comic situations but the characters are all mere caricatures. Valentina's enormous breasts, her passion for green satin underwear and her dislike of cooking are all mentioned a number of times and so heavily exploited. She is more a mannequin than someone real. The old man is almost always seen in pyjamas or naked, as a symbol of the impotence of old age. Interspersed throughout the novel Nikolai reads aloud from the manuscript that he is writing about the history of tractors, hence the title of the novel.

I found this an amusing novel, (I smiled on occasions rather than laughed out loud), and a mildly interesting diversion but probably not one that will live long in the memory and as such it was a bit of a disappointment.

Going out as part of a Reading it/ Want it thread. Enjoy!

Arrived today.
Thank you so much for sharing.

I couldn't get into this one. I tried, but after 40 pages of phone calls and daughters trying to dissuade their dad from helping the voluptuous Valentina, I had enough.
The book will be sent to mcsar next week as part of the wish list tag game.

31st May - sent to mcsar yesterday

Thank you for sending me the book. I look forward to reading it.