We all worry about what others think of us. We all long to succeed and fear failure. We all suffer to a greater or lesser degree, usually privately and with embarrassment from... more
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divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, 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 emigre 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...
We all worry about what others think of us. We all long to succeed and fear failure. We all suffer to a greater or lesser degree, usually privately and with embarrassment from status anxiety. For the first time, Alain de Botton gives a name to this universal condition and sets out to investigate both its origins and possible solutions. He looks at history, philosophy, economics, art and politics and reveals the many ingenious ways that great minds have overcome their worries. The result is a book that is not only entertaining and thought-provoking but genuinely wise and helpful as well.
Advantages: easy reading Disadvantages: maybe too simplistic
..."Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blond 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 water, bringing to the surface sludge of sloughed-off memories; giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside."
Nikolai has lost his wife after decades of faithful looking after and sticking to the rules. An eccentric old man, he decides to take a new one. A thirty-six year old from his home land of the Ukraine. After years of estrangement, this decision brings his two daughters back into contact with each other, and kick starts the warmly funny tale of 'A ShortHistory of Tractors in Ukrainian'.
Nadezhda (Nadia) and Vera have been raised in England by their war time refugee parents. They are as different...
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Advantages: A good read, great characterisation Disadvantages: May be put off by the Soviet names or book title or the cover
...A ShortHistory of Tractors in Ukrainian doesn't sound like a book that's worth reading, does it? But it's deceptive. It's not written in Ukrainian, it's not a translation from a book written in Ukrainian and it's not really about tractors. The title actually comes from the title of the book one of the characters is writing. Confusing, huh?
So, why did I decide to read it? There were several reasons. I remember seeing an interview with the author MarinaLewycka on TV a while ago and she impressed me. The word 'Ukrainian' attracted me as I have been interested in all things Soviet since 1980. Then I read an online review which convinced me.
The cover is unusual. It looks quite authentic and East European. In fact, it looks like the book is made from woodchip paper. The fonts used also make it look old-fashioned and dated. At the top...
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Advantages: Very Funny book, and very educational aswell! Disadvantages: The title may be offputting, but none!
...A ShortHistory of Tractors in Ukrainian, MarinaLewycka.
I first noticed this book when I was sat in the Underground and I made a mental note of the title to research it. I never researched it! The lady who was reading it was chuckling to herself so I saw that as a positive sign and bought it.
The cover is beige, with blue and red tractor illustration on the cover. It is available in all good bookshops as I have seen it in Waterstones, WHSmiths, and an independent bookstore.
The story revolves around a Ukrainian family who are living in and near by Peterborough. Vera and Nadia are sisters and are 40 somethings, with the bulk of narrative incorporating their elderly father of 84 and his antics with finding a new wife! (To the daughters horror!!)
The Story...
From the beginning we are aware that Vera and Nadia's mother...
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helpful 19.07.2006
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31.05.2005
24.06.2006
