A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

Marina Lewycka's debut novel, "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian," is a renowned bestseller, now included in the Penguin Essential collection. The story begins two years after the narrator's mother's death, when her eighty-four-year-old father falls for a striking thirty-six-year-old Ukrainian divorcee. This new addition to the family arrives with flair, stirring up long-buried memories and family tensions. The narrator and her sister, Vera and Nadezhda, must put their differences aside to protect their immigrant engineer father from the alluring, wealth-seeking Valentina. Known for her penchant for green satin lingerie and convenient cookery, Valentina's relentless quest for comfort and fortune threatens to unravel their lives. As the sisters strive to remove her from their father's life, they uncover long-hidden family secrets and confront historical shadows of Europe they'd rather leave behind. Reviews acclaim Lewycka's work as an exceptional comedic success, with Time Out highlighting her remarkable talent and the Daily Telegraph and Spectator praising the novel's enjoyable and touching narrative.