A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Told from the point of view of the youngest daughter, Nadezhda, this family saga is set in London. During one of their many phone conversations, her 84 year old father announces he intends to marry a blonde, big-breasted 36 year old Ukrainian woman. He met her at the local Ukrainian Social Club in the English town where he lives, just north of London. It is clear to Nadezhda and her sister, Vera, that the femme fatale Valentina is only after Western luxuries—certainly not genuine love of any kind. Smitten with saving two Ukrainian lives, their father forges ahead to help Valentina settle in England, spending what little pension he has buying her cars and household appliances and even financing her cosmetic surgery.

In the meantime, Nadezhda, a socialist, and Vera, a proud capitalist, confront the longstanding ill will between them as they try to save their father from his folly. As time goes Nadezhda, starts to feel differently about Valentina and wants to discover who she is. Nadezhda has never known much about her parents' history, starts asking questions and actually listening to the stories her father tells her. She starts to piece it together with her sister and learns that there is more to her father than she once believed. The story alternates with narrative from her father's book "Short History of Tractors" which she helps him translate into English.

I listened to most of this on CD until I put the final CD in to discover it was a repeat of the previous CD. So I had to finish it in print. I really enjoyed this story but found myself getting fixated on the time frame. Initially I thought it took place in current times but then when Nadezhda talked about her birth being in the 1940's and she was 48 I knew I was a bit off. The conversations between the daughters and their father were fascinating. The fights between Valentina and their father were hysterical as both get their English confused. You get a real feel for the Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the UK during the war. I did skim over the tractor history though, it was a bit much.