Commentaires client les plus utiles
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6 internautes sur 6 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
Fascinating, Juil 4 2006
What particularly struck me about this book was the beginning of the opening chapter. Reading it further captivated me and the end of the book proved that it is an amazing story. A story in a story, A SHORT HISTORY OF TRACTORS IN UKRAINIAN captured the depth of characterization that produced an amazing octogenarian in love with a woman in her prime, a born survivor who is determined to make use of any advantage to secure a better future for her son; and the pragmatism of two conflicting sisters who are determined to 'rescue' their father. Enlightening, hilarious, gracious, gave and tender in turns, this fascinating story gives us an insightful view of the lives of those trying to make a new life as refugees or exiles.
I would recommend this book to any lover of good literary works. There are many lessons to learn from this book. In different ways we find that too in THE UNION MOUJIK, WAR AND PEACE,THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, OUR KIND.I enjoyed reading this book, so if you are undecided , my advise is that pick it up and do some reading that you will remember after
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2 internautes sur 2 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
"To survive is to win.", Aoû 30 2007
In this unusual novel set in the English countryside, Nadia narrates the story of her father, 84-year old Ukrainian engineer Nicholai, who is about to marry 36-year old Valentina, also a Ukrainian. The old man is crazy in love with the busty blonde, while she only has eyes for English citizenship papers. Nadia and her estranged sister Vera frantically try to help their confused, lonely father get out of this marriage to his cruel and promiscuous bride, while he doggedly writes his magnum opus, a history of tractors, in Ukrainian.
Valentina is a brutish cow of a woman who has men lining up for her attentions; she quickly makes Pappa's life unbearable. Nadia, ten years younger than her sister, grew up knowing nothing of their parents' lives in Ukraine; little by little she gets Vera to talk about what her parents - and she - went through under Russian and German rule. These reminiscences were so horrific, so pitiable, I read with tears in my eyes, yet I was glad to see light shed on this grim chapter of history.
This is a quick read, an odd combination of wry family humor and grand tragedy; I would not call it a comedy by any means. Recommended for those who like stories about families whose members don't always see eye-to-eye, and for those who would like to learn about the Ukrainian experience in the 20th century.
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2 internautes sur 2 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
3.0étoiles sur 5
Many excellent stories rolled into one., Jui 21 2007
I can't decide whether I liked the history of the family, the development of the relationship between the two sisters or the advertised story of the octogenarian father and his relationship with the woman trying to take advantage with him. All were very well done but I found it a little hard to keep jumping from different story line to different story line in this short book. However, it is definitely a book I would pass on to others.
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