I have just discovered 'A short history of tractors in Ukrainian'......

[AbbaFan]

....... it's a little gem isn't it.

I am really enjoying it.

My bookclub have picked 'Two Caravans' but I really wanted to read 'tractors' first.

I enjoyed this. Abbafan your nickname disturbs me - did you intend a pun on the 1965 coal disaster?

EW - Sorry, no idea what you mean.

Yes, surprisingly funny isn't it?

I loved it

Surely AbbaFan is meant to be an Abba Fan...the disaster was different spelling anyway

fan of abba methinks

You're obviously a lot younger than me, Abbafan. In 1965 a village primary school in Aberfan, Wales, was suddenly smothered when the slag heaps (from the coal industry) behind it collapsed, killing many children. Almost a whole class was wiped out I think.

A Fan of Abba - yes . Inspired namechange after MammaMia.

Does this mean I have to namechange again?

Yes, I was -9 in 1965

Well you're older than me then, Famousswedishpopgroupfan.

no need to change it ..different spelling

I loved Tractors, noone's mentioned the part about the relationship between the two sisters and the war-time camp experiences of the elder sister and the parents.

I didn't enjoy Caravans quite as much, it was definitely more of a love story but also I thought a great story about the human race in general, what people will do in times of need and the circumstances of asylum seekers and economic migrants. It also for me had more effect than Jamie Oliver in making me determined to only buy free-range meat and poultry!

Yes, I winced at the fact that the very worst chickens end up as school dinners.

I felt it was a very accurate (and funny ) portrayal of a mixed cultural family.
My dad was an immigrant and my mum british and their relationship was very similar, although my dad has died and he never had a blonde bimbo. I even recognised the father's speach patterns as similar to my dad's .
My mum also found it laugh out loud funny as I suspect much of it was quite real to her.

Loved em both...Two Caravans pipped SHoTiU for me. Happy Reading!!

Just like christywhisty, I loved the book for its familiarity. My grandfather was a Ukrainian immigrant and reading that book really brought him and the Anglo/Ukrainian context in which I grew up very much back to life.

No, I thought it was awful.