Customer Reviews: Read 182 more reviews...
 Almost very good indeed August 16, 2008
I liked this-with reservations. The writing is light, sprightly, with real humour. The characters are interesting. The relationship between the two sisters is beautifully portrayed and developed and the idiosyncrasies of the father are both touching and amusing. I didn't feel that the character of Valentina was quite as well developed as it could have been, although her abusive tirades in broken english had me in stitches. For me, the best feature of the story was the way it juxtaposed the two types of 'immigrant': the refugee from horror and atrocity and the 'modern' aspirant to a western lifestyle. This made me think and inspired me to learn more about the history of the Ukraine. My main negative comment is that I felt the ending was a bit of a let down, and didn't really live up to what had been set up before: I felt it was a little rushed and somewhat incongruous, certainly not satisfying my feeling that something hilarious/touching or fundamental was going to happen. It rather fizzled out.
That said, still a very enjoyable read and an insight into a community and a history that I knew nothing of previously.
 (Not big or clever) August 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really wanted to like this book (yeah, right). It had been recommended to me (like I need recommendations from anyone) so I was sure I'd enjoy it (oh?). Unfortunately (trying to sound disappointed), I didn't get through it because it wasn't really my cup of tea (trying not to say outright that it was awful). I don't give up on many books (only rubbish ones) but I found the style challenging (so incredibly annoying) and I thought the humour (what humour????) was not all that amusing (like pulling teeth). Maybe it was because I'd just come off the back of reading 'A Prayer For Owen Meany' (now that's a book!) and my expectations were maybe a little high (not that they'd have to be high to be disappointed by this garbage). Anyway, I'm sure that there's a market for this sort of thing (Lord above help us!) and that many people will derive some pleasure from reading it (Lord above help them!). Oh, and that thing she does with parentheses (brackets to you and me) is a little bit distracting (AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!). Enjoy!
 Trashy July 22, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Trashy, badly written, unexplored 1D characters, Overhyped.
As well crafted as this review.
Good but patchy July 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a strange novel. Old Ukrainian guy living in England falls for Ukrainian con-woman who wants the good life in the UK for herself and her son. Old guy's daughters are outraged because the woman is a slutty, slovenly blond who treats their father like dirt and has lovers on the side. Meanwhile, he is writing a history of tractors, chunks of which are thrown into the novel, together with flashbacks of what happened in wartime Eastern Europe. It's a somewhat disjointed novel. I admit to very quickly begin skipping all the stuff on the tractors and the wartime reminisces. As others have said they added nothing to the novel - or else I was missing something deep, although in this case it must have been buried very deep! I wound up thinking about the whole novel, 'Well what was the point of that?'
I didn't think the book was particularly funny. It didn't raise one smile.
However, I did find the modern day soap opera parts entertaining and they certainly held my interest and for me were enjoyable and the reason the book gets the 3 stars that it does. I liked the description of Valentina's eye colour as being like 'syrup' I could envisage it immediately. Indeed many of the descriptions were evocative and immediate. Sometimes the descriptions of the squalor were so strong that I found my nose wrinkling. That HAS to be good story telling!
Verdict. 3 stars for all the positive points and the two missing stars reflect the areas where I was less impressed.
 Highly recommended June 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this on a whim, and boy, how lucky was I? I really loved the book, and am reading it now, month after I bought it, for the second time, it is just as enjoyable!
Marina Lewycka's second book 'Two Caravans' is just as good btw.
Buy it, you will not regret it. :)
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