21st-century aging brit-lit britain british british-literature comedy contemporary contemporary-fiction debut eastern-europe england english-literature europe european-history family family-history family-life fic fiction funny humor humour immigrant-experience immigrants immigration literary literature migration modern modern-fiction novel novels old-age orange-prize relationships roman russian sisters social-issues uk ukraine united-kingdom war women

With this wise, tender, and deeply funny novel, Marina Lewycka takes her place alongside Zadie Smith and Monica Ali as a writer who can capture the unchanging verities of family. When an elderly and newly widowed Ukrainian immigrant announces his intention to remarry, his daughters must set aside their longtime feud to thwart him. For their fathers intended is a voluptuous old-country gold digger with a proclivity for green satin underwear and an appetite for the good life of the West. As the hostilities mount and family secrets spill out, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian combines sex, bitchiness, wit, and genuine warmth in its celebration of the pleasure of growing old disgracefully.