Marina Lewycka is a middle-aged lecturer turned novelist in Britain, but her Ukrainian origins define her first novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. And if you’re a fan of the Ukraine or hope to travel there soon, this book can give you many insights into the patchwork history of Ukraine in the twentieth century, as well as reminding us all of the challenges and difficulties facing immigrants wherever they move.

What You Can Learn About Ukraine

Don’t be too misled by the title: you will learn something about tractors through this novel, but much more about Ukraine, through the experiences of a family of Ukrainian immigrants to Britain. Nikolai is an elderly man at the time of the story, born in Ukraine and experiencing hair-raising situations throughout World War Two, before finally being able to settle with his wife and two young daughters in England. The experiences of Ukrainians during the war, and especially the life in working camps during wartime, are worth reading about.

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