''Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee. He was 84 and she was 36. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside.''

So begins this Orange Prize-nominated novel, a humorous and touching tale of two feuding sisters, brought together in their opposition to their father's marriage to busty blonde Valentina, who is desperately pursuing her dream of a better life in the West, complete with boil-in-the-bag meals, cookers that aren't white and cars that aren't Ladas.

Marina Lewycka provides beautifully observed insights into family life that will strike a chord with anyone who has ever had to cope with sibling rivalry or the care of ageing parents.

However, this novel is not just about individuals but ideologies and the way in which the political and social upheavals of the past continue to reverberate through many generations.

It's a witty, thought-provoking read in which the author's affection for her own Ukrainian heritage shines through.

You can find A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, together with the other Orange Prize for Fiction 2005 nominees, at Redditch library.

The winner is due to be announced on Tuesday 7 June. For more details, visit www.orangeprize.co.uk