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One Ukrainian Summer

A memoir about falling in love and coming of age in the former USSR
By Viv Groskop
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Brief Description
'A memoir that captivates and delights. Fabulous' - Nina Stibbe Autumn 1993. The former USSR. Viv is about to turn 21 and is on a study year abroad, supposedly immersed in the language, history and politics of a world that has just ceased to exist: the... Read More
Format: Hardback
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Autumn 1993. The former USSR. Viv is about to turn 21 and is on a study year abroad, supposedly immersed in the language, history and politics of a world that has just ceased to exist: the Soviet Union

Autumn 1993. The former USSR. Viv is about to turn 21 and is on a study year abroad, supposedly immersed in the language, history and politics of a world that has just ceased to exist: the Soviet Union

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'A memoir that captivates and delights. Fabulous' - Nina Stibbe

Autumn 1993. The former USSR. Viv is about to turn 21 and is on a study year abroad, supposedly immersed in the language, history and politics of a world that has just ceased to exist: the Soviet Union.

Instead, she finds herself immersed in Bogdan Bogdanovich - the lead guitarist of a Ukrainian punk rock band. As the temperature drops, he promises that if she can get through the freezing Russian winter, he will give her one Ukrainian summer. But is he serious about her? Or is she just another groupie?

At parties, gigs and dive bars, Viv and her new friends argue over whose turn it is to buy cigarettes, the best places to find Levi's jeans and whether beer counts as a soft drink. No-one debates the merits of speaking Ukrainian over Russian, the precise location of the border or the undeniable brightness of the future. Of course, good times are here to stay. Because the Soviet Union is finished. Isn't it?

A poignant and often comical account of coming-of-age in the time after the Cold War and before Putin, One Ukrainian Summer is a love letter to a unique moment in history.

ALL AUTHOR EARNINGS FROM THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO PEN INTERNATIONAL

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781804184868

Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 23 May 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bonnier Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 144.0mm

Height: 224.0mm

Weight: 310g

Pages: 192

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Humour Music & Musicians Non-Fiction Viv Groskop

About the Author

Viv Groskop is an award-winning writer, comedian, playwright and broadcaster. She has two Masters degrees in Russian Studies and is a former judge of the International Booker Prize. She has had seven radio plays produced, and is the author of six books including How to Own the Room (also a hit podcast with over two million downloads) and The Anna Karenina Fix, an internationally best-selling guide to Russian literature. A contributing editor at Russian Vogue for ten years during the 2000s, she has spent extended periods of time in Kyiv, Odesa, Yalta, Moscow and St Petersburg. A fluent Russian-speaker-in-rehab, she also speaks some Ukrainian and Surzhyk.

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    As Viv Groskop knows from personal experience, everything that has ever happened to a person has already happened in the Russian classics: from not being sure what to do with your life (Anna Karenina), to being hopelessly in love with someone who doesn't love you back (Turgenev's A Month in the Country), or being socially anxious about your appearance (all...
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    A celebration of women and public speaking - from great political leaders and stand-up comedians, to campaigners and feminists, this is a powerful little book about what happens when women find their voice. 'Full of helpful concepts... I'm finding it very useful.' Philippa Perry 'Plenty of tips and tricks.' Sunday Times Most books about public speaking don't tell you what...
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    A literary self-help memoir about using the Russian Classics to find the answer to life's most important questions. What should I do with my life? What if my love is not returned? Why do bad things happen? The answers to some of life's biggest questions are found not in trite self-help manuals but in the tough-love lessons explored in Russian...
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