t'was a confusing read. i would have liked a much more critical feminist analysis towards valentina but it fell extremely short because while the protagonist considered herself a feminist it was clear that she isnt. instead i would have loved a deeper exploration of the relationship between her and vera. if the whole book would have been like the last few chapters i mightve loved it! at times it felt like her father was the only three dimensional character which made him really interesting but sadly because he was a horrible person... im not sure how to feel about this book yet- it explained a lot of ukranian history to me (and a lot of unnecessary fun facts about tractors but alas here we are)