Various Pets Alive and Dead

  1 Reviews

Clara, Serge and Oolie Anna (Ulyana) are the adult children of Marcus and Doro, ex-commune dwellers from way back. Clara strives for order, Serge for money and Oolie Anna for the right to live on her own. From communes to capitalism, chaos to conformity, the times are a changing, and so too are the dynamics of this intriguing family.

This story is a humorous and witty exploration of contemporary values with a particular emphasis on the financial underpinnings of Western society.

Comments from Groups

General concensus was that the book was a good yarn, topical and easy to relate to the characters. Good discussion around banking, finance, greed and communes. Cooks Beach 001

The older women in our group loved this book. We lived through the 60s and could relate to Doro. Great book! Gisborne 006

Easy read but not as funny as 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian'. Nelson 027

Most of us liked parts of the book and a few of the characters, but struggled with some of the connections being made between them as their stories unfolded. Tauranga 034

Good discussion. Some felt there was too much slapstick. This was not as good as Lewycka's previous novels. Christchurch 315

Most enjoyable book. Amusing characters and storyline. Napier 011

Reviews

PIOPIO 001

27-10-2018

After a slow start those who persevered enjoyed it. Humorous, serious and informative with interesting insights into trading during the GFC. Clever use of language generated much of the humour as did the constant twists in the plot which kept you guessing.