One Ukrainian Summer: A memoir about falling in love and coming of age in the former USSR

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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

Reviews

'Wonderful and often funny' * Prima *
'A fascinating read' -- Alexis Conran * Times Radio *
'Both a glorious, funny memoir and a rare, illuminating glimpse of history - I was captivated' -- Sadie Jones
'Levi's, black bread, dumplings and the glorious naivety of youth. A travel memoir that captivates and delights. Fabulous' -- Nina Stibbe
'A lovely and modestly scaled memoir ... the charm of the book isn't to be found in Groskop's journey from A to B. Instead it's in the book's openness and lightness of touch ... it is also frequently funny' * The Spectator *
'Evocative, amusing ... [a] redolent, wryly honest memoir' -- Hephzibah Anderson * The Observer *
'Brilliant. Full of precise observations about life in the former USSR, bursting with colourful and quirky characters. I was completely transported back to my childhood; nodding along, smiling nostalgically, crying and laughing out loud. You will fall in love with this book!' -- Alissa Timoshkina * author of Salt & Time *
'Tender, delicate, romantic and utterly redolent of a singular time and place' -- Charlotte Higgins * author of Under Another Sky *
'Funny, painfully honest and filled with intriguing nuggets, I loved this tender and unique book' -- Caroline Eden * author of Black Sea *
'Gorgeous, tender, funny, sharp' -- Samantha Ellis * author of How to Be a Heroine *

Author Bio

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.