Various Pets Alive and Dead

<p><b>Lentils, free love, radical politics and family truths . . . <i>Various Pets Alive and Dead</i> is the wonderfully funny fourth novel from Marina Lewycka, author of the bestselling <i>A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.</i><br><br></b>For twenty years Doro and Marcus lived in a commune, convinced lentils and free love would change the world. They didn't. What they did do was give their children a terror of radicalism, dirt, cooking rotas and poverty. Their daughter Clara wants nothing less conformist than her own, clean bathroom. Their son Serge hides the awkward fact that he's a banker earning loadsamoney. So when Doro and Marcus spring a surprise on their kids - just as the world is rocked in ways they always wished for - the family is forced to confront some thorny truths about themselves . . .<br><br>'Wonderfully funny . . . a dizzy, eye-watering treat . . . Lewycka is somewhere between Hilary Mantel in her satirical mode and Sue Townsend' <i>Independent</i><br><br>'Thank heavens for Marina Lewycka whose <i>Various Pets Alive and Dead</i> me laugh at least once in every chapter . . . The warmth of its tone, its zest, its blend of quirky, humane comedy and intellectual seriousness make this a novel to treasure' <i>New Statesman</i><br><br>'Marina Lewycka's latest novel is wonderfully funny with moments of pure farce in the best tradition of social satire . . . this inventive and witty book fizzes along from beginning to end' <i>Daily Express</i><br><br>Marina Lewycka was born in Kiel, Germany, after the war, grew up in England and lives in Sheffield. Her first novel, <i>A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian</i>, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, longlisted for the Man Booker and won the Bollinger Everyman Prize for Comic Fiction and the Waverton Good Read Award. Her second novel, <i>Two Caravans</i>, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. <i>A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian</i>, <i>Two Caravans</i> and Marina's third novel, <i>We Are All Made of Glue</i>, are all available in Penguin</p> <p><b>Lentils, free love, radical politics and family truths . . . <i>Various Pets Alive and Dead</i> is the wonderfully funny fourth novel from Marina Lewycka, author of the bestselling <i>A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.</i><br><br></b>For twenty years Doro and Marcus lived in a commune, convinced lentils and free love would change the world. They didn't. What they did do was give their children a terror of radicalism, dirt, cooking rotas and poverty. Their daughter Clara wants nothing less conformist than her own, clean bathroom. Their son Serge hides the awkward fact that he's a banker earning loadsamoney. So when Doro and Marcus spring a surprise on their kids - just as the world is rocked in ways they always wished for - the family is forced to confront some thorny truths about themselves . . .<br><br>'Wonderfully funny . . . a dizzy, eye-watering treat . . . Lewycka is somewhere between Hilary Mantel in her satirical mode and Sue Townsend' <i>Independent</i><br><br>'Thank heavens for Marina Lewycka whose <i>Various Pets Alive and Dead</i> me laugh at least once in every chapter . . . The warmth of its tone, its zest, its blend of quirky, humane comedy and intellectual seriousness make this a novel to treasure' <i>New Statesman</i><br><br>'Marina Lewycka's latest novel is wonderfully funny with moments of pure farce in the best tradition of social satire . . . this inventive and witty book fizzes along from beginning to end' <i>Daily Express</i><br><br>Marina Lewycka was born in Kiel, Germany, after the war, grew up in England and lives in Sheffield. Her first novel, <i>A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian</i>, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, longlisted for the Man Booker and won the Bollinger Everyman Prize for Comic Fiction and the Waverton Good Read Award. Her second novel, <i>Two Caravans</i>, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. <i>A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian</i>, <i>Two Caravans</i> and Marina's third novel, <i>We Are All Made of Glue</i>, are all available in Penguin</p>