Various Pets Alive and Dead

Aug 16, 2025 4:37 AM

Author:Marina Lewycka

Lentils, free love, radical politics and family truths . . . Various Pets Alive and Dead is the wonderfully funny fourth novel from Marina Lewycka, author of the bestselling A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.

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 . . .

'Wonderfully funny . . . a dizzy, eye-watering treat . . . Lewycka is somewhere between Hilary Mantel in her satirical mode and Sue Townsend' Independent

'Thank heavens for Marina Lewycka whose Various Pets Alive and Dead 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' New Statesman

'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' Daily Express

Marina Lewycka was born in Kiel, Germany, after the war, grew up in England and lives in Sheffield. Her first novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, 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, Two Caravans, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Two Caravans and Marina's third novel, We Are All Made of Glue, are all available in Penguin

Reviews

Wonderfully funny . . . a dizzy, eye-watering treat . . . Lewycka is somewhere between Hilary Mantel in her satirical mode and Sue Townsend

—— Independent

Thank heavens for Marina Lewycka whose Various Pets Alive and Dead 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

—— New Statesman

Not many authors could successfully mix lentils, bra-burning and free love with city traders, quantitative analysts and the mathematical calculations that supposedly make naked short selling, CDOs and subprime mortgages infallible. But Marina Lewycka is an exception . . . Never has reading about something serious been quite so much fun

—— Economist

Lewycka treats her characters with real affection and combines the big themes and acutely-observed details with characteristic lightness of touch

—— Daily Mail

An astute and hilarious take on modern values

—— Stylist

Lewycka displays a similar mix of astringent humour and worldly humanism in her fourth novel as she did in her acclaimed debut . . . a funny, farcical novel

—— Metro

[Lewycka is] a warm and humane writer . . . most affecting

—— Sunday Telegraph

An affectionate picture of a free-thinking, beatnik lifestyle now regarded as batty, but which was underpinned by a real desire to change the world. We could all do with a bit more of that

—— The Herald

Lewycka is a warm and humane writer

—— Guardian

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

—— Daily Express

Lewycka is not only witty but astute . . . it is a charming, beautifully observed novel, and those who label Lewycka a merely whimsical or quirky comic writer woefully underestimate her abilities

—— Independent on Sunday

Welsh has certainly described the world surrounding Edinburgh's underground drug movement with a most amazing intimacy

—— www.bfkbooks.com

A captivating read

—— Choice

An exciting and intelligent novel... Rooney's re-creation of the politics of the day is brilliant

—— Kate Saunders , The Times

Particulary acute on the muddle of emotion, reason and morality that festers around betrayal...compelling, impressively detailed story, with thrillerish overtones...

—— Elizabeth Buchan , The Sunday Times

A wonderfully plotted spy drama full of intrigue and suspense… A fantastic read

—— UK Regional Press Syndication

Extremely readable

—— Mark Perryman , Hufffington Post

A brilliant spy novel, with an unlikely culprit and a deft, involving plot... Tense, beautifully pitched and very moving

—— Marie Claire

[A] polished, intricate novel… rich in moral ambiguity

—— Sunday Telegraph

This powerfully-written spy thriller is compulsive reading

—— Falkirk Herald

A gripping spy novel with an unlikely culprit and a thoroughly researched basis in fact... Perfect for fans of William Boyd's Restless

—— Absolutely Chelsea

Sadie Jones…enters new literary territory with a whimsical Edwardian farce that takes its lead from the darker offerings of Saki and JB Priestley...The novel's denouement is satisfyingly outlandish

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

With elegant ease, Jones spins a good old-fashioned comedy of manners

—— Katie Owen , Sunday Telegraph

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