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

by Viv Groskop

'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 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 PROCEEDS FROM THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO PEN INTERNATIONAL

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Russia, Travel, Ukraine

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 2024

About the author

Viv Groskop is a writer, stand-up comedian and TV and radio presenter. She is the host of the chart-topping podcast HOW TO OWN THE ROOM, featuring women like Hillary Clinton, Margaret Atwood, Sandi Toksvig and Meera Syal talking about power, performance and public speaking. She has hosted book tours for Graham Norton and Jo Brand and is the veteran of four Edinburgh Fringe shows. She has presented BBC Radio 4's Front Row and Saturday Review and appears regularly on TV. She is also a playwright and has had four plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Subscribe to Viv's weekly newsletter here for book, TV and film recommendations and loads of great tips on writing creativity and mindset: https://howtoowntheroom.com

Reviews

[Claire Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brought back so many memories for me. I went to Moscow and Leningrad in 1988 as a trip with Art School. This is set later, after the USSR has become Russia, but many of the things that Viv describes: the amazingly empty shops, the babushkas on every hotel corridor corner, the grim buildings and much more, were really evocative for me. When Viv is 20 she lives in Moscow for a year as part of her university degree, teaching English and living with a local family. She meets and falls in love with Bogdan (which translates as Gift of God), a Ukrainian rock musician. While he is off gigging she meets other people, changes jobs, changes who she's living with, and generally it seems, has a (mostly) good time, waiting for the summer, which Bogdan has promised they will spend together in his hometown. It's a long time coming, and when she does finally get there, it's not exactly as she was expecting. One Ukrainian Summer is witty, well written, and captures a particular time and place perfectly.
And if you want to win a signed copy, visit my Instagram: @writerclairefuller

[Moushumi Ghosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating romp through the post-Soviet world at that nebulous time right after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Groskop's memoir is in some ways a continuation of
The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature, which also mines her own experiences of living as a student in the mid 1990s in St Petersberg and Moscow. The most entertainingly named character, Bogdan Bogdanovich (God's gift, son of God's gift), appears in both books.

Viv (Vipulya in the Russian dimunitive/Vivka in the Ukrainian dimunitive) makes her chaotic way through the foggy post-Communist world where capitalism had started but hadn't quite taken off. Surrounded by well-meaning, caring but emotionally closed people, Vivka learns two languages (Russian and Ukranian), falls in love with the aforementioned Bogdan, travels to Ukraine, and tries to navigate a world that is unknown to her and to her companions in more ways than one. Unfortunately for her but fortunately for us, by the end of her year in Russia, Vivka learns both languages well enough to communicate on some level but she still doesn't learn to 'polny relax' (chill out) in Misha's words. A wonderful window into a time that is now only available to us in books. A must read for Russophiles and Russia watchers alike.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

V amusing throwback to 1990s former USSR with added pleasure of verbs of motion.

[Sheridan Strang · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine, I expected there to be more about the summer because of the title

[Helen Turnock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly an interesting perspective on Ukraine and Russia, and the fall of the Soviet Union. From a linguistic perspective, it highlights how a lack of understanding of one another’s languages can completely change the meaning, especially in languages like Russian and Ukrainian where how a word is stressed changes it.

[Sofia Balderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Listening to it was such a delight. It felt especially meaningful to me because it takes place in the year I was born in another post-soviet state, and Viv is the same age as my mother. I technically lived through that time, but I was a baby and don’t remember it. I’ve heard stories about that era from others, but reading about it through a foreigner’s eyes made it feel both familiar and fresh.

What really stood out was how much Russian and Ukrainian language was woven into the story. As a native Russian speaker who also understands Ukrainian, I found it fascinating. Viv’s reflections made me notice meanings in Russian words that I usually overlook. It helped me see the language in a new light. I also appreciated learning more about “Russian-Russian,” since it’s slightly different from the Belarusian-Russian I grew up with.

The story resonated with me on a personal level. My British husband lived in Belarus with me for a few years, and while his experience was long after the book’s events, I saw some striking similarities. Now that I live in the UK and am technically British, I feel like I’ve had the reverse experience of Viv. That added an extra layer of connection for me.

Some people may criticise it because a lot of the book is set in Russia in the winter which doesn’t match with the title, but I think that the point is that the author was looking forward to the summer and there was a backstory to how she got to spend the summer in Ukraine.

This book was rich, atmospheric, and full of cultural insight. I’m so grateful I found it.

[Jacqueline Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book covering a refreshingly new era for me - life in post Soviet era Russia. I enjoyed the St Petersburg setting, just enough explanation of Russian language, but not so much that it becomes over-bearing and the summer in Ukraine.

[Mark Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this highly original coming of age memoir, set in post-Soviet space pre Putin. Lots of insights into life in the former USSR at a time of tremendous change. A great deal of humour too. Would especially appeal to those of us who visited Ukraine and Russia in the 1980s. I look forward to reading more by this writer 📚

[Erica Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*
A coming of age memoir set mainly in the early 90's Moscow by British authour and podcaster Viv Groskop.
She recounts falling in love and moving abroad in her early wenties, while also capturing the shifting world of post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine.
The book has a lot of wit and offers some funny reflections about language barriers and cultural differences.
However, it also feels somewhat repetitive, and at times the observations come across as grating or even condescending. You can sense that the memoir was written more than 30 years after the events it describes.
The title, One Ukrainian Summer, also feels slightly misleading - very little of the story actually takes place in Ukraine, and the choice seems more like a marketing decision for a time when being associated with Russia is less appealing.
But Groskop’s closing reflections on Russia’s full-scale invasion bring a sense of coherence and hindsight to the story.

[John Haagensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this easy read memoir. There are some hilarious experiences within that had me laughing out loud. A different perspective on Russia and Ukraine from a more peaceful period. Sadly and currently still at war. Perfect summer read with proceeds going for a great cause.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a non-story I'm afraid.

[Emmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a funny and charming book, now i just want to go to eastern europe

[Ellie Pringle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Viv Groskop’s bratty account of her year out in Russia. That’s it. Easy read, nothing special.

[Neus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute lil’ memoir

[Becca James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for anyone with any kind of interest in Russia

[Lindsay Levkoff Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! An honest account of life immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union…by a British exchange student.

[Dorothee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this memoir of a memorable summer (and the time leading up to it). Very much a “compare and contrast” experience, given my own part-year abroad in Russia not long before the events recounted here. Really enjoyed the light and witty tone, and the detailed observations of a very different time and place.