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The Dancing Barber
Being a Ukrainian in Stalin’s Soviet Union was a dangerous occupation. Millions perished in the famine of 1933, and millions more were sent to the gulags, never to return.
Taras was one of the lucky ones. He may have survived, but his life was changed forever.
Thirty years later, Taras and his family were living contentedly in England. And after a lifetime of suffering and toil, he was finally on the verge of the fame and fortune he deserved.
The last thing Taras needed was for Klem, and his alter ego Voloshin to move into his attic, and begin raking over the past he had tried so desperately to forget…
Taras’ past untruths unexpectedly come back to haunt him, and events soon take a sinister turn, when an angry Soviet Colonel arrives, determined to silence the truth whatever the cost…
Taras was one of the lucky ones. He may have survived, but his life was changed forever.
Thirty years later, Taras and his family were living contentedly in England. And after a lifetime of suffering and toil, he was finally on the verge of the fame and fortune he deserved.
The last thing Taras needed was for Klem, and his alter ego Voloshin to move into his attic, and begin raking over the past he had tried so desperately to forget…
Taras’ past untruths unexpectedly come back to haunt him, and events soon take a sinister turn, when an angry Soviet Colonel arrives, determined to silence the truth whatever the cost…
662 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 9, 2020
Read This, It Will Do You Goodski 👍🏽
Rats, gutters, and disgruntlement on a leash... Ukrainian gossipmongers and sodden figures failing to stay dry beneath inadequate umbrellas... Readers will immediately encounter so many unique and disturbing topics in this tale! Mafiosi threats, ballet studios, illegal distilleries, and a wriggling human chrysalis full of infantile retorts keep the subplots decidedly lively. Class hamsters require the attention of big-thighed ballerinas, and barber shops are particularly susceptible to hirsute hurricanes stirred up by sudden drafts.
Mistaken pocket mints might actually be mothballs, and a quick spit and polish won’t always do the trick. Cyanide-tipped umbrellas lurk menacingly in the shadows, and there’s the undeniable presence of an overpowering stench that becomes a character all its own. Once the ‘twins’ make plans to marinade live Chi-Chi-Nillas, exotic cuisine takes on a whole new Rodentia form.
I just love the mundanely descriptive, yet quirky rhetoric of this author! Enjoyable reading experience for sure 📖⭐️
“He shouted over to his daughter, who was one-handedly chasing a baked bean around her plate, ‘have you put ice-cream on your shoulder yet?’...”
Rats, gutters, and disgruntlement on a leash... Ukrainian gossipmongers and sodden figures failing to stay dry beneath inadequate umbrellas... Readers will immediately encounter so many unique and disturbing topics in this tale! Mafiosi threats, ballet studios, illegal distilleries, and a wriggling human chrysalis full of infantile retorts keep the subplots decidedly lively. Class hamsters require the attention of big-thighed ballerinas, and barber shops are particularly susceptible to hirsute hurricanes stirred up by sudden drafts.
Mistaken pocket mints might actually be mothballs, and a quick spit and polish won’t always do the trick. Cyanide-tipped umbrellas lurk menacingly in the shadows, and there’s the undeniable presence of an overpowering stench that becomes a character all its own. Once the ‘twins’ make plans to marinade live Chi-Chi-Nillas, exotic cuisine takes on a whole new Rodentia form.
I just love the mundanely descriptive, yet quirky rhetoric of this author! Enjoyable reading experience for sure 📖⭐️
“He shouted over to his daughter, who was one-handedly chasing a baked bean around her plate, ‘have you put ice-cream on your shoulder yet?’...”
May 13, 2017
A convoluted story that weaves together many threads to make a whole tapestry. It follows the lives of Ukrainian immigrants in a town in England. Some have mysterious pasts and deadly secrets that threaten their present. The tragic events in 1933 when the lush farmlands of Ukraine were turned into a wasteland by the Soviets and famine devastated the population were sensitively and touchingly handled. In he present, the plot revolves around revenge, reunion and restoration. The Dancing Barber is looking for a second chance at fame, the Ukrainian underground is looking for a champion in the long missing Voloshin to lead them to independence and several villains of the 1933 Holodomor finally receive their comeuppance. Throughout there are many touches of humour and perhaps a bit too much about bodily functions, but overall, not withstanding a few grammatical/formatting slips, I really enjoyed The Dancing Barber
June 3, 2018
The Dancing Barber is unlike any other novel I have read. The plot and the writing are exceptional, the great famine of Ukraine and its Russian cause being the theme of not many books. It is funny and tragic at the same, in addition to being suspenseful.
I might have rated this novel 4 stars, but had to deduct one star due to the excessive - and very repulsive - descriptions of bodily functions and other unmentionably uncouth behaviour of many of the characters. The author could have trimmed out a lot of the disgusting stuff to make this one a thoroughly enjoyable story. I liked it a lot, except for the cringeworthy parts which are in abundance...
I might have rated this novel 4 stars, but had to deduct one star due to the excessive - and very repulsive - descriptions of bodily functions and other unmentionably uncouth behaviour of many of the characters. The author could have trimmed out a lot of the disgusting stuff to make this one a thoroughly enjoyable story. I liked it a lot, except for the cringeworthy parts which are in abundance...
July 11, 2017
Very fast-paced. I enjoyed it. It entertained me and educated me.
July 11, 2017
Brilliant. The best book I've read this year.
July 11, 2017
Marvellous story, full of twists and turns. Funny, tragic, exciting... there's something for everyone.
September 13, 2017
Very entertaining, funny and informative about the great Ukrainian famine of 1933.
June 28, 2025
I had read this book years ago in exchange for a free review. At first, I found it hard to get into with so many differing POVs. I was lost on what was going on. But then, as the story started to pull itself together, I was amazed and fascinated by the cast, the setting, and most of the history that is, to date, still being largely ignored world wide. Definitely read this book!
October 22, 2016
The Soviet created famine in Ukraine has not been the subject of many novels, and even less so in humorous novels, but The Dancing Barber manages it. The story has the air of a peasant folk tale involving the wicked government officials, the good but unsophisticated peasants, the heroes striving for something. The fact that it is told in the context of the early 1960s among Ukrainian refugees resettled in England following WWII does make it a little unusual.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started it, but the story pulled me in and kept me going through its 600 or so pages. The adventures of the Ukrainian aunts visiting England, the Faberge egg that is like a moving icon throughout the story, the Soviet agents threatening the family at every turn, and the cultural quirks manifesting themselves between the Ukrainians and the English were endlessly entertaining.
Still, the 600 pages could have been cut back quite a lot if the author had been more judicious in his use of scatalogical references to halitosis, flatulence and other bodily excretions. They could have been reduced by half and still had sufficient humorous effect.
Other than that, this is an entertaining well-written, well-plotted novel. I'm just not sure what genre it can fit into.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started it, but the story pulled me in and kept me going through its 600 or so pages. The adventures of the Ukrainian aunts visiting England, the Faberge egg that is like a moving icon throughout the story, the Soviet agents threatening the family at every turn, and the cultural quirks manifesting themselves between the Ukrainians and the English were endlessly entertaining.
Still, the 600 pages could have been cut back quite a lot if the author had been more judicious in his use of scatalogical references to halitosis, flatulence and other bodily excretions. They could have been reduced by half and still had sufficient humorous effect.
Other than that, this is an entertaining well-written, well-plotted novel. I'm just not sure what genre it can fit into.
March 29, 2017
A convoluted story that weaves together many threads to finally make a whole tapestry. It follows the lives of Ukrainian immigrants in a town in England. Some have mysterious pasts and deadly secrets that threaten their present. The tragic events in 1933 when the lush farmlands of Ukraine were turned into a wasteland by the Soviets and famine devastated the population, were sensitively and touchingly handled. In the present, the plot revolves around revenge, reunion and restoration. The Dancing Barber is looking for a second chance at fame, the Ukrainian underground is looking for a champion in the long missing Voloshin to lead them to independence and several villains of the 1933 Holodomor finally receive their comeuppance. Throughout there are many touches of humour and perhaps a bit too much about bodily functions, but overall, not withstanding a few grammatical/formatting slips, I really enjoyed The Dancing Barber.
April 14, 2017
Great story. I loved it. One of the few books I've read that was truly "unputdownable".
A historical thriller that is set to be a classic of the future.
Recommended.
A historical thriller that is set to be a classic of the future.
Recommended.
April 14, 2017
Wonderful book. A mixture of genuine history and social commentary of 1930's Ukraine and 1960's England. I couldn't put it down. Exceptionally well-written.
Recommended for anyone who likes a good historical thriller.
Recommended for anyone who likes a good historical thriller.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews