Hisae: At Paradise Gate is the right length and sounds charming. If you ever want to know more about an English book, a good place to go is the US Amazon site: http://www.amazon.com/At-Paradise-Gate-Jane-Smiley/dp/0684852233.
Anna: Re: The Clod. Pre-Cold War Russia was a big oppressive communist country "swallowing up" little countries and stifling individual freedom. Czechoslavakia was a small, helpless Eastern European country being run over by bigger powers. The average people in Soviet bloc countries weren't asking for so much, just to run their own country, to to live in their little house, work, and have a happy life. See any parallels now?
