Book of the Week - A Mountain of Crumbs
Sian Thomas reads from Elena Gorokhova's memoir of growing up behind the Iron Curtain in the 1960s
Book of the Week - A Mountain of Crumbs - Episode 1
Elena's mother became a mirror image of her Motherland: overbearing, protective and difficult to leave as she presides in the family kitchen over a pot of borsch.
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Book of the Week - A Mountain of Crumbs - Episode 2
From the moment she goes to nursery school in the 1960s, Elena Gorokhova begins to rebel against being part of the collective and worries about getting a dvoika in behaviour.
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Book of the Week - A Mountain of Crumbs - Episode 3
Elena has strong doubts about joining the Young Communist League but she knows she can't go to college unless she is a member.
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Book of the Week - A Mountain of Crumbs - Episode 4
Leningrad University students Elena and her friend Nina are considered mature enough to teach Russian to visiting Americans. It is there that Elena meets Robert for the first time.
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Book of the Week - A Mountain of Crumbs - Episode 5
Back in Texas, Robert wonders if Elena might visit him. He explains that he can get her a visa if she goes as his fiancée but she knows the authorities won't allow it.
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