Description
21 ALDGATE, a story of love and war, set in England during the buildup to the Second World War, bears witness to prejudice and bias, aggression and propaganda, which influenced a privileged society. First and foremost, however, 21 ALDGATE is about a place in time (London's Jewish East End), a place that no longer exists except in rapidly fading memories. It tells a story of class distinction, people and their traditions, a family and its fate, a country and its fight against fascism.When young Clara Simon suddenly quit her steady job in Ernest Maxwell Abbott's law firm over his increasingly shabby treatment of Jewish clients, she soon realized the seriousness of her actions. Giving up any job in struggling, post-WWI London meant taking a chance. Clara knew her family at 21 Aldgate would not be supportive. With that in mind she did the only thing a Londoner could do: she looked for a quiet place to have a cup of tea and think over her hasty decision. A coincidental meeting with a former Abbott employee resulted in the suggestion of a job offer in Chelsea.Clara, reluctant to consider venturing into affluent Chelsea, finally agreed to meet with the important French artist, Paul Maze, who needed an assistant to help write his memoir of his work as a field artist during the First World War. Their working relationship ignited a passionate love that forever changed and haunted her. On the tides of political and social chaos prior to the Second World War, Clara was forced to make decisions that risked both her life and her marriage.
