Thursday, November 8, 2012

21 Aldgate Review by Anne Collis the Artistic Director of England's National Symphony Orchestra

I love the way Patricia tells the story - so straightforward, no frills or fancy prose. I wonder who is going to play Clara in the upcoming film? I also like the way she doesn't tell everything. She doesn't feel the need to follow up and tie down every lead. The meeting of Sula and Heinrich for example, is left in the air for us to speculate about. And again, the paternity of Victoria - some writers would have felt to need to work that one out to a tidy conclusion, but it is so much truer to leave it as she does.

Speaking as a War Baby (born 1943,) although I have no direct memories of WW2 myself, I did grow up in the dismal aftermath of rationing and deprivation and like most of my generation, have a deep regard and respect for all those who took part.

This weekend November 11th sees the annual Remembrance and Armistice events here in London as every year, I shall be watching the old soldiers parade proudly down Whitehall with their wreaths. And certainly, there is still a great interest and fascination with those two wars among the British population, of all generations.

12 Years ago on Armistice Day, November 11th 2000, The National Symphony Orchestra gave a concert at Rochester Cathedral in Kent, England. -->

LAST SALUTE OF THE CENTURY

TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES, YOUTH AND HEALTH THAT WE MIGHT LIVE IN FREEDOM, ESPECIALLY TO HONOUR THE VETERANS OF WW1

www.nso.co.uk

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About the Author Patricia Friedberg

British-born author Patricia Friedberg grew up in London during World War II. She attended the Henrietta Barnett School and later the London School of Journalism. Soon after her marriage, the Friedbergs left England to live for many years in South Africa and in the Rhodesias - now Zambia and Zimbabwe - where Dr. Friedberg practiced medicine and where she was a journalist and writer of documentaries for the Rhodesian Newspapers and Rhodesian Television.

Due to civil unrest and for the safety of their children, the family came to America, where Mrs. Friedberg attended university and wrote columns for community and organizational papers, and hosted a television talk show, '"People of the Book," for the NBC affiliate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In addition to her talent as a writer and journalist, Mrs. Friedberg has composed music for theatre, written prose for a ballet and has travelled extensively with her husband, a professor of cardiology who lectured around the world.

She has co-authored with her daughter, Adrienne, two illustrated children’s books, Dear Sammie, A Letter to a child of Divorcing parents, and Dear Jake.

She is the mother of four children, each born in a different country, grandmother of eight, and now has three great-grandsons.

Synopsis

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.