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The Chaperone
The Chaperone
Author: Laura Moriarty
A captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both. — Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompani...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781594487019
ISBN-10: 1594487014
Publication Date: 6/5/2012
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 53

3.9 stars, based on 53 ratings
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

kdurham2813 avatar reviewed The Chaperone on + 753 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
A glimpse into the past and a look at New York City before the depression through two completely different eyes. There is Cora who has been asked to be a chaperone, but this trip to New York City is more than the task at hand, it will take her back in time to a past that she has been trying to figure out. Louise is a young ingenue who wants to become a celebrity in theatre and film, her big break takes her from Wichita, Kansas to New York City.

I absolutely adored being able to see the change in times in both of these women's eyes. Although the book is told through Cora's eyes, the reader is given enough information to understand what Louise is thinking with how the world is evolving around her. The change in hemline is more than a fashion trend, it is also a change in the culture of women and how they will perceive themselves differently. I loved the strong female characters who were trying to figure out how they would fit within the changing times.

A historical fiction that didn't feel dated, which is my kind of read! I would recommend this book to the reader who is a little weary about historical fiction, an entertaining story that could take place at anytime.
sandi00 avatar reviewed The Chaperone on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This story was interesting from the minute I started reading it. I loved the way Cora, the main character, grew and learned about herself as her life went on - and how she accepted people with compassion, understanding and love. It was a reminder that life really is an adventure, no matter who you are or where you come from.
reviewed The Chaperone on + 379 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This novel centers around Cora Carlisle, who volunteers to chaperone the surly, self-absorbed Louise Brooks in NYC for a month while Lauren auditions for a renown dance troupe. Cora has ulterior motives in leaving Wichita, and this journey becomes a springboard for both of them into different life paths. Set in the 1920's, the tone of the book seems to be in keeping with the societal mores and restrictions of the time. Laura Moriarty has written a pitch-perfect book with well-developed characters, and the plot is absorbing from beginning to end.
Grazona avatar reviewed The Chaperone on + 119 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely novel. The story is interesting and well told and I liked the way it went back & forth between past & present, it was easy to follow. I found it to be a really cool look at human nature and it has gotten me interested in this phase of history. Highly recommended.
smith-jones avatar reviewed The Chaperone on + 47 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I debated whether to give the book 3 or 4 stars. I was set on 3 but then changed my mind. I like a well tidied up conclusion and the story ended very satisfyingly.

Now, going back to the story, I loved Coras character and her beginnings had me turning the pages very fast, I wanted to learn what would become of her life after she was placed out.

I enjoyed the description of the times she lived and I could see and feel the tight moral atmosphere of the era. That was well done.

I did find it odd how Cora with all of her strict morale and social conventions and beliefs quickly began to adapt to the changing waves of the fast approaching modern times and the wave of economical social upheaval. I found hard to comprehend how that can happen so fast but then I remind myself the book did span her lifetime. I grew up with grandmothers and aunts who were very strict and old fashioned as Cora was and they are still that way sans the corset so I found that interesting.

In the end, I decided for the 4 stars, I am not a book critic nor do I intend to be. I enjoyed the book very much and found it very engaging.
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reviewed The Chaperone on + 116 more book reviews
An engaging historical fiction read about the fictional Cora Carlisle who chaperones the real Louise Brooks on a trip to New York City in 1922. The novel covers many 20th century topics, such as the orphan trains, changing attitudes about race and homosexuality, women's rights, etc. I had never heard of Louise Brooks and I was intrigued enough to read about her life after I finished THE CHAPERONE. The overriding theme of this book is "home." Many of the characters grapple with where their true home is. Home is not necessarily where you were born. Home is where you feel comfortable, accepted and loved.
reviewed The Chaperone on + 1450 more book reviews
Cora Carlisle is an orphan who does not know who she is. While she knows friendship, she has yet to find love until she meets the handsome lawyer who woos her. When she becomes pregnant, her life feels complete until she discovers a secret that her husband has kept from everyone. Trapped in her marriage, she decides she must find her birth parents. The opportunity arises when fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks is slated to study dance in New York. Louise needs a chaperone for the trip. Cora applies and finds herself on her way. The willful Louise is difficult and will do what what she wants with or without Cora's approval or accompaniment.

As the story unfolds, Cora learns more about herself than she believed possible. Yes, she finds her birth mother but she also finds friendship and discovers that Louise has much to teach her as well. Chaperoning her is far different from rearing twin boys! When she returns home her outlook on life has become quite different from that of her friends. She understands the world is changing and eventually finds peace and happiness even in Kansas. I enjoyed this charming and heart warming read very much.


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