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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I started this book only because I wanted to put it in a swap game and I just "knew" I wasn't going to like it. Boy, was I wrong......I LOVED it!
The plot flashes between past and present, in New York and Kansas, as it tells the story of Cora as she tries to find out who she is and where she came from. This 35 year old prudish woman chaperoning spoiled 15 year old Louise while she auditions for a famous dance group is a story you will not soon forget. Highly recommended.
The plot flashes between past and present, in New York and Kansas, as it tells the story of Cora as she tries to find out who she is and where she came from. This 35 year old prudish woman chaperoning spoiled 15 year old Louise while she auditions for a famous dance group is a story you will not soon forget. Highly recommended.
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.
Moriarty does a great job of drawing her characters and places for us. You can vividly imagine the scenes, dialogue and feeling that each point in history had.
This was quite an enjoyable book.
This was quite an enjoyable book.
THE CHAPERONE was the November 2013 pick in my online book club, The Reading Cove. And I'm happy to say that overall, I did enjoy this story!
Many today don't even know who silent film star Louise Brooks was, so the success of this book is wonderful in that it will introduce her to a modern-day audience.
This is the story of Cora Carlisle, a housewife recruited to chaperone a teenage Louise Brooks from their small town in Wichita, Kansas to the Big Apple in the summer of 1922. The story is rich in historical detail and drama, and I actually learned much from reading it, several facts I didn't know.
On the downside, I did feel the book ran too long. It "jumped the shark" about 50-75 pages from the eventual end. It felt as though Cora's life, quite the scandalous melodrama in and of itself, just became a canvas for historical fact coverage; and as a result, the story lost some steam by the end.
But that aside, on a whole, I enjoyed THE CHAPERONE more than I did the author's other book, THE REST OF HER LIFE, so I give it a B-.
Many today don't even know who silent film star Louise Brooks was, so the success of this book is wonderful in that it will introduce her to a modern-day audience.
This is the story of Cora Carlisle, a housewife recruited to chaperone a teenage Louise Brooks from their small town in Wichita, Kansas to the Big Apple in the summer of 1922. The story is rich in historical detail and drama, and I actually learned much from reading it, several facts I didn't know.
On the downside, I did feel the book ran too long. It "jumped the shark" about 50-75 pages from the eventual end. It felt as though Cora's life, quite the scandalous melodrama in and of itself, just became a canvas for historical fact coverage; and as a result, the story lost some steam by the end.
But that aside, on a whole, I enjoyed THE CHAPERONE more than I did the author's other book, THE REST OF HER LIFE, so I give it a B-.
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.
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.
This was a wonderful book! Starting with a girl in early 20th century New York left in an orphanage who is put on an orphan train and follows her life. This story has so many surprising twists and turns, it really kept me hooked until I finished it!
