Tuesday, October 2, 2012

30B430 Book 27: The Chaperone



You thought this would be my Canada post, right? Tricked ya! I actually finished two audio books during my long car trip. Here is the first one...

I decided to grab The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty as my next Audible book mainly because Elizabeth McGovern reads it. I was going through some serious Downton Abbey withdrawal, and this is as close as I could get. I really did not know anything about the story.

I was pleasantly surprised by the book, which tells the story of Cora Carlisle, a woman from Wichita, Kansas, who decides to accompany a young Louise Brooks to New York City. Louise, just 15, is auditioning for a dance company, and needs someone to keep an eye on her because she is one crazy wild child. Cora doesn't necessarily know what she is getting herself into, but agrees to go with because she has some business of her own in New York City that relates to her secret past. During their time in the city, Cora's adventures become almost more interesting than those of Louise. The historical fiction, which starts in the roaring 20s follows Cora throughout the rest of her life, through the Great Depression, The Dust Bowl, and throughout many other major historical events.

I did not realize that while Cora is a fictional character, Louise Brooks was a real woman, who starred in silent films back in the 1920s. She was famous for her short, dark, bobbed haircut. Here is her picture:


Louise is a central character, but Cora is the star. Throughout the book, she demonstrates that she is more open-minded and assertive than many of the women of her time. Her story takes a number of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. The book got really slow at points, but was a good story as a whole. 

Canada is coming soon. Promise.

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