The Chaperone

As I began this book I became somewhat fixated on Louise Brooks. Despite my rapidly advancing years, she was someone of an earlier generation, and I had to do a bit of quick research to learn more about her to see where this story might be going. As I learned more about her career I began to question why an author would write a novel that centered on LB, since if she ever was truly a star, she seemed to flame out rather quickly. And then when I was still only a few chapters into the book, it hit me - the title, dummy, is "The Chaperone". It's about Cora, not Louise! Well, that mental lapse aside, I enjoyed this book tremendously. It starts in 1922, Louise is 15, has been accepted at the DenisShawn Dance School in NYC and needs a chaperone to keep an eye on her (all the time)as she transitions from small, dusty Wichita, to the big city. Actually, Louise transitioned a longtime ago mentally, it's Cora who has to catch up, while keeping a rein on 15 year old L's impulses, hormones, impulsiveness and grit. And it's a tough job. This portion of the book ends about a third of the way through and now it's all about Cora. Actually, the author did a very nice job of slowly shifting the focus throughout the NYC visit and it's clear that Cora did a lot more growing than did Louise. While the author clearly seemed to "get" Louise based on my limited research, she also got the period, from Cora's corsets to acceptable behavior, not only in New York, but also Wichita. Throughout, Cora keeps growing, always knowing who she is, sometimes going along with others, other times drawing the line. Most of the remainder of the book takes us through the WWII years, but the author does satisfy our need to know what happens to these characters in the last several pages. An excellent book; I recommend it highly. ( )

Wonderful audiobook, beautifully performed. A great story, and made me curious about Louise Brooks. ( )

I actually really enjoyed this book - more of a 3.5 star rating for me. The characters were likeable enough, and I enjoyed the thematic element of what makes a person moral in the eyes of the public vs. how moral we really are behind closed doors.

The unexpected storyline for me was Cora's family history. I used to read a book about the Orphan Train to my former students, and hadn't thought about it for years - how interesting to see it here as well!

Louise Brooks, the starlett to be, wasn't someone I knew about, so I also found it intriguing to look up her life story while reading. Tragic in so many ways, but you can see where Cora had such an amazing influence on her life - I was only regretful that she wasn't involved more. Perhaps things would have gone differently. Or not - Louise may not have listened either.

I absolutely love Moriarty's final paragraph though. Even though it sparks a link in my head to Breakfast Club, I still love it...

"She was Cora, of course. She was every Cora she'd ever been: Cora X, Cora Kaufmann, Cora Carlisle. She was an orphan on a roof, a lucky girl on a train a dearly loved daughter by chance. She was a blushing bride of seventeen, a sad and stoic wife, a loving mother, an embittered chaperone, and a daugher pushed away. She was a lover and a lewd cohabitator, a liar, and a cherished friend, an aunt and a kindly grandmother, a champion of the fallen, and a late-in-coming fighter for reason over fear."

( )

Cloying, but still brought tears to my eye for the passage of time and a long life, well lived. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It's the story of Cora starting out life as an orphan in NYC and ending as a woman of means in Wichita. Orphan, daughter, wife, mother, friend, lover, activist, but most famously chaperone to the infamous Louise Brooks. LB is the secondary character in this novel (thank goodness!) which leaves us with a truly wonderful life story of Cora who had her work cut out for her as the chaperone to Ms LB! I was fortunate enough to "listen" to this book narrated by the incomparable Elizabeth McGovern (who plays a character named Cora in Downton Abbey) and she was spectacular. It's an easy read, great story and holds some interesting historical tidbits in it--if you are an audiophile--listen to it, Ms McGovern is fabulous! ( )