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Jeanette (Ms. Feisty)'s Reviews > The Chaperone
The Chaperone
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Corsets, yes. Condoms, no. Times are changing in 1922, but repressive attitudes linger. Birth control is for sleazy people. Divorce carries a permanent stigma. Homosexuals are called "sodomites," and face severe consequences if found out. The Volstead Act (Prohibition) is strongly enforced, and abstinence a virtue.
Like most people in Wichita, Cora Carlisle adheres to these conventions out of habit, and fear of being ostracized by the community. Along comes sassy little Louise Brooks. Beautiful, talented, ambitious and brazen. She's ready to take on New York City, but she's only fifteen, so Cora is sent along to make sure Louise maintains the proper decorum. The five weeks they spend together in New York help to launch Louise's career as a silent-film sensation. In more subtle and unexpected ways, the trip serves as a catalyst for changes in Cora's attitudes and lifestyle. Cora is "the chaperone," and this is her story.
Laura Moriarty writes with quiet elegance about the changes in the roles of women and societal norms. She shows not only the contrast between 36-year-old Cora and 15-year-old Louise, but also the differences between Wichita and New York City in that era. Most interesting (and distressing) to me was seeing the way people had to live a lie in the public eye in order to gain a measure of happiness in private. So many things were frowned upon, and often illegal, that people had to feign moral rectitude while taking great risks behind closed doors and curtains.
As far as I know, Cora Carlisle was not a real person, but she serves as an excellent vehicle to carry us through almost 100 years of life. A woman born in the 1880s and living into the 1980s had a lot of adjustments to make as the world changed around her. Cora isn't a particularly exciting person, but the context in which she is placed makes her interesting indeed.
The story has some flaws in pacing, crawling along in some places and fast-forwarding in others. Aside from that, it's written with confidence and subtlety by an author who knows the story she wants to tell and is determined to tell it her own way. I'm glad I went along for the ride.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Like most people in Wichita, Cora Carlisle adheres to these conventions out of habit, and fear of being ostracized by the community. Along comes sassy little Louise Brooks. Beautiful, talented, ambitious and brazen. She's ready to take on New York City, but she's only fifteen, so Cora is sent along to make sure Louise maintains the proper decorum. The five weeks they spend together in New York help to launch Louise's career as a silent-film sensation. In more subtle and unexpected ways, the trip serves as a catalyst for changes in Cora's attitudes and lifestyle. Cora is "the chaperone," and this is her story.
Laura Moriarty writes with quiet elegance about the changes in the roles of women and societal norms. She shows not only the contrast between 36-year-old Cora and 15-year-old Louise, but also the differences between Wichita and New York City in that era. Most interesting (and distressing) to me was seeing the way people had to live a lie in the public eye in order to gain a measure of happiness in private. So many things were frowned upon, and often illegal, that people had to feign moral rectitude while taking great risks behind closed doors and curtains.
As far as I know, Cora Carlisle was not a real person, but she serves as an excellent vehicle to carry us through almost 100 years of life. A woman born in the 1880s and living into the 1980s had a lot of adjustments to make as the world changed around her. Cora isn't a particularly exciting person, but the context in which she is placed makes her interesting indeed.
The story has some flaws in pacing, crawling along in some places and fast-forwarding in others. Aside from that, it's written with confidence and subtlety by an author who knows the story she wants to tell and is determined to tell it her own way. I'm glad I went along for the ride.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
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Reading Progress
March 10, 2012
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Started Reading
April 21, 2012
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Finished Reading
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Jill
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May 03, 2012 06:26AM
Great review -- per usual!
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Thanks, Jill. I almost gave up on trying to review this without spoilers.
"A woman born in the 1880s and living into the 1980s had a lot of adjustments to make as the world changed around her."This is interesting to imagine. We rarely read books of people (especially women) looking back over a century and its changes. Just from my days of HS, this is a completely transformed world in so many ways, but particularly in technology.
Mikki wrote: "Just from my days of HS, this is a completely transformed world in so many ways, but particularly in technology."I was okay with all the new technology until the world exploded into cell-phone hell. That turned me into a crabby old lady!
Hahaha, I don't even own a cell phone! People look at me like I'm crazy or suddenly speaking Cantonese when they ask for my cell phone number and I reply that I don't have one. Blank. :)
High five, girlfriend! I've never owned a cell phone. People look at me like I'm speaking Cantonese when they offer to let me use theirs and I can't figure out how to work it. "Which button do I push?"
Saw this at the book store today and was intrigued. Your review has helped me decide that I need to read this!
Cool, Teresa! There are some strange surprises in this story that I didn't mention in my review because I liked being surprised by them. I'll be interested in what you think of those surprises. I'm a bit puzzled by how many people go for the book because of Louise Brooks. It's really Cora's story. Maybe the cover image is misleading.
Yeah, I found myself more interested in reading Cora's story when I read the synopsis of this at the book store. I need to see if my library will carry this one or not. I think I tried to win it in a giveaway here, though.
It has gotten quite a lot of positive press, so your library will probably eventually acquire it. Some libraries (mine included) wait until a book has been out for awhile before ordering it.
Excellent review, as usual, Jeanette. This has been on my TBR list for some time, but I've only just now gotten around to reading it. I enjoyed it more than I anticipated I would. Your review is spot on!
