Book Review: THE CHAPERONE by Laura Moriarty

Book: The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Reviewed by: Robyn

Alright, I admit it.  I have a zealous fascination with the 1920’s.  It was no surprise that I jumped on the chance to read The Chaperone as soon as I could.  The basic premise is that a young Louise Brooks grows up in Wichita, Kansas and is accepted to a dance school in New York City.  The only way she can attend is if a chaperone accompanies her to keep her reputation intact.  The book is written from the perspective of Cora, the chaperone who volunteered for the task as she had some business of her own to take care of in New York.

Spanning a lifetime and countless decades, The Chaperone touches on things that were happening in the world, including but not limited to the Ku Klux Klan, WWII, homosexuality, the first appearance of birth control, etc.  The pacing of this book alone is something to applaud.  It is steady from beginning to end, and being someone who reads a lot, I appreciated this.

It’s not just a story about Louise, though.  It ends up focusing more on Cora’s struggles and triumphs.  Even though I have no real frame of reference for how the life and times were back then, Moriarty opens up this world through Cora.  As the decades, moods and opinions of the time rolled by and morphed, so did my relationship with all of the characters involved.  I found myself tragically attached to every one, even those I didn’t particularly care for.  It’s not often that I am reading a book, gasp aloud, and then re-read a paragraph because I can’t believe what has just happened.  It’s also not often that a book brings me to tears with a feeling of closure alone.  I can’t wait for more people to read this so we can talk about it!