The Chaperone is Laura Moriarty’s fourth novel and her first historical fiction. As the title suggests, Moriarty created an unforgettable heroine in an ordinary and conservative chaperone, Cora Carlisle. Cora is a respectable and sensible mother and wife of a prosperous Wichita lawyer with a seemingly perfect life. To everyone’s surprise, Cora volunteers to chaperone fifteen-year-old mischievous Louise Brooks, the future silent movie star, to New York City to study modern dance in the summer of 1922. However, Cora has her own reasons why she wants and needs to go to New York City. Most of the novel centers on Cora and Louise’s time in the City and how this trip changes Cora and her life from then on. I really enjoyed Cora character’s development and how Cora eventually takes charge of her life. In Cora’s words, “This life is mine because of good luck. And because I reached out and took it. “
The Chaperone is well written, well researched and has a great number of discussable topics which makes it a natural pick for book clubs.
Join Laura Moriarty as she talks about The Chaperone on Thursday, October 4, at 7:00 pm at the Gallery Area of the Central Resource Library. Copies of The Chaperone will be available for purchase or bring your own for the author to sign. No registration is necessary.