![]() ![]() The Chaperone is excellent historical fiction that tells the story of Louise Brooks in the periphery, while focusing on the surprisingly complex life of her chaperone Cora. What Cora discovers about herself in the past and the present surprises her, and she is faced with some impossibly difficult decisions. While Louise is in her dance classes Cora dives into the mystery of her past, both in flashbacks and via some sleuthing while she is in the city. ![]() What Louise doesn’t know is that Cora has a secret background that she hasn’t told very many people in Kansas. Where Louise is a wild and naive risk-taker, Cora is the steadfast voice of reason. Cora’s personality is fleshed out in her opposition to Louise. She seems to be just a normal Midwestern housewife who happens to be chaperoning a young Louise Brooks (future silent film star) on her stay in New York City while Louise is training for a dance company. The Chaperone is the story of Cora Carlisle, and it encompasses most of her life. I kept waiting for the author to misstep to cross a line into the ridiculous and it just never happened. The Chaperone started out good and just kept getting better, adding more layers all while retaining its believability, which surprised me. Sometimes you take a chance on reviewing a book and every once in a while you get lucky. ![]()
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