The Chaperone

By: Laura Moriarty

Narrated by: Elizabeth McGovern

Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The Chaperone is a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both.

Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a 15-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she’s in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever.

For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn’t what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora’s eyes are opened to the promise of the 20th century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.

©2012 Laura Moriarty (P)2012 Penguin Audio

An engrossing story

Elizabeth McGovern’s narration is perfection. She brought the story to life, and a beautifully told story it was.

A wonderful journey!

What made the experience of listening to The Chaperone the most enjoyable?

The story and the characters were fascinating. Following these women through the years, and discovering how their lives unfolded and intertwined was a real treat!

Great book

What did you like best about this story?

The main character is lovely, and her evolution while in New York is a charming story. It just should've ended there. Still highly recommended.

Find myself thinking about the story

What made the experience of listening to The Chaperone the most enjoyable?

Love that I can hear a great story and still be able to get things done. I would listen to it in the car, doing laundry and cooking dinner. It was wonderful!!

What did you like best about this story?

The flowing storyline and how I felt like I really knew the people.

What does Elizabeth McGovern bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A voice to go with the characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was rooting for the chaperone to find love and contentment.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself thinking about the characters and the story and wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Affecting and Delicious

I found this story of an orphan's search for her roots -- and eventually, just for a family to belong to -- very enjoyable. There were some great surprises in the storyline that made it compelling to return to every day, because I did not know what might be coming next. For a novel based on historical personages, that's a pretty tall order, but the author manages it.

Louise Brooks came alive for me in this story, but so did the eponymous central character. And that was a surprise, especially given the chaperone's straight-laced and decidedly dull beginnings. (In fact, her decision to free herself from her metaphorical corset -- hope that's not too much of a spoiler! -- seemed a bit farfetched, if only because the author had done such a fantastic job of setting her up as a bit of a bluestocking.) Overall, I found the book to be great fun, full of heart in the best sense, and very touching.

At first, the flat "Kansan" tones of the protagonist and her charge annoyed me a little, partly because I wasn't sure they really sounded authentic (all the Kansan characters in the book sounded like they were from Minnesota to me). Funnily enough, by the end of the story I actually missed those voices, especially that of the chaperone herself.

Unusual story for the time period.

Would you listen to The Chaperone again? Why?

Yes. The main character was interesting and there were so many details that one could miss in the first listen. I liked that even though her supposed peers were very opinionated, she questioned everything they said. She has a secret that isn't revealed until much later in the story.

What about Elizabeth McGovern’s performance did you like?

Her voice and the midwestern accent that came across.

If you could take any character from The Chaperone out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Cora. I would like to ask her how she was able to come to terms with the hand she was dealt in life and her marriage. I would also like to know why she was so interested in Louise Brooks, who seem spoiled and obnoxious. I am not sure if the story she told about her childhood was real or made up, she was an actress and I think she may have told Cora that story to gain her sympathy. Although if it was true, it would explain why she was so careless of her own wellbeing. Very complex issues for the time and setting.

Any additional comments?

This story had a lot of surprises in it as well as a well thought out ending.

More of a Women's book but very well done

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes to most mature women who would remember alot of that era.

What did you like best about this story?

This book had a very surprising turn around.

What does Elizabeth McGovern bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The characters were real well played out.

TIME OF SOCIETAL CHANGE

A lovely book reflecting the emergence of society from what could be referred to as the 'Victorian Era'. Women are slowly emerging from a time of repression where Cora and Louise represent both the good and bad of the changes that are the underpinnings the 'flapper' decade. Many of my age group love to feel that Feminism was rooted in the sixties but 'The Chaperone' reminds us of how women started to effect positive change in the post-WW1 world.

I love this era!

If you could sum up The Chaperone in three words, what would they be?

memorable.suprising.lovely

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Chaperone?

Finding out that her husband perferred men. when her foster parents both died.

Have you listened to any of Elizabeth McGovern’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not read anything before but I will now.

Who was the most memorable character of The Chaperone and why?

Louise of coarse! She was a bold, fierce, smarty pants!

Somewhat Predictable but a good listen

I enjoyed this book. It became somewhat predictable once the characters were established but it was still worth listening to.