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

Don't judge a book by its description

I put off reading this book for months, thinking that I had no interest in reading about Louise Brooks. This book was about much more than the old movie star - in fact, she plays just a small part in the story of Cora. This was a very compelling and engaging story. It sounds cliche, but... I laughed, I cried during the reading of this book. Highly recommended!

Kept me enthralled until the finish

This started out a bit slow but quickly turned into a lovely story. Full of mild yet intriguing surprises. If you like the Golden Age or Downton Abbey, I bet you’ll enjoy this. I know I did.

Lovely

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the book, but I was sold by Ms McGovern’s voice. Nice story of the era.

Excellent

Such a well written and rich story. Mirrors real life in the complexity of the characters. Highly recommended.

Complex love story

What an amazing book. I was pleasantly surprised to have Elizabeth McGovern as the narrator. She was excellent. The story goes places I didn’t expect and spans over many decades. I couldn’t stop listening to it.

Wonderful!!

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

Elizabeth McGovern's beautiful reading.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cora, of course.

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

I could listen to her reading while I was working onmy other computer.

If you could rename The Chaperone, what would you call it?

Sometime the good guys win? I don't know.

Any additional comments?

This may be the best book I've ever listened to from Audible.com. I will certainly listen to it again. I have downloaded two more books, one by Laura Moriarty and one because it is read by Elizabeth McGovern. I certainly will get her reading of Downton Abbey.

I think I prefer women's voices because women read to me when I was a child. Those were peaceful quiet times. Something in me responds to being read to. I listen to a book every night on my Ipod, but some that are as good as this one, I listen to in the day because I don't want to miss anything.

Not what I expected.

I think I was expecting a more sanitized story about the era - like most books are when written about a glorious time in history. I was surprised and pleased that the book was honest about what was really going on behind closed doors - and closed minds. The characters are fully fleshed out, real and flawed. Elizabeth McGovern does a terrific job bringing them to life. There's a lot to talk about if you choose this as a book club book.

A Perfect Story, flawlessly read

This was a beautiful book, many-layered and satisfying. I know that good fiction can and often does end leaving open questions about the lives of the characters. I hadn't appreciated how warmly satisfying it is to follow a story like this one to its fully realized conclusion.

And who but Elizabeth McGovern could have rendered the story with more grace, empathy and warmth? Moriarty and McGovern combined to create a flawless listening experience.

Vividly stark and humane

What I thought would bbe a mildly interesting subject/character line, set in the irrepressibly sad period of the Depression has been a spellbinding, layered story of family- the ones we have and the ones we make. Totally plausible and totally bizarre. And a unique perspective of the place of women then and how one can rise regardless of how low the fill line is. Full of human warmth and reality. .

This is such a great story!

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

I loved Cora's story. She was an example of how women have changed in America, for the better.

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

It really spoke to me when she was at the air conditioned luncheon and then realized the woman was raising money to oppose birth control. Cora was such a lady and I loved how she left, dropping quarters into the jar for the poor.

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

Her voice is just magical to me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was.