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The Chaperone, by Laura Moriarty is considered a work of historical fiction based on the life of silent film star Louise Brooks.  The author originally planned to write a biography of her life but she found in her research that the woman, Cora Carlisle, who acted as a chaperone to a 15- year- old Louise had a life even more interesting than the star herself.  So, this book was born and it provided our group with many topics for lively conversation: such as how two women who first appear so different on the surface from each other can bond when it becomes apparent that their backgrounds are similar.  We talked about how the limits of acceptable behaviour for women began to change in the 1920’s and these two women pushed back against these boundaries.  

This book describes the profound affect that neglectful parenting and no parenting has on children.  The orphan trains played a role in the story as Cora goes to New York to find her birth parents.  Cora ends up making a life for herself by finally standing up for herself and her own needs whereby Louise becomes famous but loses everything by her own choices. 

This book was one of the most highly rated books we have read.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the adventures of these two women and it was rated 8.89 out of 10. 

The next meeting will be on April 18, and the book is Wild Rose by Sharon Butala.