From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
This is a middling book charting a woman's journey from the childhood she spent during the early years of the century in an orphanage in New York to life in Kansas with adopted parents, up to her death as an old family matron in the 1980s.
Cora's very traditional upbringing in Kansas has not prepared her for the journey she took in the 1920s as a chaperone to the 15-year-old Louise Brooks (a real character) while she started out her dancing career with the Denishawn Dance Company in New York. It ...more
Cora's very traditional upbringing in Kansas has not prepared her for the journey she took in the 1920s as a chaperone to the 15-year-old Louise Brooks (a real character) while she started out her dancing career with the Denishawn Dance Company in New York. It ...more
Though I was uncertain about this book at times, The Chaperone finally wrapped up into something that I appreciated and thought worth reading. My initial frustration came from the span the book covers. From the title and my memories of the summary, I thought the book would deal only with the summer in which an older mid-Western lady chaperoned a wild teenage dancer on a trip to New York City. Much happens that summer and then....decades follow. What, it's not over yet?!
The book begins during th ...more
The book begins during th ...more
An original story, completely satisfying. I listened to Elizabeth McGovern's perfect accents and wonderful narration and I never once lost interest. This was more than I expected it to be. Well-done. It deals nicely with open-mindedness, corsets, and reconsidering things.
...more
This definitely reads like historical factoids in search of a plot in places and I'm not a huge fan of Moriarty's approach to stuffing in every major social issue of the day, but Cora's relationship with Louise is an interesting one and ultimately salvaged the story for me.
...more
I enjoyed the story of Cora's transformation. It's sort of a coming-of-age story, only with the main character being in her 30s. I listened to the audible version and especially liked the narration by Elizabeth McGovern; I felt even more drawn in to the story as a result.
...more
This was a four-star book until Cora returned to Wichita from New York, which was about halfway through. After that, the story got boring and a little hard to believe.
As for the narration, Elizabeth McGovern's strange affectation was distracting, but even worse was her Midwestern accent.
Still, I liked the first half a lot. ...more
As for the narration, Elizabeth McGovern's strange affectation was distracting, but even worse was her Midwestern accent.
Still, I liked the first half a lot. ...more
what a wonderful book. I adored it and I hope it stays with me for a long time.
Thoroughly enjoyed audiobook!
Jun 01, 2012
Deedee
marked it as to-read
Jun 22, 2012
Chantal
marked it as to-read
Jul 07, 2012
Kat (A Journey In Reading)
marked it as to-read
Dec 04, 2012
Rachel
marked it as to-read
Dec 05, 2012
Enthu_Kidlets
marked it as to-read
Dec 10, 2012
Ginger
marked it as to-read
Feb 08, 2013
O'Rissa
marked it as to-read
Mar 04, 2013
Tanya
marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2014
Pam
marked it as to-read
Feb 18, 2014
Lori
marked it as to-read
Jul 23, 2014
Tiffany
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2015
Jules
marked it as to-read
Feb 28, 2016
Jocelyn
marked it as to-read
Jan 01, 2017
Susie LaBelle
marked it as to-read
Oct 17, 2017
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Oct 22, 2017
Kat
marked it as to-read
