How Much Was True?

[Mary]

I enjoyed Laura Moriarty’s book, The Chaperone, a fictionalized story about the silent film star Louise Brooks. But I was curious, as I am whenever I read historical fiction–how much of it was true?

So I got a copy of the memoirs of Louise Brooks, Lulu in Hollywood, published in 1974. Mary Louise Brooks was born in 1906 and died in 1985. Her memoirs cover her early years only superficially and that’s the part that The Chaperone covers. She mentions going to New York in 1922 to study at a famous dance studio, Denishawn, and that she was accompanied by a chaperone.

"[Mother] finally overcame his [Father] strong objection to sending a little fifteen-year-old girl away from her home alone by finding me a chaperon, Alice Mills, a stocky, bespectacled housewife of thirty-six who, having fallen idiotically in love with the beautiful Ted Shawn [owner of the dance studio] at first sight, decided to study dance with him. She agreed to accompany me on the train and live with me in New York. . . . Most of the students [in New York] were females from the Middle West, to which, like my chaperon, Alice Mills, they would return to establish Denishawn schools. . . . I tolerated Mrs. Mills’ provincialism because she shared my love of the theatre. Together, we saw all the Broadway shows . . .”

And that’s about all Louise Brooks says of her chaperone. Using that little bit, Moriarty crafted a person with a different name. Moriarty’s character was thirty-six but not stocky, and she was not the least interested in Ted Shawn, the dance instructor, or in dance. She did enjoy theater. She found love in New York and returned home to Kansas at the end of the summer, but never established a dance school.

Having satisfied myself that The Chaperone was almost entirely fiction, I finished Louise Brooks’ memoir which continued into the sixties. In it she gives some insight into several actors and actresses she knew well, including Humphrey Bogart, Marion Davies (mistress of publisher William Randolph Hearst), Lilian Gish, Greta Garbo, W.C.Fields, and others. I learned little that I didn’t already know about Hollywood in the Twenties, but I enjoyed Lulu in Hollywood.

[Ava]

thanks for sharing, i wondered the same thing.

[S.]

I was also wondering about how much of it was true. Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed reading this book, a novel about two strong women, each in their own way.

[Chris]

But I think the ending was improbable -- even today but certainly back then. Also, secrets in novels are for the purpose of being revealed, so I felt cheated when this one wasn't and would never be.

[Carla]

Thanks, I was wondering about the same things. I may have to read LuLu in Hollywood now, although I really cared more about Cora, who apparently was fictional. Sigh.

[Lori]

Thanks for the info. I wondered about it, too. I'm with Chris - the ending just wasn't satisfying for me. That said, I think it could happen. Probably less likely to happen than then. Imagine how scandalous that secret would be! I can see where the individuals involved would do everything in their power to KEEP it secret.

I loved both strong female characters, though I wish Cora had been stronger. I really wanted her to be happy, and it seemed that she never really was.

[Patti]

I don't mind at all that the ending did not wrap everything up in a pretty bow. I like that the secrets remained secret. People's lives could be ruined by those kinds of secrets then. It's why I stopped reading romances in my 20s. I realized that they just were too far from any kind of reality. When I want fantasy, I will read something in that genre.

[Elysabeth]

I've read The Chaperone for an upcoming book club discussion and then went on to search for more information about the real chaperone and there isn't any that I can find other than that mentioned in Louise Brooks' memoir, Lulu in Hollywood. I kind of wish there were more from the chaperone's perspective to compare the two but then again, she wasn't the star of the day and Louise was.

I think the taboo secrets covered in this fictional story are really powerful but they do make you question the "what ifs" a lot. Hoping to have a good discussion next week. E :)

Elysabeth Eldering
Author
FINALLY HOME, a Kelly Watson, YA paranormal mystery
http://elysabethsstories.blogspot.com

[Jean]

I'm of two minds about the secrets not being revealed. First, I think it was probably normal of homosexuals to have entirely hidden relationships and take the secrets of their relationships to the grave. And Cora's relationship also would have been scandalous and misunderstood. But it made me sad for the fictional characters that they never knew these things about their parents. It kind of reminded me of watching 'Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates.' There are several guests on that show who learned things about their own parents, so I guess I found that to be realistic.

[Charismatic]

As usual...the real true story is 100x more fascinating and complex and interesting than the heavily fictionalized account, with all it's Social Justice Warrior posturing.