Book Review: The Chaperone

Reading is one of my favorite ways to unwind. I love grabbing my Kindle, hopping into bed and spending an hour or more immersed in a good book. I’m usually fairly good at putting a book down at my “bed time” (Hey, I know that I need 7 hours of sleep to function normally!). Every once in a while a book comes along that just shatters that discipline. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty is one of those books.

I’m not typically a huge fan of historical fiction, but the description of this book intrigued me. I was easily drawn into the early 1920′s and quickly became invested in all the characters, particularly the main character Cora. Cora is a Midwestern housewife with twin boys who are headed off to college. Cora has the opportunity to accompany Louise to New York City for several weeks. Louise is enrolled in a prestigious dance program which takes up her days. Cora’s days are free to explore the city and her past. Events from the summer in New York shape the remainder of both of their lives.

The only criticism I have of the book, is that the last part of the book seems to gloss over more than 30 years of Cora’s life. Although personally, I would have liked to have more detail (I think it’s because I liked the book so much, I wanted more) the author clearly makes her point that the summer in New York City was a defining moment, particularly for Cora.

Want to learn more? Head over to BlogHer and check out what the book club has to say about The Chaparone!

I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club Review, however, the thoughts expressed here are my own.

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