Laura Moriarty reads from ‘The Chaperone’ tomorrow

Moriarty’s book illustrates the changing social landscape in the Prohibition-era Unites States

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Laura Moriarty’s newest novel, The Chaperone, is the story about Cora Carlisle, who is tasked to chaperone 15-year-old, silent film star Louise Brooks on a trip from Wichita, Kansas, to New York City. Louise is considered a striking beauty, while the 36-year-old Cora “had been told she had a kind, pleasant face, and that she was lucky to have good teeth.”

Set in the 1920s and ’30s, The Chaperone illustrates the changing social landscape in the Prohibition-era Unites States. Girls with short hair are considered “provocative” and “not feminine at all.” Louise is considered to be one of the “new generation” who, as one of the traditional women in Wichita says, “walk around practically naked so they can be stared at.” The conflicts over a changing value system between generations is nothing new, but Moriarty allows Cora take center stage in the story and we learn that she has a secret history based in New York.

While in the city, Louise attempts to be mature and seductive, flirting with older men and drinking alcohol. Cora, on the other hand, has an agenda to resolve the issues of her complicated past. This makes for an interesting read, as the reader is drawn in to see how both the young “liberated flapper” and Cora are forever impacted by their trip.

Laura Moriarty will be reading excerpts from her newest novel at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge on Tuesday, June 18, at 7:00 pm. More details.