The Innocents by Francesca Segal

I just happened upon this book at the Library; it was not on my "Want to Read" list but I saw it on the 7  Day Shelf - those are the "popular" reads that are only available for a week and with a stiff penalty of $1.00 per day if they are late.  I didn't take it from that shelf; it was also on the 2 week shelf. I was intrigued, read the cover notes and took it home. Glad I did! It's refreshing to read a book that you have never heard of and know nothing about.
Apparently, it's the modern day equivalent of Edith Wharton's "Age of Innocence" and I truthfully think I never read that. Both books are social commentary on upper class folks. In this book, the people are upper class London Jews. And it's a story of scandal in their ranks.
Adam and Rachel are childhood sweethearts about to be married. Adam has lost his father in his youth, but Rachel's father embraces him as his own son and takes him into the family business as well.  Rachel is the perfect girlfriend, daughter and soon to be wife. All seems copasetic until Ellie, Rachel's beautiful and "wild" cousin comes to town.  That's all I'll say about the plot.
The writing is good, the story engaging and the struggles the main character, Adam, face are real and handled well.
I enjoyed this read!

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarity

I read about this novel in the summer and put it on my "Want to Read" list and then couldn't ever find it in the library. I finally did, right before our major storm, Hurricane Sandy.
I was so glad to have such a delightful and interesting book to read at such a lousy time!
I really didn't know much about Louise Brooks and this made me miss my mom so much! As a real "groupie" of movies and stars of that era, she would have given me her perspective and personal anecdotes.  :-(
Anyway, the more interesting character for me in this book is the chaperone, herself, Cora, who accompanies the 15 year old Louise to New York City to study dance at the Denishawn Dance Company (I didn't know that some of these people were "real" until I finished the book and did some research!)
The book covers so many interesting topics, from the "Orphan Trains" that took children to homes in the midwest, homosexuality (so taboo at that period in history), sexuality, sexual abuse, women's rights, suffragist movement, Prohibition, flappers, Ku Klux Klan, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and on and on.
And since the book spans so many years, societal change is documented through the eyes of Cora, a sensitive yet strong woman. Cora's story was much more interesting to me that that of Louise Brooks; she was an orphan on one of those trains, and found herself in Kansas after a childhood in a NYC orphanage. Her life has been good, but quite challenging. (A real surprise involves her husband, but I won't give that away!)
I am not giving anything else away; just get this book and read it!

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

This is only the second Geraldine Brooks novel that I have read, but she quickly became a favorite after I read March.
The book documents the year (1666) in the life of a village in England (Eyam, Derbyshire) as it is under siege by the Bubonic Plague. The central character, Anna, an 18 year old widow and mother of two sons, takes in a boarder to help with her finances.  He turns out to be the carrier of the disease that then wracks the entire village.  Anna loses her sons and more than half the village is wiped out. The local rector convinces the villagers to close out the village to anyone and live a quarantined life in order to spare neighboring villages and beyond. This plan proves successful, but divides the village, causing neighbors to accuse, kill, and shun others. The books deals with herbal medicine as a means to alleviate or irradiate the disease. Anna herself gets involved with helping others along with the rector's wife.
Brooks is an amazing documentary writer.  Her descriptive language is rich and moving. She was a journalist and covered the Middle East for the Wall Street Journal.