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!
No comments:
Post a Comment