my take: Laura Moriarty writes believable characters in mid-west settings …  appealing to this mid-west girl. The Book Chicks read The Center of Everything a few years back and afterwards I read her other books on my own…I liked them well enough to keep going. She writes in that spot above “chick lit” and below “literature” – great for curl up reading.

For me, the great thing about historical fiction is learning about little known events … interesting happenings they don’t teach you in school. (see also The Color of Lightning) I love being transported to another time: mores; sights; sounds; language.

In The Chaperone see and hear Wichita, Kansas and New York City in the 1920’s. Discover a film star, her weird family, her chaperone, and her interesting family. Take in some obscure American history. Enjoy.

my source: cruising around on Amazon.com … bought it in hardcover!

my verdict: Very good read. Two thumbs up.