Kwoomac

This book was narrated by Elizabeth McGovern so it helped my Downton Abbey withdrawal. The story is a fictionalized account of Louise Brooks, a real life movie star in the 1920's, when she was chaperoned from Wichita, Kansas to New York at age 15 by one of her mother's acquaintances. Cora Carlisle has her hands full with this young girl on the brink of stardom, one who has little respect for the mores of the time. At first I was troubled by the details attributed to Louise's life but later learned Louise wrote her autobiography in the 50's so I guess the stories match up.

While Louise's story was interesting, I was far more interested in Cora's.She had been shipped out west on an orphan train and ended up on a farm outside of Wichita. Her (fictional) journey ended with a loving family, but I imagine many of those (real life) kids did not fare so well.

It's fascinating to watch how Cora changes as a result of the five weeks she spends in New York with Louise. An interesting story.