Katharine Curtis

I enjoy Masterpiece, however I was very disappointed in “The Chaperone.” Having just read to novel, I was expecting the same impact from the movie. The movie contrasts, compares, and puts on equal footing Louise’s story and Norma’s story. However, the book focuses far more on Norma’s complete transformation from a woman who follows tradition completely and her total evolution into not only a modern women, but a woman far ahead of her time. For me, this was the crux of the story. Louise, to me, was an appendage. Norma’s story from childhood to death, along with those of the characters in the unconventional household, were all brushed over. This would have been a better as a series, encompassing the entire lifetime of these people, as the book did. If you have the choice, skip Masterpiece. Read the novel, it’s far more satisfying.