BLACK MOTH, THE (Black Moth)

Rating:
Summary: Georgette Heyer - an unexpected treasure!
Review: "The Black Moth" is my first Georgette Heyer. Coincidentally, it seems, from reading other reviews, that this was the first book she wrote. When I first opened it, I was actually surprised - and a little disappointed. From reading reviews on-line, I had expected paragraphs upon paragraphs of elegant prose, complex characterizations, unusual characters - what I actually saw was pages upon pages of dialogue. Disappointed, I put this at the bottom of my TBR pile. Then, by chance, I read these reviews, and discovered that Georgette Heyer had written this book at only 17. (Was it 17?) Well, seventeen! That's a different story! With that in mind, I decided to try again. And quickly amended my original assessment of a flat and boring book. For a 17 year old girl, this was a work of pure genius.

I have not read any other Heyer books, as yet. But I truly loved "The Black Moth". I loved the characters. I loved the dialogue. I even loved the plot - yes, it is so predictable, yet almost magical in the way that this is the real romance plot, no surprises, no hidden twists, and yet the reader is kept entranced by the sheer enjoyment of the reading experience.
(To be fair to the author, the plot was probably a little more original when she initially penned it.)

But, with hindsight being 20/20, I can see that a teen-ager - albeit a very gifted teen-ager - wrote this book. There is just a bit too much of the fantastic - too many coincidences, too much drama just for the sake of drama (what earthly reason does John/Jack have for acting as a highwayman? The storyline gives an explanation, but it is a lame excuse in my opinion. For an intelligent man to flirt with such extreme danger to himself - either from passengers unexpectedly armed, or the hangman's noose - not good enough. But good enough if you are 17.)

Some reviewers have mentioned that the characters are somewhat one - or two - dimensional as compared to her later books. Not having read any other books, I cannot judge, but to compare to other, more contemporary books - they are really not too bad. Maybe not very complex, but realistic they are. How I loved Lady Lavinia! A carricature of the English high-born lady, not of the time this novel was set, as a previous reviewer pointed out, but of the times in which Ms. Heyer herself lived. Besides, isn't there a little of Lady Lavinia in all of us? And the other characters - Jack, Dick, Jim - there is certainly nothing one-dimensional about them. Besides being very entertaining. For a 17 year old girl, in fact, it is sheer brilliance. And last, but not least, the Duke! Here we have someone quite complex, and to be honest, more realistic a portrayal of the true "rake" than some more modern novels have us believe a rake to be. And the friendship of the Duke with "Frank" of the opening letter I find simply astonishing. It's hard to imagine a conversation such as they had taking place in modern times - all the more reason to believe that this story took place a very, very long time ago. "The past is a different country, they do things differently there."

If perhaps her characters were not quite fully complex, and the plot a bit too fantastic, her style of writing is superb. Again, I haven't read any of her later books, but I cannot believe that in style of writing she changed too dramatically. There is something very finished about the writing in "The Black Moth".

I had been hesitant to try Georgette Heyer, pushing it off for a long time. Many previous reviewers wrote that she is a brilliant writer, with an extremely careful eye for period detail. I have nothing against "great" writers, but I have found that they are not generally light reading, so I pushed off Heyer until I would have "time". How surprised I was to find that this book is actually not "heavy" reading at all! Ms Heyer had a rare gift for words - an elegance of prose that is both terse and clear, with a story-line that flows smoothly and entertainingly - it is very easy to "get-into" her work. And the dialogue! It is worth reading a Heyer just for the dialogue alone. This simplicity of style is, in my opinion, the hallmark of a great writer. Some writers get the reputation of being "great" writers - rightly or wrongly deserved - by using many long words and putting them all together in sentence after sentence. Some of these, are indeed, good writers, (such as Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney), but some of them, in my opinion, are simply great wordsmiths - not necessarily great writers - there IS a difference. It is indeed a talent to be able to use many long words and put them together sentence after sentence, but it is, in my opinion, a greater talent to use simple words, simple sentence structure, and be able to express oneself beautifully and clearly. To express oneself in a way that is both easily understood, and compelling, to write your story concisely yet at length, this is how Georgette Heyer wrote. It is easy to see how she became a classic!

Rating:
Summary: An excellent read!
Review: "The Black Moth" is the story of Jack Carstares, the Earl of Wyncham, who was forced to leave England because he allegedly cheated at a game of cards. Years later, Richard Carstares is held up by a masked highwayman in the night. But who should this highwayman be but Jack, his older brother?! Burdened with a secret from the past, Richard must decide which course is best for both his brother and his family. The novel also tells the story of Tracy "Devil" Belmanoir, the Duke of Andover, whose scandalous affairs with various ladies is the talk of the town. Devil has decided that his next target is the young and lovely Diana Beauleigh, but his idea of romance is a roadside abduction. Jack foils Devil's schemes and saves the beautiful Diana, a woman with whom he could easily fall in love with. Diana is now the object of both men's affections, but she knows the true identity of neither. Whom will she choose, if any? What part does Devil play in the Carstares card scandal? Will either man reveal his true identity? How can Jack reconcile his love for Diana with his spotty past? Will Diana accept him for who he is, a disgraced highwayman? What will Richard do?

This was Georgette Heyer's first book, and from what I've read, it's no wonder she became such a literary phenomenom. I was disappointed by another of Heyer's earlier books (Powder and Patch), so I wasn't expecting much from this. Needless to say, I was completely blown away by the quality of this early novel.

"The Black Moth," like "Powder and Patch" is a Georgian era book, which basically means you have men/women wearing powdered wigs and black face patches. I'm not usually a fan of Georgian books (I prefer Regencies), but the plot of the story completely overrode those prejudices. To be honest, the first 1/4 of the book is rather slow in introducing the full cast of characters; the heroine doesn't actually enter the story until nearly halfway into the book. While the pacing of the story seems a bit off, especially at the beginning, the romance totally makes up for it. It's lovely and sweet; you really get to see the love developing between the two characters.

"The Black Moth" also had an interesting array of characters. I wasn't such a big fan of the sober and staid Richard Carstares, but by the end of the book I could empathize with him. Wonderful characterization and character development! Others seem to be fond of Lavinia Belmanoir, but if you've read any of my other Heyer reviews, you'd know that she's just not my kind of chick; she's tempermental and prone to emotional outbursts. However, I was completely amused by Diana's aunt (Miss Beauleigh), Jack's bosom buddy, Miles O'Hara, and his wife Molly.

Overall, this was a wonderful read. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a quick and fun romance. If you can get past a slow introduction and hang in there for the romance, you should definitely check out "The Black Moth."

Rating:
Summary: The Black Moth - one of Heyer's best
Review: I believe The Black Moth was written by Georgette Heyer to entertain her brother who was ill. It was published in 1929. The Black Moth is a light tale of adventure, honor and love written with humor. Heyer's typically well-developed and charming characters struggle with questions of honor and family loyalty before they can resolve their problems. Georgette Heyer's romances and her mysteries have entertained me for years. I have read and reread this book and am delighted to own it. I hope others enjoy it too!

Rating:
Summary: A great debut - but not a great Heyer
Review: Let's be rational. Heyer wrote this book when she was only 17. In that case - the book is WONDERFUL, an amazing product for a teenager to have written. But let's consider what the author went on to produce - and how can you compare this debut - awesome though it is - to Heyer's other major swashbuckler - These Old Shades, which is by far the greater novel, widely believed to be a reworking (but NOT a sequel - that is an urban myth) of the themes explored in Black Moth.

Let's take Black Moth. In its favour, we have a good, old fashioned D'Orczy-type swashbuckler, with silk coats and lace ruffles, a scary villain, and a beautiful heroine who doesn't really have very much to do - in marked contrast to Heyer's wonderful female leads in later novels. She is really just there to be rescued. It has moments of Heyer humour too, but Heyer was not at her best when using the stilted "Ecod!" language of the traditional 18th century swashbuckler. The female characters are strangely weak and border upon the two-dimensional, the male characters are not much better. As juvenilia, this is a masterpiece. As a mature novel, it seems faintly mediocre - but it is very readable and amusing. If you love Heyer, you MUST read this book, and see where it all started. You may even fall in love with it! it is not so unknown, after all. But if you, like me, dislike stilted pseudo-18th century language sprinkled with "ecods!", "t'were" and "t'was"; and like more gumption and character in your heroes and heroines, this book may prove slightly disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: It's Not A Series!
Review: The Black Moth, though a wonderful book, is NOT (I repeat NOT) part of a series with any of Georgette Heyer's other books - certainly not with These Old Shades, Devil's Cub, and The Infamous Army. Devil's Cub is a sequel to These Old Shades, and An Infamous Army is a sequel to Regency Buck! The Black Moth is Georgette Heyer's first novel, and though it is not yet as mature as her later regencies, it is still good, lighthearted fun. Her characters are not greatly developed, and the plot is nothing special, but Heyer's charm and dawning style show through.