What I Read This Weekend

What I Read This Weekend . . .

The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer -- Historical Fiction/Romance

Set in the Georgian era, this first book by the legendary Georgette Heyer is full of melodrama and sweeping action. Tracy Belmanoir, the Duke of Andover is known as "The Black Moth" for his somber way of dressing. He is also known as "The Devil" for he is as wicked as they come. His friend, The Honorable Frank Fortescue wishes that Tracy will fall in love and have love be the making of him. Tracy is perfectly happy with his wicked ways. Six years earlier, Jack and Richard Carstares, sons of the Earl of Wyncham, were in love with Tracy's sister Lavinia. Only one could have her hand in marriage though and one fateful night, a card game changed all their lives forever. Tracy accused one of the Carstares brothers of cheating at cards. Jack claimed it was he and after being shunned by his friends and family, he fled to the Continent where he learned swordfighting from masters, and then back to England where he has taken up the life of a highwayman. When he learns of his father's death and his own ascendancy to the Earldom, he refuses to return home. He enjoys being a Robin Hood type figure and is always honorable in his dealings. Meanwhile, Richard's wife Lavinia, is never happy with what she has. She wants more gaiety, more frivolity and above all, more money. Her brothers, too, want more money and are determined to squeeze Richard dry. Richard refuses to touch Jack's money, though, for Richard has a guilty secret and it's eating him up inside. A chance encounter during an attempted robbery shows Jack that he has not been forgotten by those who knew him well. When Jack encounters a young lady being abducted from her carriage, he fights off the villain in a daring swordfight. The villain turns out to be The Black Moth himself. Tracy has at last fallen in love with the beautiful Diana Beauleigh, but the lady will have none of him which only increases his desire. Tracy attempts revenge on his unknown assailant by shooting the man. Jack, severely wounded, is taken home by Diana and her aunt to nurse back to health. Jack and Diana fall in love but he is too noble to be so selfish as to ask her to marry him and he's too proud to take up his own life. His friends and family, meaning well, attempt to set things right but there's always the Black Moth flitting around where he is least wanted. 

This book reads very much like a first novel and one that would appeal to teens with lots of melodrama, dashing heroes, swordfights and a beautiful heroine. There are many spots were the writing doesn't flow very well and the characters are all pretty much cardboard. There's noble Jack, wicked Tracy, spoiled and selfish Lavinia, intelligent and kind Diana, etc. These character archetypes would be developed into flesh and blood people in later novels but in this first work, Miss Heyer had not yet developed her ability to create real people the reader can care about. My favorite characters are Sir and Lady Miles. They're the most well-drawn characters in the novel and seem like people I would actually like to know. The plot is a bit ridiculous and unbelievable and a bit complicated. There are many characters to keep track of and I had to keep turning the page back to find out who was speaking or what was happening. There's lots of sweeping melodrama and adventure but not much romance. We're told that Jack and Diana fall in love but the actual falling in love is glossed over, perhaps because Miss Heyer had not yet been in love or perhaps because she was writing for her kid brother. The historical details are incredibly impressive and fans of historic costuming will die at the descriptions of powder, patch, hoops, wigs and other styles of the mid-18th century.  I would recommend this book to those who love an old-fashioned high drama adventure story or to those fans of Miss Heyer who wish to see how her style evolved. It's not a bad effort for a seventeen year old's first novel.