The Black Moth

The Black Moth (1929) Georgette Heyer

This is the first of Georgette Heyer’s historical romances, and in it are all the elements of the later stories of hers I have read: love, romance, kidnapping, spouses misunderstanding one another, highway robbery–everything needed for a romantic adventure.

Interestingly, although it is a romance, one of the main female characters does not even appear until well into the book. The other female lead is a spoiled brat who seems entirely unlikable on the surface, and her brothers are most certainly odious. It seemed odd to me that a book classified as a romance focused very little on the romance. Which was of course fine with me, because I quite enjoyed the bits about the brothers and their problems.

Of course there is the clothing and makeup–I am so very glad to live in the modern age. Thick make-up and patches? Ugh. Hoop skirts? Please NO!

I think, however, what I found most interesting was what happened to (and with) Tracy in the end.

Is this as strong as her later books, such as These Old Shades? No. But the groundwork is there, and I can see how these bits and pieces of this first book were later developed into many of the books I have already read (and he more I hope to read as well.)

Also, a very impressive book considering she wrote it as a teenager. The dialog is strong, and although the story does tend to wander all over and one of the heroines does do the annoying thing where she stands there while the men fight over her instead of trying to rescue herself, it is still good, and a lot of fun.

Rating: 7/10

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