The Black Moth

The Black Moth was Georgette Heyer’s first novel, and it shows. It's fun, but very lightweight. It's got a HIGHLY melodramatic plot, centering around one Lord John Carstares (our hero, Jack) who's been accused of cheating at cards - the SHAME! especially since he only confessed to protect the real ch......more

I love this author, I am ADDICTED to this genre, and am the biggest fan of the language used in the melodramas of the 18th and 19th century, so well done here. But I barely got through this book... I disliked it tremendously! Than, why am I giving it 2 stars? One is for the stylistics of the prose, a......more

I have a soft spot for Georgette Heyer, whose novels shaped my late childhood/teenage reading years. ‘Devil’s Cub’ is still my favourite and there are echoes of it here in the author’s debut novel. It’s a garrulous little affair though, with too many characters straddling a frequently rambling plot.......more

So, Georgette Heyer's brother was sick, so she cheered him up by . . . writing this complex swashbuckling romance . . . as a teenager . . . and then beginning her prolific career. What an icon! I love her, I love her books. This one was great, not as frothy as some of her later romances, but actuall......more

Oh novel, how do I object to thee? Let me count the ways... 1. The title is a phrase that refers to the villian that is mentioned ONLY ONCE over the course of the novel. And it has something to do with the way he dresses. Really, guys? Can't we come up with something more, you know, related to the st......more