The Black Moth

Heyer's First Book--Melodrama in Spades

This is Georgette Heyer’s first book; it appeared in 1921, when its author was only 19 or 20 years old. In a letter to her agent two years later, Heyer herself called it "a very juvenile effort." That seems harsh to me, although the story is definitely over-the-top melodramatic. But even this early in her career, Heyer displayed a sense of humor and sophistication that lift this somewhat silly and highly implausible story above the average.

The Black Moth is Hugh "Devil" Belmanoir, Duke of Andover. Even in the presence of Jack Carstares, the oh-so-lovable, handsome, and honorable hero, we are drawn to the villianous Duke. It seems Heyer must have felt the same way; in 1926 she wrote "These Old Shades," one of her best books, in which the lead character is the amoral Justin "Satanas" Alistair, Duke of Avon. "Shades" takes place several years after "Moth" and is set primarily in Paris, but it's recognizably about most of the same characters. "Moth" is definitely the backstory to "Shades," even though for some reason Heyer changed all the names. (Heyer extended the Duke's story to the next generation in "Devil's Cub," and his grandaughter Barbara appears at the Battle of Waterloo in "An Infamous Army.")

"The Black Moth" is not one of Heyer’s Regency (c. 1800) novels, it is set around 1750. The language is arcane but witty. Rhind-Tutt, a narrator I’ve never encountered before (I would have remembered that name), takes some getting used to (he r-e-a-d-s r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w) but gets into the action as the melodrama escalates. The climactic duel between Jack and the Duke is great, Jack’s agonized rejection (for her own good, of course) of the woman he loves is heartbreaking, and the Duke’s hilariously impromptu dinner party at the book's end is a delight. These scenes are as good as any Heyer ever wrote. Thanks to Naxos for giving us this one unabridged. I thought I read somewhere that Naxos will be releasing more unabridged Heyers. If so, there go my credits!

24 of 24 people found this review helpful

Yes and no ...

What did you love best about The Black Moth?

The Black Moth is Heyer's first book and as such, it's not as memorable or as refined as her later stories. The melodrama is so thick you can almost wade through it ... a fact which is not assisted by Julian Rhind-Tutt's narration, which seems to be melodramatic by default. One other point on the narration - he plays Lavinia very poorly, making her very shrill and unpleasant from the beginning. The story seems to indicate that we should grow to like her, or at least to feel sorry for her. Nevertheless, once you start laughing at the ridiculous situations and relationships and allow yourself to get accustomed to the narration, it's an enjoyable story.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Julian Rhind-Tutt is THE BEST narrator ever!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Heyer's wonderfully developed characters come alive perfectly with the voices developed by Julian Rhind-Tutt.

What other book might you compare The Black Moth to and why?

Georgette Heyers 'sequels' to The Black Moth - These Old Shades and Devils Cub are worth a read.

What does Julian Rhind-Tutt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Julian Rhind-Tutt does an exceptional job narrating this book as his voice characterisations are perfect. He understands each character and the way they speak and encapsulates their personalities so well. He's the best narrator I've ever heard.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I couldn't put it down!

Any additional comments?

Thank you Julian Rhind-Tutt.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent Thanks Audible!

I cannot sufficiently express how thrilled I was to see another Georgette Heyer novel released to Audio. And with an entirely new narrator, no less!

I have read Georgette Heyer's novels for decades, and have never tired of the wit, humor, adventure and romance she brought to her stories, despite having read and re-read every single one of them over the years (I have worn out the books!). She is my all-time favorite romance author, and I have downloaded every unabridged audiobook on Audible, and continuously check for new ones, since there are ~20 more that are not yet available. In my opinion, they should all be considered classics, since, IMHO, none of today's romances hold a candle to her books.

The Black Moth, her very first novel, was written when she was just a teenager. It expresses all of the charm of her future novels, and of the 40+ romance novels she wrote, is one of my top 5. The story is well told, and includes a charming aristocrat forced by circumstance into becoming a highwayman, a beautiful heroine just waiting to be rescued, a depraved but omniscient villain, a guilt-ridden brother and his spoiled wife, and countless other characters who bring the story to life. Written in the Georgian Period (1750's), GH uses her unsurpassable flair for describing the clothing, manners, and characters of the period to paint a scrumptious picture of each scene, whether it be a kidnapping, a society ball, or a duel.

This new narrator, Julian Rhind-Tutt, did an excellent job of portraying the male characters, and his interpretation of the Duke of Andover was just perfect (I wish he would re-record THESE OLD SHADES (my #1) - since his voice is suited perfectly for the Duke of Avon in that novel - superior tone, but not foppish or nasal, like Cornelius Garrett's narration). He was not quite as good at the female voices, but all in all, he did a satisfactory job with them as well. I quite liked him.

To Audible.....PLEASE acquire the rest of GH's novels! I am sure I am not the only one out there looking for them. But stay away from the Abridged versions - to miss ANY of GH's words is simply a crime.

HIGHLY recommended!

34 of 38 people found this review helpful

Amazing from a 17-year-old Heyer

Any additional comments?

The fact that Georgette Heyer wrote this at 17 is pretty astonishing. It's such a delightful book which, while perhaps not as polished as her later works, firmly establishes the charm and humour she would display throughout her career.

Heyer apparently first invented the story to tell to her sick younger brother, and it contains all the classic elements you'd expect from such an origin - an engaging hero who flirts with danger but actually has a heart of gold, a beautiful heroine who captures said heart, a ~dastardly~ villain you love to hate, lots of action, scandal and intrigue, plus a bit of bromance on top of all that.

I really enjoyed the characters, especially Jack and his best friend Miles, and I even empathised with the tiresome Lady Lavinia. One of my favourite things about Heyer's writing is not the lavish period descriptions or even the melodrama (though they're great too), but the connections between the characters. Whether it's sibling bonds (or lack thereof), enemies, friends, married couples or people just falling in love, the relationships always feel so very real and universal, enhanced by the witty and engaging dialogue.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt and he does an excellent job. The voices he gives to each character are strong - the male characters in particular - and his pacing and delivery are good.

The story was a little uneven and frankly quite baffling in places (the reason Jack had to leave the country seemed weak, for instance, though maybe I'm imposing too modern a judgement), but overall The Black Moth was a fun read and a great way to start my quest to consume all of Heyer's romances.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Narration was very hard to hear

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

My comments are not personal. I have nothing against the narrator. However this is my opinion. The narrator lowered his voice to almost INAUDIBLE levels for some of the characters Devil, Jack, and Richard. And chose a terrible shreaky voice for the character of Lady Lavinia. It made it tiresome to listen to this book. I wish there was another version read by someone else.

Would you recommend The Black Moth to your friends? Why or why not?

Not in this audio format NO

Would you be willing to try another one of Julian Rhind-Tutt’s performances?

NO, I will shy away, because whats the point of an Audiobook that one cannot hear??
Again, I have nothing personal against this narrator, but this audiobook did not work for me.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellent reader

It's hard for me to believe that a 16 or 17-year-old girl wrote this. What an amazing talent! Yes, this is a very mellow dramatic story and she definitely reworked it later in life where Tracie becomes the hero but still it is an amusing story. I was especially impressed actually with the person reading. I felt his rendition his rhythm and his characterizations were excellent and kept everything very clear in quite a diverse set of characters.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Published When Heyer Was Just Seventeen!

If you read this book and keep in mind that Heyer was 17 when it was published, which means she was probably 16 when it was written, you must consider it a masterpiece. It is not one of her best books, it is far more melodramatic than her later work. But in it you see the earliest example of her genius. It is a fully formed novel, with a fairly complex plot, multiple well developed characters, and complex relationships. In her later work, her intelligent, witty, humorous and sparkling dialog is unmatched. And we get numerous glimpses of it in The Black Moth.

Her attention to detail and her obvious knowledge of the styles, manners, customs and general history of the mid-18th century was astounding. A schoolgirl may have been expected to have a good knowledge of the government and wars of that time, but Heyer knew details about fashion, manners, actual people and custom that would have required extensive research, especially in the pre-Internet days of the early 20th century.

I read These Old Shades and Devil's Cub prior to reading The Black Moth, so I had a firm impression of the Duke of Avon's character. (He has a different Dukedom in the Black Moth). But those books also offered enough of the back story of the duke that I knew what to expect when I read The Black Moth. But I was surprised at just what an excellent job Heyer did of portraying the villain. He was indescribably evil and wonderfully fascinating. And she had the good sense to make her hero just as wicked and wonderful in his own way as the villain. So many times a great villain overshadows a wimpy hero and it is hard to understand why the heroine chose the good guy instead of the bad guy. In this book, the "good" guy was just "bad" enough, he was equally intriguing.

The narration was great as well.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Sinister Duke brought to life by a great narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of The Black Moth to be better than the print version?

Previously this was not one of my favourite Georgette Heyer novels but Julian Rhind-Tutt infuses such life and drama into the story through his talent for creating different voices. I found myself wanting to listen for hours while at the same time wanting to prolong the enjoyment of listening by not finishing it too soon.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Despite the charm and style demonstrated by the engaging hero Jack Carstairs, the villain of the piece, Tracey, Duke of Andover, is both sinister and fascinating as he manoeuvres to capture the lady with whom he has uncharacteristically fallen in love. Julian Rhind-Tutt captures the quietly confident personality of this sinister character perfectly.

Have you listened to any of Julian Rhind-Tutt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This the first I have listened to but I will check out the others because I really enjoyed his reading.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A story of love and self discovery in an age of elegance.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy elegant period style storytelling, you will love The Black Moth.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

very satisfying

While they claim this is her first book I am sure it was re-written because it is quite sophisticated. The details are intricate and satisfying. All of the characters are more complex than you usually inspect in a romance.

The tone is low-key but the danger is real.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful