Georgette Heyer . Review on Black Moth, The - Georgette Heyer

The First book I read of Georgette Heyer was The Black Moth when I was slim and trim and all of 17 years old. Coincidentally it was also the first Book that Heyer wrote. It still remains one of my favorite Books by Heyer. The Book is a romantic fiction with a lot of melodrama and improbabilities, but an exiting one. What can you expect in a Heyer Romance? Well the plots are ok nothing great. One should read Heyer for her language, the gentle humour, the heroines who are full of pluck and unconventional. And Sometimes the Hero too is unconventional and a totally unheroic! All the novels are a testimony to Georgette Heyer`s Skill and knowledge of not only language but also of the history and nuances of the period she writes about. The stories are mostly set in the Regency Period and before and are full of authentic characters from real life like the Prince Regent and William of Normandy. The description of the era is authentic with details of the social life in England of those times and the houses and furnishings. The vivid descriptions and a fine eye for detail bring to life the period and the strongly etched characters stay vibrant in your mind.

Heyer wrote fluffy romantic comedies Like the Unknown Ajax, Regency Buck, Bath Tangle. She also wrote a bit more serious Romance with a historical background like the Spanish Bride, Royal Escape, the Iron Duke, Lord John etc. There are also some excellent Romances with murder and mystery thrown in like The Quiet gentleman. Then there are those romances that are mainly a study of the human nature like A Convenient Marriage and A civil Contract. The Period of her Romances varies but many of them are set in the Regency Period at which she excelled. The language is authentic, the scandals discussed are authentic, the descriptions of the various events all show the vast knowledge Heyer had of this period in English history. Heyer also wrote murder mysteries set in more recent times unfortunately, I know not why, I have never read any of them yet. I have enjoyed reading all of her romances and repeated readings make me like them better and better!