A Free Read

[nuranar]

Georgette Heyer's first novel, The Black Moth, was made available on Project Gutenberg today.

Read it here!

According to that infallible source, Wikipedia, The Black Moth was Heyer's first novel, published in 1921. It is not technically a Regency novel, being set firmly in the middle of the eighteenth century.  However, it is very much in the same vein, and I find it a very fun read.

Heyer renamed and slightly recast the characters for These Old Shades, written five years later, and then Devil's Cub, set in 1780, in the early 1930s.  Devil's Cub (and particularly its hero) is high on most Heyer readers' favorites lists. ;)  An Infamous Army is the last in this mini-series; I own it, but have not yet read it.

So go read! I think you'll enjoy it.

Comments

[vanessa-lynne.livejournal.com]

I've been loving the reissued covers. Last year I read Frederica, Sylvester, Black Sheep, Charity Girl & Arabella.

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

They are pretty, aren't they? My ebay'd copy of Frederica has a cover that looks like a cross between My Fair Lady and Hello, Dolly! Nice, but very misleading. :p

[darthcynthia.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I snagged it for my Kindle :)

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Yay! Let me know what you think.

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

My mom is a Heyer fan and passed her love on to me when I was a teen. I've read pretty much all her romances, but not many of her mysteries. These Old Shades has been one of my most favorites. I love, love Leonie and the Duke of Avon! I think The Black Moth is due a re-read...

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

How lovely! My mother passed on her love of Agatha Christie. ;) I've read some mysteries, and they really aren't my favorites. (Perhaps because of the aforementioned very early and very firm attachment to Christie.) I loved These Old Shades, and was actually rather surprised to find that most readers were okay with it but loved Devil's Cub more.

Have you read any of her histories? What do you think?

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

I haven't read any of her histories either! It is kind of odd to me that everyone liked Devil's Cub more. Vidal was ok, but Avon, yeah. I totally loved him. I did like Mary a lot, though.

And you know, maybe I couldn't get into Heyer's mysteries because I'm a huge Christie fan, too. I found Christie during 8th grade after I had finished all the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Bobsie Twins, etc. Agatha Christie is awesome and was the perfect upgrade from the 'youth' mysteries.

heyer

[(Anonymous)]

Yipppeee! Why haven't they made movies of these books? (I think one was made some 50 years ago)

Re: heyer

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

I've wondered it! Jane Austen is marvelous, but a Heyer or two would be a LOT of fun. Which one was made, do you know?

[bellamissella.livejournal.com]

Oooh yay, didn't know they were so close to being in public domain! This is good! :) I love Heyer. My favorites are Venetia and Frederica. I enjoyed the Black Moth though.

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

Well, we might have to wait a couple years for the next one. ;) Ironically Venetia was the one I felt most dissatisfied with, for some weird reason. Frederica is a favorite, though, as is The Grand Sophy.

[suededsilk.livejournal.com]

Yay! More reading material to distract me! :D

I finally got sick of Heyer's mysteries (too lukewarm + too snarky), but I picked up Talisman Ring at the library bookshop and was pleasantly shocked. Vast, vast improvement over the other!

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

*chortle* I LOVE Talisman Ring. :D You've got some awesome reading ahead of you!