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The only Heyer that has disappointed

Revisado: 01-11-21

I generally love Georgette Heyer’s books but this one had me rolling my eyes every five minutes.

Quite apart from the usual insufferable tendency of Heyer heroines in their 20s talking about how aged and old maidish they are (to the adoration of the hero, always), this one had some particular vices which made it difficult to read.

Every time the hero said something particularly “shocking”, the heroine would giggle in a maddeningly coy way. She also didn’t seem to be too bothered by the fact that he had attempted to elope with her now-deceased sister in law, but I’m not entirely sure why this didn’t bother her. In fact she was sympathetic to him for doing so, but for no well-explained reason. Beyond a couple of irritating quirks, her dislike for her family didn’t seem entirely well founded. This, then, made her decision not to marry the hero for the sake of her family completely absurd, not to mention irritating. But the final blow really had to come from the last half hour, when (spoiler alert), the hero abducts her in order to marry he, since she really was being too annoying to make marriage by any normal means possible. This might be terribly romantic in books, but was again far too absurd in this situation. It was meant to be ironic since the heroine had spent most of the book trying to avoid the clandestine elopement of her own young niece, but it was too ironic - and ended up being just plain silly. The idea that everyone would hush it up and be very kind and understanding afterwards was a little too neat.

Have of course come across these plot devices in other Heyer books, but never had the experience of not having my disbelief suspended before. All in all, an annoying book.

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Perfect narration!

Revisado: 10-21-15

Any additional comments?

I read Shane Maloney back in high school and listening to this audiobook brought it all back. He's witty, he's political, and completely safe - no terror-stricken 21st century for Shane Maloney, but the laidback incompetent local politics of the late 80s. He does tend to do that thing that crime writers do, where women are attracted to the sleuth/detective/total amateur like mozzies to human flesh, but hey. Apart from the first chapter this shtick doesn't get on my nerves as much as it usually does. I think Shane Maloney captures Australia well, although I might be saying that because he doesn't shy away from talking about migrant communities. It adds a new dimension to the usual Anglo-Aboriginal dichotomy in Aussie novels.

And how good is Rupert Degas? The second he got to Angelo Agnelli, that character seemed to walk whole-bodied out of my headphones - first time for me, but very much appreciated. He gets Shane Maloney's sense of humour. Between the two of them, my gut almost ruptured with laughter at the octopus scene.

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Ahh, Shakespeare ...

Revisado: 11-25-13

What did you like best about this story?

20th century actors have this fantastic trick: they use their voices to act. Not in any overly dramatic way, as contemp actors do, but in a very understated and yet perfectly believable manner. These actors were delicious to listen to; really brought the story to life. I felt, listening, that they understood every word they said, which is not an experience that I have had often when Shakespeare is performed. Only one real problem, which is that I've become so used to seeing really strong-minded Katherina's who stay tough as nails the whole way through the play, that I had a moment of surprise when Margaret Leighton took the pitiful route. To sum up, this is a fantastic performance of a classic play ... you may take issue with the story, as I did, but in the end you giggle hysterically anyway.

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Yes and no ...

Revisado: 11-25-13

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.

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

Different, surprising comedy

Revisado: 05-14-12

Any additional comments?

Listening to this book was a surreal experience. You're laughing and almost crying on every page. Jon Richardson's humour takes you totally by surprise, he's so honest and different to other comedians.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas