The Black Moon (Poldark, #5) in Poldark Saga

Oct 10, 2017 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

Alright, after months of reading, and it being a little slow I had some trouble getting into it. But, overall, I enjoyed it none the less. Here’s the gist: this book had everything I’ve come to expect (and still love!) of the Poldark saga; love triangles, backstabbing, family feuds, broken hearts, and plenty of drama. In this installment, though, there was something new: prison escapes and (spoiler) murder.

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Nov 03, 2017 QNPoohBear rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, clean-romance, kisses-only, georgian-romance

Ross Poldark prospers at last! He is content at Nampara with his wife, whom he has tried steadfastly to prove his devotion, his son and a good mine. He attempts to ignore George Warleggan sitting in the Poldark family home at Trenwith. George, delighted with his new son, tries to arrange his famiy life to his satisfaction. Trying to extricate Geoffrey Charles from his mother, hires Elizabeth's cousin Morwenna Chynoweth to be the boy's governess. Dwight Enys has gone to see and taken prisoner by Ross Poldark prospers at last! He is content at Nampara with his wife, whom he has tried steadfastly to prove his devotion, his son and a good mine. He attempts to ignore George Warleggan sitting in the Poldark family home at Trenwith. George, delighted with his new son, tries to arrange his famiy life to his satisfaction. Trying to extricate Geoffrey Charles from his mother, hires Elizabeth's cousin Morwenna Chynoweth to be the boy's governess. Dwight Enys has gone to see and taken prisoner by the French. Caroline is determined to get him back. Demelza's two younger brothers come to Nampara with their Methodist principles and stirring up trouble. Times are tough in Cornwall but Agatha Poldark has seen 99 years of turmoil and triumph. At last she will be 100 and has outlived them all. She makes plans for the grandest birthday celebration of them all.

Woosh. I finally finished though I have yet to see the Season 3 finale. It became fairly obvious that the timeline of the show is moving faster than the book and there are certain events in the show that are not from this book. This book is a lot darker in tone than the earlier books and though it was written many years after Warleggan it picks up right where Winston Graham left off. His descriptive writing is still amazing and his knowledge of Cornish history and the way society worked in the 18th century is nearly equal to Georgette Heyer's knowledge. The story is told mostly from Ross's point-of-view so that limits the storytelling quite a lot. Where the screenwriter is able to shift to different characters, the reader must wait to be told what is happening or has happened with the other characters. The plot moves very slowly but is worth reading to the dramatic conclusion. I would most definitely recommend reading along with the show. There are some changes but only one major change that doesn't seem to affect the plot.

Ross is a little older and wiser here. He's settled into middle aged comfort without causing anymore trouble. His thinks more before he acts and he knows what Demelza is thinking. He worries what she'll think about his desire for more adventure and knows she would not approve. He goes and does it anyway. He seems a little more aware of things happening around him than show Ross. He just chooses not to talk about unpleasant suspicions or situations for Demelza's sake and the sake of their marriage. He knows he screwed up -big time! Show Ross is oblivious. Show Demelza is a little more appealing that book Demelza. I really like her character but she's a bit more demure in the book "Yes Ross" and a bit more socially conscious. She's aware that she's now living in a higher station than her brothers and having them around might be embarrassing. Demelza loves Ross passionately and is a good wife and mother. I think the screenwriters made her more spirited to appeal to modern audiences.

Over at Trenwith we have our villains-George and Elizabeth and their sons. Valentine, born on St. Valentine's Day under a black moon after Elizabeth fell down the stairs. It seems as if her fall was an accident and she went into labor early and had a premature baby. Whether she did or didn't is still ambiguous. Geoffrey Charles is now 10-11 and annoyingly precocious. He gets a little less stuffy once he becomes friends with Drake and more like a normal 10-year-old boy. I don't love him but I like him well enough. George is not so nasty in this book. He is happy with everything he's ever wanted. Even his dealings with Morwenna are not as fraught with tension and there is a big difference between page vs. screen towards the end of the novel. George is still oblivious to the concerns of the little people. He still doesn't get the concept of noblesse oblige and doesn't seem to understand what the French Revolution is all about! Elizabeth is still a cold fish and largely vapid. She suits George very well. She seems content with her life with him.

Caroline is one of my favorite characters. I like how she uses humor to dispel tension and get through difficult situations. Her love for Dwight is admirable and the lengths she goes to get him back unrealistic at best but determined! Dwight also has a sarcastic sense of humor. He's such a great doctor and an honorable man. He has come a long way since he first came to the neighborhood.

The new characters here are Demelza's younger brothers Sam and Drake Carne. Sam is a serious young man of an evangelical bent. I didn't understand what the big deal over the Methodists was in the show. The book makes this FAR more clear. The Methodists believe all men are equal in the eyes of the Lord. They don't recognize the hierarchy of the established church or the nobility. They seek to proselytize, which Ross doesn't like but the real problem is with their beliefs is that they go against the establishment. In England, the head of the church is also the head of state. In not recognizing the authority and hierarchy of the established church, the Methodists are one step away from the Revolutionaries in France! Sam is a little too earnest for me. He lives his life very piously in preparation for the next life. He's cautious and gloomy. Drake is more like his sister. He is spirited, mischievous, warm, loving and passionate. This may also be his downfall. He goes along with his brother because that's all he knows but as he gets older, I think he will develop more into his own person with his own views on things. I quite liked him!

Another new character is Tholly Tegirls. He's the next best thing to a pirate and an old friend of Ross's father and of Ross. Tholly is as shady as the night and as roguish as any pirate. He is a dangerous opponent with a hook for a hand and I really didn't like him. He is a man without principles. His purpose is to advance the action of the plot.

Then at Trenwith we have Morwenna Chynoweth, a young cousin of Elizabeth's. She naively enters Trenwith as a governess for Geoffrey Charles, unaware that she will become a bargaining chip for George's social climbing aspirations. Morwenna is very young and sweet. It's easy to see why she feels the way she does. Fans of the show are shocked by her storyline. In the book it's not that simple. She does what she does out of her own free will. Then Winston Graham makes no bones about what happens to Morwenna. This time he does use the word "rape." That scene broke my heart. I felt so awful for Morwenna and can't even imagine what it must have been like. I am impressed that a male author can enter the head of a young girl and know how she must feel. Trying not to spoil the plot, I'll say that there's no indication in that book that that other person is anything but lustful, stupid and lazy. None of the scenes in the show are in this particular book.

I can't say much more without spoiling the plot but this book is a tense and stressful read. It's well worth it though for fans of the series! I must get my hands on the next book soon. ...more

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Dec 18, 2015 Marilyn rated it it was amazing

Well, Ross has redeemed himself a little after screwing up royally in Warleggan.

Actually, I wonder if there is a character in Western literature as nasty as George Warleggan? What he does to Aunt Agatha in this book is absolutely disgusting, although she does strike back hard. He seems to have no heart whatsoever, and I can't wait to find out what he does with the Valentine issue.

Drake Carne is an interesting new character, although I definitely missed the presence of Dwight Enys for most of thi ...more

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Sep 29, 2019 Rhiannon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, georgian-era, cornwall

I really enjoyed this one, even with the lack of Dwight seeing as he was in Quimper for most of it. As always, Graham has dropped the reader right in the midst of the lives of Ross Poldark and those around him. The Black Moon makes up much of season 3 of Poldark, and it was interesting to see the points in which the TV series diverged. I'm quite pleased to see that Henshaw lived in the books, seeing as he was killed off in the show. And it was great to re-experience the arrivals of Drake, Sam an ...more

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