Ever since I read the Ice Cream War in I have sought out every new William Boyd novel. His latest The Romantic is an imagined autobiography of Cashel Greville Ross. We first meet Cashel as a boy in County Cork and then we travel the world with him. He has knack for being places like the Battle of Waterloo and in Tuscany with Byron and Shelley. He falls madly in love in Ravenna, sails to New England and brews lager and faces a moral dilemma in what was then Ceylon. Picaresque is best word to describe The Romantic. As ever I enjoyed reading William Boyd and will seek his next.

Sadly, I did not enjoy this book. I wasn't grabbed by the story at all. I liked the descriptions of Ireland through the ages though but did not connect with the main protagonist at all. I would read more by this author though.

Thanks to Netgalley for this arc.

While I'm missing some of the humour I used to find in Boyd's books, this is an absorbing read albeit with some familiar tropes of life through its long , winding way .. weird commentary esp at beginning, referencing original material from Cashel's trove .. he is involved with nearly everything that halogens intensively, but strangely I accept that .. adept and professional, not deeply engaging central character (Cashel) but its narrative is what kept me.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

A glorious narrative that extends over the life span of one very interesting man: Cashel Grenfell Ross. Born in the early 19th century all sorts of nearly unbelievable things happen to him. Part fact, part fiction. Boyd's writing is meticulous. The story just gets better and better as you immerse yourself in Cashel's wonderful life story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book was amazing! The main character had such an amazing/ complex life. He saw so much, both happy and sad, and it made him what he was. This was quite an emotional journey, but I enjoyed every page.
Thank you NetGalley for gifting me a copy to read and enjoy. William Boyd never disappoints, every book is a winner!

William Boyd has such a way of exploring life in its entirety, without missing details or getting dull in the effort. He is such a special author, and it was such a joy to get to read another of his works. Thank you for the ARC!

This novel is a fine detailed work. I soldiered through the book, it took me ages. Not something I normally find with Boyd's books. By the end I was pleased to have stuck through it. However, I wasn't a fan of the central character. I didn't connect with him, although I empathised with his situations.

The descriptions are superb and there is a travelogue throughout. Because it's not for me, doesn't mean that it's not for you. You can't like everything that's worthwhile.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin General UK and the author William Boyd.
He's just such a good storyteller! From the first couple of pages, you knew this was going to be a good one with involving characters and vivid settings. There were moments that were a little slow but overall an incredible story and another fantastic novel from this author.
Eagerly anticipate his next one, 5 stars.

This is a fictional autobiography of Cashel Grenville Ross, spanning his whole life and adventures and how they are linked to major events of the 19th century. I loved the pace of the novel, always something interesting going on, and I liked the character of Cashel. Highly recommend.

If you’re a fan of William Boyd’s whole-life novels The New Confessions and Any Human Heart, you’re in for a treat with his latest cradle-to-grave story. The Romantic traces the adventures of Cashell Greville Ross (1799-1882), from his early life, ostensibly as an orphan living with his schoolteacher aunt Elspeth in Irelancd through many of the major events of the 18th century.
The novel was born out of real-life autobiographical material that come into the hands of the author, so he tells us, which are not enough in themselves to conjure a life so he decides to make one up.
And what a life! Cashell discovers the extraordinary truth about his birth, attends Oxford, shines in the Battle of Waterloo, becomes an officer in India, has louche adventures with the Romantic poets Shelley and Byron in Europe, goes on a swashbuckling African adventure, becomes a beer farmer in America, dabbles in drugs, battles bankruptcy and dallies with women, one of whom will forever hold the keys to his heart. The plot gallops along at a rollicking pace, the reader secure in the hands of a master storyteller who can break your heart, make you laugh out loud and entertain the socks off you. Simply splendid.

review published in YOU magazine, South Africa's largest English-speaking weekly magazine. Date of publication 9 March 2023

Such a beautiful tale !

I couldn’t put it down and was completely captivating from the first page to the last !!

Thank you netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this

What an epic story! I loved the grandness of the ambition, the sweep of history, the vivid characters, and the rollicking story. Read it and go on a real voyage - wonderfully escapist!

Wiliiam Boyd has created another of his fictional biographies, this time of Cashel Greville Ross, born in 1799 and living a rich and varied life touching upon may of the significant historical moments of the age (the battle of Waterloo, the search for the source of the Nile) , and meeting both Shelley and Byron in Italy,He experiences joy, love, terrible grief and bad luck; he travels from Ireland, to London, India to Zanzibar; falls into debt on returning to London, (and is imprisoned in the Marshalsea), and settles for a time in New England. I enjoyed this novel but felt curiously uninvolved with the character of Greville Ross, and I didn't care as much as I felt I should. It is nevertheless a hugely clever and intricate piece of storytelling.

I enjoyed following the fictional life story of Cashel Greville Ross, this is a wonderful tale that is well written, detailed and has a great cast of characters. I did find this a little bit long but I enjoyed this overall, I was immediately drawn in at the beginning in Ireland where Cashel is just a boy living with his aunt and from there following the adventure.

Boyd is such a great writing. This book had me hooked from the start. I couldn't put it down. I would recommend to everyone who enjoys a deep immersive read.

Net Galley provided a review copy of this book. Many thanks to them.

If, like me, you are concerned that you may be disappointed when you start reading the latest published output of a British author of repute then I can ease your worries somewhat. William Boyd delivers his usual quality tome. It is an entertaining read, for sure.

The story is familiar - diaries, published works and other correspondence of a Cashel Greville Ross are “found” by the author who turns it all into a work of fiction. It tells the almost entire life story of Cashel from 1799 to 1882 and describes the times and personalities (such as Byron and Shelley) - hence the title, ‘The Romantic’.

How best to describe the book, dear reader. Well, think of Ulysses and ‘The Odyssey’ and a hero always trying to get back to a place or person but moving on from one adventure to another. Or think of the adventures of Cervantes’ ‘Don Quixote’ - Boyd even gives Cashel his own Sancho Panza in the character of Ignatz. Best of all, think of George Macdonald Fraser’s Flashman books, which also purport to be based on historic documents unearthed by the author. As with Flashman, Cashel has a spell of soldiering (Waterloo, India etc.) and there is a limited amount of sex, although Cashel is much more circumspect and cautious in this regard (“Romantic”) than Flashman.

Given Boyd’s known research ethic, it is interesting to see how poets (Byron and Shelley) are portrayed as flawed and largely-ignoble characters (non-Romantic ?). And explorers (Burton and Speke) as pompous or outright mountebanks. There is certainly much re-interpretation of history to take on board here.

All told, a jolly good romp of a story.

As usual the writing of William Boyd always delights. While this is a long story covering the life of Cashel Greville Ross from his birth in Ireland in 1799, you nevertheless are sorry when it ends. It certainly opened my eyes to the shenanigans surrounding The East India Company and it makes you see Byron and Shelley in a different light.

Thanks for giving me the chance to read in advance. Such a lovely historical based novel telling a tale which pulled at the heart strings

A longtime fan of William Boyd's novels and this one didn't disappoint. . A fictional autobiography centered around the likeable character Cashew Greville Ross and how his life links through to historical events of the 19th century. Well written, wonderful story and interesting characters throughout. Highly recommend.

A beautiful novel following the unexpected life of Cashel Ross. Cashel is a true wandering soul, caught up in some of the most pivotal moments in history. An inauspicious beginning, orphaned at a young age and reliant on his Aunt's kindness, leads to a world of adventure, danger and romance. A solider by training, injured at Waterloo, sent to the East, before changing his fortunes and becoming embroiled in Lord Byron's set in Italy. Romantic disappointment and a burgeoning literary career then sends Cashel into another challenging life.
Boyd has such a gift for drawing you into a story with his generous and detailed prose that I honestly didn't want the book to end.