The Romantic

A novel

By: William Boyd

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

From the award-winning, internationally best-selling author, a beguiling romp of a novel, at once intimate and panoramic, about the adventures and misadventures of a nineteenth-century everyman

"Picaresque, big-hearted and moving, this is Boyd at the top of his game." —The Guardian

One man, many lives . . . Cashel Greville Ross experiences more of everything than most, from the rapturous to the devastating, from surprising good luck to unexpected loss. Born in 1799, Cashel seeks his fortune across the turbulence of multiple continents, from County Cork to rural Massachusetts, from Waterloo to Zanzibar, embedded with the East Indian Army in Sri Lanka, sunning himself alongside the Romantic poets in Pisa. He travels the world as a soldier, a farmer, a felon, a writer, even a father. And he experiences all the vicissitudes of existence, including a once-in-a-lifetime love that will haunt the rest of his days. In the end, his great accomplishment is to discover who he truly is—which is the romance of life itself, and the beating heart of The Romantic.

Light and lovely

Crackling dialog characterizes this cut-above romance for thoughtful adults. Too bad that it kind of lost its way at the very end, as though the author suddenly had to be somewhere else and wrap it up.

Excellent book highly recommend.

Enjoyed reading the book. Fantastic and interesting character development, historical context. A great love affair plagued by the realties of the time.

No redemptive characters

This is the last William Boyd novel I will read. His characters annoy me no end. They’re not evolved, they make dumb choices, and they don’t learn much in the course of their life. I think stories should be inspiring and Cashel, the lead character in the Romantic, is not. There are moments of awareness and then he sleepwalks again, making foolish choices and neglecting those he loves for some new wanderlust. Whatever. I just didn’t like him, and stories are more compelling when you like and understand the protagonist. I’m not sure if Boyd meant to, but he exposed the clueless, self-important and harmful arrogance of the British empire of the 19th century. The men were hopelessly entitled and absolute fools. I don’t care to enter that clueless world again.

One man, many lives

This is a sweeping tale about one man’s complicated, fascinating life, his trials and triumphs. I loved the main character, Cashel, and didn’t want his story to end. Of all of the novels I’ve read this year, this has been my favorite.

I found the narrator’s voice soothing.

Where is the character development?

Ordinarily, I love William Boyd’s work, but I kept wondering why he wrote this book? To illustrate his knowledge of Waterloo and nineteenth century European capitals? The history of the discovery of the source of the Nile? All of these are interesting subjects. His main character is not, and he breaches the key tenet of good books: character development. His protagonist continues to make stupid decision after stupid decision—why? We never learn. Read his other better books for more insight.