This is William Boyd’s latest, published last year so not yet in paperback.
It’s a corker and worth £20 for the hardback. First, William Boyd writes well and has a broad vocabulary of which I am jealous. Secondly, The Romantic weaves real life into the rich tapestry of his novel as George MacDonald Fraser did so successfully in The Flashman Papers. Thirdly, Boyd creates a theme that runs through the book and explains the title. His hero leads an improbably busy life in many international locations in the 19th century against a background of the Industrial Revolution, the advent of the railways, steam power, gas lighting, etc.
I don’t think it is a spoiler to say he becomes friends with Byron and Shelley in Italy and Burton and Speke in Africa. Our hero is born in 1799 and, with only 75 pages left, I am up to 1864 but have not been to Venice yet. It is depicted on the dust jacket and the blurb provides a tantalising quote – Mason and Gunning have not appeared yet either.
“Cashel stood there a while, watching the balloon disappear on its airy journey, entranced by its incredible gravity-defying lightness. So silent, he thought, so unlike a locomotive – immediately recognising the comparison as both stupid and absurd the moment it entered his head. But then he thought that this would be how to escape from Venice should Mason and Gunning ever track him down – simply jump into his balloon filled with coal-gas and soar away out of sight.” (The Romantic, William Boyd)
It might be subtitled Around the World in Eighty Years, although maybe he doesn’t make old bones. I will wait and see.
William Boyd is a brilliant writer – I remember firstly being greatly amused by “A good man in Africa “. I see that the paperback edition of “The Romantic “ is due to be published on the 6th April, so will buy it then. Thank you for alerting your friends to his latest novel.