The Weight of Angels

by John Boyne

10 hours, 48 minutes

Can one rash decision prove the difference between a life well lived and a life destroyed?

When the Marquess of Queensberry left his calling card at the Albemarle Club in February 1895, it bore only his name and five words: “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite.” The most celebrated playwright of his day famously sued for libel, which led to his arrest, criminal prosecution, and ultimately prison. From then on, his gilded existence spiraled into public disgrace, humiliation, and an early death.

But what if he had simply ignored the insult? What direction might his life have taken? This is the premise of John Boyne’s extraordinary new novel, The Weight of Angels. Rather than dying in penury in Paris at age forty-six, what if Wilde had lived to bear witness to the momentous events and cataclysmic changes of the first part of the twentieth century, and even influence some of them? What if the second half of his life were as dramatic, tumultuous, and exhilarating as the first?

In imagining the life that Oscar Wilde never had, John Boyne has written one of the great what-if stories of modern literature, giving the iconic Anglo-Irish poet and playwright a fresh new voice and the opportunity to take an entirely different path.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Queer, Literary Fiction, Ireland, LGBT

Audible Audio

First published September 29, 2026

About the author

I was born in Dublin, Ireland, and studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. In 2015, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by UEA.

I’ve published 14 novels for adults, 6 novels for younger readers, and a short story collection. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was a New York Times no.1 Bestseller and was adapted for a feature film, a play, a ballet and an opera, selling around 11 million copies worldwide.

Among my most popular books are The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky and My Brother’s Name is Jessica.

I’m also a regular book reviewer for The Irish Times.

In 2012, I was awarded the Hennessy Literary ‘Hall of Fame’ Award for my body of work. I’ve also won 4 Irish Book Awards, and many international literary awards, including the Que Leer Award for Novel of the Year in Spain and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize in Germany. In 2015, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia.

My novels are published in 58 languages.

My 14th adult novel, ALL THE BROKEN PLACES, a sequel and companion novel to THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, will be published in the UK on September 15th 2022, in the US and Canada on November 29th, and in many foreign language editions in late 2022 and 2023.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was 1895 when the Marquis of Queensbury ( the father of Wilde’s lover) left a card at the Albemarle Club calling Oscar Wilde a “posing Somdomite, wrongly spelling sodomite.” Wilde’s decision to sue for libel backfired, leading to his arrest for gross indecency and a two year prison sentence.

But what if Wilde had ignored the insult? John Boyne has created an alternative and ambitious reality, showing what COULD have happened in Oscar Wilde’s life had he not spent two years in prison for his sexuality. In addition, he has bestowed upon Wilde, a much longer life than he actually had.

With so many quotable gems, and sweeping historical details, involving interactions between Wilde and royalty, literary greats, politicians, and stars of stage and screen, it makes for a fascinating read. The dialogue is brilliant, although I wouldn’t expect anything less from John Boyne. I loved the way he captured Wilde’s acerbic wit - just genius, and I can imagine Wilde chuckling his way through this novel. Humour aside though, it was exceptionally moving, and showed a sometimes compassionate side to Wilde.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *

[Emily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

'You must never take anything I say seriously, unless I'm laughing. Then it's likely to be a topic of the utmost gravity.’

I had a really hard time settling on a rating for this book, and I'm honestly still not sure if I made the right decision. The thing is, I happen to think The Weight of Angels was extremely well done... yet it struggled to sustain my interest through almost 600 pages, a problem I never had with Boyne's equally lengthy The Heart's Invisible Furies.

The first quarter to third was fine, because I was still curious to know where Boyne was going with this and what he wanted to do by essentially reversing Wilde's and Bosie's fates. I know Oscar Wilde's tale well, and it is a miserable one: a brilliant man whose health never recovered after his time imprisoned for "gross indecency"— or being gay, in other words.

Boyne imagines what might have happened had Wilde never gone to prison, and lived on instead of succumbing to illness, producing works of genius and making waves.

The strengths of the book are that it is very readable, and that Boyne successfully recreates Wilde on the page with a brilliant voice that fully captures Wilde’s wit and playful demeanour. Wilde is one of the most quotable figures we have in English, and Boyne's own humour seems well-matched. He goes on to provide decades more of quotes that feel very much like something Oscar Wilde would have said. It is no mean feat to bring to life the voice of one of the wittiest people who ever lived, yet Boyne does a fantastic job.

But while this is true, I also grew tired of what is basically an endless stream of witty conversations. The amount of historical figures, writers, and politicians who make cameos is staggering. In this sense, it reminded me a bit of Haig’s How to Stop Time, where I also grew bored with all the celebrities constantly popping in and out.

It's like "look at all the cool people he could have met and funny stuff he could have said if he'd lived" which is fine to some extent, but it couldn't carry my interest through a book of this length. And, perhaps true to his character, Wilde is not especially emotionally expressive, and instead hides behind his wit and humour. So the book is very funny, but it lacks the emotional hook that Boyne can usually summon from chapter one. It wasn't until the later chapters when I felt the book truly got to the heart of the pain and loneliness experienced when a person is treated as a criminal just for loving someone of the same sex.

Conceptually, I love it, because Oscar Wilde suffered a grave injustice and to see him resurrected is deeply satisfying. I still don't think the story here justifies spending 600 pages on it.

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm afraid that even John Boyne doesn't do justice to Oscar Wilde. I thought the subject had so much potential in the hands of an accomplished writer. Unfortunately, the book lacks the vision and consistency needed to carry the idea through.

Part of the problem is the difficulty of imagining another version of Oscar Wilde, one who doesn't go to prison and meet a tragic end. It's easy to change the course of history at the end of a book. It's another kind of challenge entirely to make that change at the beginning. John Boyne was brave enough to do the latter.

I think he tried to replicate the structure of his most accomplished novel, The Heart's Invisible Furies, which follows the life of a gay man from a time when homosexuality was criminalized to the legalization of same-sex marriage.

The problem with replicating that structure is that Wilde is such a rich character that the author falls into his own trap. Wilde's personal life is there, but mostly in the background. The book is too interested in having him interact with famous people and express opinions on various causes. The latter feels a little too much as though Boyne is trying to comment on his own recent controversies, but perhaps that's just a false impression.

The result is that the book doesn't work at all. This alternate Wilde is ultimately uninteresting, tamed, and unconvincing. The idea of following a gay man's journey towards a life in which he can live openly and legally, without hiding his sexual orientation, is wasted on a series of celebrity encounters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if??????

What if Oscar Wilde lived longer? What if he had experienced more of life, more of history, more interactions with his peers, more of living and life? What if? That is what John Boyne explores in The Weight of Angels. I found this book to be gripping, wonderfully written, well thought, intriguing, thought provoking, and at times humorous. I enjoyed the thought behind what if Oscar Wilde had made a different decision in his life. What if he had ignored being insulted and never faced prosecution? What would he have done with his life?

In The Weight of Angels, John Boyne has given Oscar Wilde a life that he never got to live. I enjoyed this book and found it to be very hard to put it down. I also appreciate the amount of research that went into the writing of the book. John Boyne not only had to know and learn a great deal about Oscar Wilde and his life; but he also had to utilize key historical facts and events in this book as well. It was so very well done and flowed so nicely. If you are a fan of John Boyne's writing, you will not be disappointed. If you enjoy Oscar Wilde's works and writing, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When people ask me who my favourite author is, I often deflect the question choosing instead to give a list of 5 or 6 writers, refusing point blank to narrow it down to just one. How can avid readers be expected to name just a single person? Well, after reading The Weight of Angels I will, from this day forward, be able to answer that question with a single name - John Boyne.

In The Weight of Angels, Boyne takes on the life of the iconic Oscar Wilde. I have to admit, much to my shame, I was not particularly familiar with the details of Oscar's life, knowing him only through his writings and acerbic wit. The details of his tumultuous private life and the ensuing disgrace were largely beyond my knowledge.

In real life, the Marquess of Queensbury (the father of Wilde's lover) left a calling card for Oscar at the Albemarle Club saying only 5 words: "For Oscar Wilde. Posing somdomite (sic)." Against the advice of friends, Wilde pursued a private prosecution for libel against Queensbury who was arrested for criminal libel. With his only way of avoiding prosecution to prove the allegations, the Marquess hired private detectives to find evidence of Wilde's homosexuality.

During the trial, details of Wilde's private life came out detailing his association with prostitutes and attendance at brothels leaving Wilde with no option but to drop the charges with the Marquess being found not guilty. This led to Wilde being charged for gross indecency, spending time in prison and leaving the UK on his release.

What Boyne undertakes here is a historical 'what if' moment? What if Wilde didn't respond to the Marquess's calling card? What if he ignored it and didn't end up bringing charges or ending up in prison himself? What if he lived through the key moments of the early 20th century, influencing key events, meeting key people like Emmeline Pankhurst and Winston Churchill.

At 624 pages, this book is epic however I could have read on and on. Sometimes with books of this length, I find myself scanning to get through it more quickly, however, much like Wilde, Boyne's writing is so clever and witty than I devoured every word on every page.

I couldn't recommend this book enough.

Thanks to Netgalley, and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Definitely my favourite book of the year so far, and it will taken something special to beat it.

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 3.25 stars ✰

“I'll be remembered long after I'm gone.”

I don't know if it was a wise decision to have John Boyne's latest historical fiction as my second ever read of his, but as someone who has read a few of Oscar Wilde's works, the idea that had I made a different decision, my entire life might have taken a different course certainly sounded intriguing. After the point that would've been the end of Wilde's life, I paused my reading and did a quick Wikipedia read to get a brief insight into true historical facts. It certainly helped a little bit along the way to see how real-life personal events would make their appearance.

And it is an ambitious and creative alternate reality about the life that could've been. But, in attempting to cover such an expansive range, I found it difficult to be immersed in or care about any of the meet-and-greets. Hollywood bored me; some persons mattered little, and it was also aggravating that in the moments that deserved some emotional depth, as in some actual response from Wilde, the author switched to either meta snippets (letters or plays) or time jumps.

Where I could have gone into the heart of Oscar's emotions, it avoided that deep dive, dodging the emotional stages by switching to a different perspective to relay the moments. The painful parts never allowed us to fully feel the weight of certain losses. His admitted folly, the lusting desire for younger men, seemed to merit more of a mention, which makes me wonder, was it deliberate to put him in a bad light or silently admonishing him for his past urges that led to Bosie's eventual fate—the person who replaced him in fiction over reality?

“Love was hard found, after all, and should never be taken for granted.”

It was odd that I only really felt something with Oscar's scenes with Bosie, almost as if there was guilt for having him replace him as the one convicted of the crime he committed. The real-life person - not so much deserving. However, this fight for gay love being recognized and accepted is one of the prevailing themes that follows Wilde over the course of history, amidst his past follies—that not speaking up or taking action is in its own way denying his own existence as a gay man.

The continuous allusion to certain older men's penchant for younger men, if not boys, either for their flattery and admiration or simply companionship, was often perplexing and unnerving, if not sometimes unnecessary. If there was a valid reason, I wasn't able to find it. There was also one totally unrelated bathroom encounter that I could have lived without; I just could not understand the need for its inclusion. It may seem like I'm the kind of person who clutches her pearls at the slightest indecency, which I'm not, but I just saw no reason for it...

“Lengthy novels, I feel, are so self-indulgent. Can it really take six hundred pages to tell a story?”

I couldn't decide if this is sarcasm or some clever tongue-in-cheek from JB addressing the daunting and exhausting length of his own novel. (As if my review isn't exceeding the limits of what a review should be!) While I understand the need to cover a great length of his life had it lived, no way was there any real reason to have it span more than a half a century to allow him the window of opportunity to converse with and encounter various famous figures along the way - an impressive blend of notable literary, political, cultural, and historical figures of the arts and their illustrious careers.

But my heart never felt for these characters that popped in and out. I was never allowed enough time for the feelings and emotions to develop; rather, I was inundated with various vignettes of conversations and meetings, overwhelmed with pithy dialogue and candid smartness. Wilde's own influence and contribution as the years progressed were always depicted with a stifled hand, almost as if even with the what-if scenario, it didn't allow him to have that much of a say. Never an active participant, but restrained, simply watching from the sidelines where everything really is just a matter of opinion with words.

“I wanted to be a writer. And I became a writer. That is how I spent my life. Sometimes loved; sometimes scolded. Sometimes celebrated. Sometimes loathed. Sometimes a force for change; sometimes my own worst enemy. But I was always read.”

Through a lifetime of arguments, laughter, accusations, recriminations, there were some personal relationships that felt sincere and believable. Moments that made me chuckle at the subtle jabs at certain relevant persons; the slight humor in which Oscar poked fun at himself; the referral to the weight of angels that echoed his own heartache and regret, which made my own ache, as well.

It was his final deliverance that yielded his innermost truths that captured the longing for an acceptance of an intimacy so innate that to simply be criminalized for a reciprocal love between men who both desired and treasured each other is actually the only offense, one that serves as a bittersweet reminder of how opinions still have not changed entirely even today.

And what triumphs over all my gripes is the preservation of his legacy - that he's more than just a name but a voice that survives. The worth of his literary contribution continues to draw audiences to witness and indulge in the wit and charm that made him the irrevocable and widely regarded and quoted Oscar Wilde.

P.S. A strange thing to point out, but I was happy to find some editing errors. Yes, I know it shouldn't matter in an ARC, but idk, I found it humbling...

[Liana Gold]

An alternative life of Oscar Wilde where Wilde survives the 20th century and gets to live a successful life he has never had. A life that doesn't erase his failures but rather explores free will and sexuality, aging, moral responsibilities.



Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company and the author, John Boyne for the ARC!
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Duration: 19 hours 7 minutes
Speed: 1.75x


Publication date: September 29, 2026

[Cecily]

“What if?” sliding-doors into parallel universes and counter-factual history can be a fascinating and sometimes entertaining way to look at things in a fresh light, especially if echoing contemporary issues.

Oscar Wilde’s sparkling success, veiling unspoken scandal, infamously shattered when he sued the Marquess of Queensberry for accusing him of “posing somdomite” [sic]. But what if he’d torn up the card and ignored it? That is the premise for Boyne’s book, spanning more than half a century.

I abandoned it at page 122 of over 600 pages (about 20%) and flicked through the rest.

In his lifetime, Wilde moved flamboyantly among elite writers, artists, and aristocrats - as well as rather more covertly with beautiful young men and rent boys, sometimes visiting his wife and two young sons. That continues here.

Boyne clearly admires Wilde, and wants to show him in the best possible light, but the rose-tinted spectacles were too thick for me. Wilde apparently disapproves of André Gide’s taste in young boys, and later expresses a smidgen of regret about his relationship with Bosie in very modern terms:
“Perhaps I took advantage of the difference in our status.”

There is a neat inversion of Wilde and Bosie re Reading Gaol.

We see Wilde introducing Cecil Ives and Magnus Hirschfeld, who were pushing to decriminalise homosexuality, while insisting he wants to stay in the closet. Maybe that changes later. I gather he gets involved in women's suffrage, goes to Hollywood during WW2, and gets to know Churchill and… I didn’t care. It was like Woody Allen's Zelig: fewer laughs, but with a similar disturbing undercurrent.

Boyne has evidently done a lot of research, but he shows it with the subtlety of a pre-schooler who’s just learned to recite their address and phone number (no home phone numbers nowadays). Maybe I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d drawn up a list of famous figures, issues, and events of the period and ticked them off as I read. There are so many, it becomes tiresome and distracting; it's like reading the work of a smug fan-boy.

Inevitably, Boyne has to sprinkle Wilde's conversation with witticisms, but the examples coined seemed more like ChatGPT pastiches than the man himself. They’re close, but fall short:
• “Never trust a man with savings. A gentleman should always be in debt.”
• “A gentleman lives like a king, despite not having two pennies to rub together. A rich man lives like a pauper, preferring to watch his assets increase.”
• “One should always marry for money. And be unfaithful for love.”
• “While a marriage should always be conducted with indecent haste, the proposal that precedes it should be deferred for as long as possible.”
• “One must never remain too long in the city of one’s birth; it’s so much more romantic to live in exile.”

Read or watch some actual Wilde instead. My favourite is The Importance of Being Earnest, which I reviewed HERE.


(I read an uncorrected proof,)

[Doug · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

It's a deliciously audacious premise - when Oscar Wilde is accused of posing as a 'somdomite' (sic) by the Marquess of Queensbury, instead of what he did IRL - i.e., suing for libel, losing and spending two years at hard labor in Reading Gaol, which breaks his health and leads to his early death in 1900 - he decides to ignore it and goes on to live to a ripe old 98 in 1953! His paramour, Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas, the Marquess's son, therefor becomes incarcerated in his stead, and goes on to write The Ballad of Reading Gaol and Other Poems instead of Oscar.

Wilde thereafter becomes a sort of Zelig or Forrest Gump character, being on hand for many of the most important events of the 20th century and meeting with a wide variety of prestigious people - all of the expected literary greats: Yeats, Forster, Kipling, etc.; but also theatrical luminaries: Katherine Hepburn, Gielgud, Olivier, Bernhardt; and political stalwarts, including Churchill, Emma Pankhurst and QE2. He also goes on to write and publish many more plays, novels and essays - some of which are excerpted here, becoming a Lord, and winning both the Nobel Prize and an Academy Award.

It takes major cojones to even attempt to imitate Wilde's wit and offer up a surfeit of clever bon mots - but Boyne is more than up to the challenge, and though perhaps not as LOL funny as his masterpiece, The Heart's Invisible Furies, the book provides ample chuckles along the way.

Boyne has a larger agenda than mere frivolity, however, and much of the book details Wilde's various attempts to repeal England's draconian laws prohibiting homosexuality and thus becomes a beacon in the struggle for gay rights.

My only minor quibble is that some of these adventures stretch the limits of probability, and at 624 pages, it also could have used some judicious editing; there are some definite lags. A few of the encounters - most notably those with the Woolfs and Mickey Rooney - seem meanspirited and not based on any real facts about them, and the ending's descent into mawkish sentimentality seemed off to me. I much preferred Boyne's previous work The Elements, which topped my 'Best of ...' list last year.

It will be interesting to see how this is received, after the author's 'cancellation' due to his controversial views on trans people, but if that can be overlooked, perhaps he will finally get some awards recognition by the Bookers and others. and my gratitude Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

"Please, call me Oscar. All my enemies do.”

Before picking up The Weight of Angels, I knew next to nothing about Oscar Wilde’s personal life. After finishing it, I feel like an expert, despite the fact that this book is a reimagining of history. John Boyne explores a fascinating premise: What if Wilde had never spent those two torturous years in prison for his sexuality and didn't pass away as early as he did?

Boyne is a masterclass in writing. This 600-page clunker is essentially one long, brilliant conversation between Wilde and a rotating cast of historical icons. While the dialogue is brilliant, the epistolary sections were the true highlight for me. These letters provided an intimate, raw glimpse into Wilde’s mind that even the grandest dinner party conversations couldn't capture. I found myself in the room with figures I previously only knew from history books, including:

Katherine Hepburn
Bram & Florence Stoker (is it Dracula or Dribula?)
W.B. Yeats (Willie)
Winston Churchill
Rudyard Kipling
Sir Conan Doyle

The book serves as a rich historical tapestry viewed through Wilde’s eyes, spanning from the late 1890s to the mid-1950s. You witness the world change through two World Wars and the birth of new technologies, all while feeling like a literal fly on the wall during champagne soaked discussions of art and global affairs.

“We will drink champagne together, publicly, and discuss global affairs with the intelligence and wit for which we are both celebrated. Then we will make cruel comments about casual acquaintances, focusing on their hairstyles, which we secretly admire, and their infidelities, which we secretly envy.”

Yet, beneath the humor lies a profound sadness. The book highlights the enduring hatred directed toward the gay community, making Wilde’s search for reciprocal love feel both beautiful and tragic.

“A reciprocal love between men who both desired and treasured each other. Even the idea made him feel a wealth of sorrow, for such contentment, he was certain, would surely be impossible to find.”

If I’m being honest, there were times I felt the book might be, too smart for me. At 600 pages, I occasionally found myself confused or drifting, but I recognize that as a personal hurdle rather than a flaw in Boyne’s writing.

Regardless of the length, the book is a treasure trove of quotable gems.

“Happiness, like grammar, are overrated.”

"The modern world is riddled with hypocrisy, and it’s not just the men who suffer.”

"One must never remain too long in the city of one’s birth; it’s so much more romantic to live in exile.”

If Oscar Wilde is your favorite historical figure, this book will be a dream read. It is a stunning tribute to, what could have been, and I suspect Wilde himself would have absolutely loved it.

Thank you Henry Holt for the advanced copy!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Oscar Wilde to a 4 year old future King Charles] I won't tell you that as it was rather rude, but it was also deeply unkind. My friends encouraged me to challenge him on it, and, for a moment, I was minded to do so. But then it occurred to me: what if, by rushing forward with my anger, I was simply paving the road to my own destruction? Why give him the satisfaction of rising to the insult? So, rather than getting upset about it, I laughed it off. Had I made a different decision, my entire life might have taken a different course.

Shortlisted for the 2026 An Post Irish Book Awards - Eason Novel of The Year
 
The Ballad of Reading Gaol meets Sliding Doors meets Forrest Gump in this immersive reimagining of the life that Oscar Wilde never was able to live.
 
John Boyne is perhaps best known for his multi-million selling, multi-art form adapted bestseller “The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas” (2006) but this is something of a departure for him and a fascinating read.
 
The novel’s premise is simple – what if Wilde, instead of suing the Marquis of Queensbury for libel (an ill fated move which lead to him losing the case, being retried and convicted for sodomy and gross indecency, jailed and then dying in exile and poverty in Paris) against the advice of his friends – had in fact argued the other way against his friends (and his lover – Bosie – Queensbury’s son) and decided to turn the other cheek.
 
From there – initially the sliding doors moment has Bosie instead acting rashly and being prosecuted, jailed in Reading (where he instead writes the famous ballad poem) and exiled to Paris to die of ill health; but then broadens into Wilde remaining as a increasingly celebrated novelist and playwright and interacting with members of the establishment (literary, political and royal – he for example attends three coronations) being involved at least peripherally with much of the history of Britain through the next more than 50 years.
 
The novel is limited on the sliding doors effect – most incidents outside imagined for Wilde himself – proceed much in line with actual 20th Century history.  There are exceptions – Wilde rather inadvertently, by suggesting to submit “Maurice” to the Woolf’s Hogarth Press – causes EM Forster’s downfall and disgrace.  Wilde himself becomes both a Nobel Winner and a Knight.  Perhaps the biggest is from Wilde’s eventual role in the decriminalisation of homosexuality some 1 years earlier than in practice and with Churchill a major helper.  I am sure there are others – but for the main this is a sweeping social/literary/political history of Britain (and Ireland) considerably enlivened with the presence of the champagne drinking, wit wielding Oscar
 
Boyne has a lot of fun in writing the novel, enjoyment which transmits to the reader: 
 
The novel is told in a close third person view of Wilde and so is littered with Wildean witticisms (some real but many invented by Boyne I assume but which capture both Wilde’s charm and the times as which he can be a little too much for those close to him, and how he sometimes uses wit to mask deeper and harder feelings)
 
As implied many famous people populate the novel with often less than flattering portraits – many of these are painted by Joyce who is it is clear is not one to acknowledge the genius of others over his own and has for example a particular jealousy for George Bernard Shaw), but others seem very much decision to portray as eccentric or even borderline mad (for example the Prince of Wales and I suspect more controversially the Woolf’s who come across as entirely batty)
 
He also makes a few obvious references to his own writing – Wilde at one stage demeans bestselling novels (other than his own) and long novels (this one weights in at 600 pages) get particular scrutiny; there is also a I suspect slightly anachronistic reference to activist youngsters thinking their view of the world is correct (which must have some resonance with the recent controversies Boyne has found himself in for expressing his views)
 
But as with Wilde’s own wit (as written by Boyne) there is a much deeper and often melancholic side.  Wilde for example reflects over time on a number of ways in which he has let others down: his remorse over his lack of visiting to Bosie (and feeling it may have led to his fate) causes him to visit another young man who was jailed and later to commit to care for his family; and his relationship with that young man in turn makes him realises his lack of real concern for the fates of those he slept with on a transactional basis at various clubs: his failure to really follow through on support for female emancipation eventually leads to his advocacy for homosexuality decriminalisation but not until decades of being unwilling to take a public stand (Wilde’s own homosexuality, his long term relationship something he believes only permitted alongside establishment success and even liberty as long as never acknowledged); his own long term relationship is ruined terribly and then tragically by his inability for fidelity. 
And alongside all of this Wilde – for all Boyne’s clear admiration of him and enjoyment of writing him is not whitewashed, and despite the clear prejudice and hypocrisy of the British social and justice systems of the period I certainly came away thinking that Joyce, as portrayed, born 100 years later would very likely have been caught up – even if of different sexuality – in MeToo and Epstein type scandals).
 
Overall I found this an excellent book – really engaging although I think it would have been more so with greater use of the mixed approach Boyne sometimes uses (of play-style dialogue, epistolary or journalistic formats) and just like the long beards which Wilde is presented as being adversely-obsessed with, many of the sections (and the book as a whole) could have done with a trim.
 
My thanks to Doubleday for including me in their Blog Tour and for an ARC via NetGalley
 

'I wish he was here,' he said, aware of the catch in his throat as he. spoke. 'I wish all of them were here. Albert. Parsnip. Cyril, of course. There are so many wonderful people I've known whose absences have. left me feeling desolate. My sister Isola. My steadfast Constance. Even Bosie. It's thirty years since he died, but I think of him still. And then there's Gus. Above all others, there is my beloved Gus. What I wouldn’t give for him to be by my side to see me ascend the stage tomorrow to accept my prize? His voice caught again, and he reached for his handkerchief to wipe away the unexpected tears. Please don't be offended. Advik, he said. I'm so happy that you're here. But on a night like this.. find myself overwhelmed by memories of people I loved who were taken from me too soon. … But they are always in my thoughts. There are moments when I feel suffocated beneath the weight of angels, and I wonder whether, when my own time comes, those same seraphim will carry me to my reward, or simply watch as l am punished for my sins?

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weight of Angels, by John Boyne

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This author knows how to tell a story.

Another wonderful work of fantasized (or counterfactual) historical fiction by one of my top authors.

The main question is “what if what if Oscar Wilde had ignored the Marquess of Queensberry’s infamous 1895 calling card instead of suing him for libel?”

Rather than Oscar Wilde facing trial, his lover Lord Alfred Douglas ("Bosie") takes the brunt of the scandal, going through a trial and prison sentence while Oscar Wilde continues to write, travel, and mingle with high society

From this idea the author weaved a quite ambitious and fascinating story.

I read this book while simultaneously listening to the audiobook narrated by Roy McMillan. And what a formidable narrator he is. I highly recommend the audiobook (just make sure you get the unabridged version, which is a bit over 19 hours).

The writing and the storytelling are terrific! And I absolutely loved the inclusion of epistolary forms.

What a wonderful imagination he has.

The development of the story was very creative and satisfying. As soon as I started reading the prologue I knew that I was in for a treat.

The dialogues were engaging, funny, smart and touching.

The dynamics between the characters were so well written that I did not want to put the book down.

Another winner by this amazing writer, who has not disappointed me.

Hardcover edition by Henry Holt & Company: 592 pages, 10 chapters

E-book (Kobo): 592 pages (default), 200k words

Audiobook narrated by Roy McMillan: 19.1 hour (unabridged)

PS: a “funny” thing about the audiobook.

On Audible (Canada), when the audiobook became available it was listed as “unabridged” with a length of 7h30min and I immediately knew that it was wrong. For two weeks I was in communication with Amazon, asking them to correct by either amending the listing or adding the full unabridged version of 19h1.
Well, we went back and forth as no one was really paying attention to what I was saying. During the communication process I was granted 4 free credits, but still no solution. Then I gave one star review for the audiobook based on the error, which they refused to publish, but “miraculously”, after that, they finally updated the product and I was finally able to download the full version.
I also received a code for a free (specific non-fiction) audiobook, but the title did not interest me.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Boyne has written a sweeping speculative historical novel about Oscar Wilde, imagining his life if he had not pursued the libel suit that led to his imprisonment and untimely death. Boyne speculates about what Wilde's life would have been in the twentieth century where he would have witnessed two world wars, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and mingled with Hollywood society. Throughout the book we are aware of Wilde's sharp wit, his deep insecurities, and his consuming guilt about his inadequacies as a husband and father. Wilde is conflicted about living a life that brings shame and prison time to men who share his proclivities, while he remains unprosecuted. The angels whose weight he bears are those whom he feels he has failed. The title is genius.

As always, Boyne's prose is flawless. This book is a departure from his previous literary fiction but contains the same in-depth character depiction. It caused me to explore more about Oscar Wilde and wonder with John Boyne what the world may have lost with his death. I am grateful to Librarything and the publisher for this ARC by this incomparable author.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if Oscar Wilde had not sued the Marquess of Queensbury for libel? What if he hadn’t been famously convicted of lewd and deviant behavior and jailed, leading ultimately to his expulsion from British life and a death in poverty in Paris in 1900 with all the accolades for his writing gone? John Boyne has taken on the task of examining and building that “what if” into a fictional biography of what might have been Wilde’s life had he lived well into the 20th century, continuing his writing, continuing his flamboyant lifestyle, seeking love and success through decades filled with wars, social change and multiple coronations in England.

Boyne provides Wilde with a full life of further success as well as some failure in his chosen career. His life is peopled with a variety of famous writers and performers and personalities of the times he lived through, as well as beautiful young men. His real-life sons live in these pages, though a very different life than the exile they lived in reality. Wilde, as written , is outlandish and sympathetic, sometimes both at once.

While the book may be a tad long, it is certainly filled with experiences that might have been. I think Oscar Wilde himself would appreciate the adventure Boyne has given him.

Thanks to Henry Holt and NetGalley for an early copy of this book. Highly recommended.

[Richard Derus · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Real Rating: 4.25* of five

The Publisher Says: Can one rash decision prove the difference between a life well lived and a life destroyed?

When the Marquess of Queensberry left his calling card at the Albemarle Club in February 1895, it bore only his name and five words: "For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite." The most celebrated playwright of his day famously sued for libel, which led to his arrest, criminal prosecution, and ultimately prison. From then on, his gilded existence spiraled into public disgrace, humiliation, and an early death.

But what if he had simply ignored the insult? What direction might his life have taken? This is the premise of John Boyne's extraordinary new novel, The Weight of Angels. Rather than dying in penury in Paris at age forty-six, what if Wilde had lived to bear witness to the momentous events and cataclysmic changes of the first part of the twentieth century, and even influence some of them? What if the second half of his life were as dramatic, tumultuous, and exhilarating as the first?

In imagining the life that Oscar Wilde never had, John Boyne has written one of the great what-if stories of modern literature, giving the iconic Anglo-Irish poet and playwright a fresh new voice and the opportunity to take an entirely different path.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I am not a big fan of Author Boyne. I came within an ace of deleting this widget. Because I've learned to be super-scrupulous in reading the whole text of something my urge is to ignore/delete *before* I do it, I saw the open-sesame of the offer: "what if Wilde hadn't played the fool for Queensberry?"

Sold.

You would have to go some to get me not to finish this story. The entire course of Anglophone culture would've changed without this famous sodomite...what an ugly word...being a complete idiot and suing a nasty little waster for saying a true thing in a vicious, pointed way. Wilde was fucking the man's son, a little anger and hatefulness was to be expected in that time and place. Of course it went very badly indeed for Bosie, but broken eggs∈omelette....

Author Boyne has this version of Oscar continue to be abrasive and obnoxious to the world at large (because genius y'know), continuing to flaunt...and I use this word in its strictest sense...his sexuality while continuing to produce literary genius for the enthralled masses. I know this is a hard swallow fo y'all "the way it is is the way it is and so it must only be this way" folks when the subject is history. The alternate history genre comes from the nineteenth-century thought experiment, a technique of gaming out what might happen in a multifactor scenario. War colleges in particular, giant corporations, political operatives, all use thought experiments...counterfactuals colloquially...to help with decision making. Applying the technique to fiction delights me.

Of course the hurdle he faced in bringing this scenario to life is writing a genius's words that were never spoken. I'm feeling charitable: the effort he put into the research, the absorption into Wilde and his world was so extensive, that I was able to suspend disbelief.

“Are you deliberately trying to be rude?”
“No, it comes quite naturally to me.”

It's the sort of line you or I would be proud as hell to skate off. It would not end up in The Big Book of Oscar Wilde Quotes.

Much as I absolutely loved "Oscar's Law" and, in honesty, felt it was a very reasonable conjecture on Author Boyne's part, it contributed to my growing sense of unease about the "Mary Sue"-ness of the Wilde in this story. Some of his Forrest-Gumpian meet-everybody-impress'em-all quality is just projecting his actual past into an unlived future. It does not take away one bit my unease at the way it reads.

Another qualm the Mary-Sueness of it all did not help the story is the sheer number of people who float through the six-hundredish pages. If one is not versed in the dramatis personae of the early twntieth century, this story will bore you rigid with "who was that? why should I care?" feelings that result from putting too much of one's research on the page. It clutters up the reading experience, though I'll say it delighted me personally. His take on Lady Thelma Furness versus Wallace Simpson...*chef's kiss*

It was a successful read, an enjoyable trip...for me. I suspect others won't entirely agree. The last words properly belong to Oscar Wilde hinself, summing up this imagines life succinctly and well:

“I wanted to be a writer. And I became a writer. That is how I spent my life. Sometimes loved; sometimes scolded. Sometimes celebrated. Sometimes loathed. Sometimes a force for change; sometimes my own worst enemy. But I was always read.”

As is meet and right.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

" My dear fellow, there are some things that go without saying. But naturally they are always the things that should be shouted loudest."

"I've never been known for my wisdom. Only my genius. And, on occasion, my eyelashes have received compliments."

Imagine a world where Oscar Wilde went onto become the man who managed to change political legislation. Imagine a world where Oscar Wilde lived to a nearly 100 hundred and met so many icons of literature, stage and screen of the 20th century. Imagine a world where the one-liners and acerbic wit of Oscar Wilde continued to be delivered to the world around him causing adoration, surprise and shock

John Boyne undertakes such an enterprise and imagines the point in 1895 when Oscar Wilde receives a postcard upon which were written : "For Oscar Wilde, posing sodomite". The reality was a famous law case that resulted in prison, scandal and exile. But what would have happened if there had been no court case and life took new paths for Oscar Wilde.

John Boyne takes on a journey of Oscar's life- re-imagined and it is a rollercoaster of events and wonderful encounters. Taking us from the end of the 19th century until the early 1950s: four coronation spectacles; two world wars; travels within Europe and across to the USA and array of meetings, stories and personal events.

Told through recounted events, letters, scripts, newspaper articles, this is an epic read and from start to finish Oscar's larger than life, vivacious character is at the forefront. A story full of comical moments (and there are many) and tragic personal events ( and they are incredibly moving) against a backdrop of global and cultural events. At times, this is a seriously life-out-loud book - some of the best comical writing I've read in years- but equally the personal tribulations of Wilde are moving and unflinching.

This is a celebration of a queer icon but also a nod to times past when to speak freely- as Oscar did- was shocking but without cancellation. Whether this reflects recent events when John Boyne received a backlash for his 'trans-exclusionary' opinions, only the author could comment.

Oscar Wilde's character can appear to be aloof, conceited and arrogant but within this story there is a man who doesn't always understand the wider world and regrets bitterly some of his choices. At a point if ultimate loss , the man receives a sharp retort;; "For all your cleverness, wit and learning, you don't really understand the smallest thing about what it means to be human, do you?'

This is a lengthy read of 624 pages but well worth diving in. One quote from the book that brought a smile : "One of the good things about moving further from the nineteenth century is how little inclination novelists seem to have for inflicting six-, seven-, hight-hundred page books on us. If I were in charge of the world I would outlaw such novels , imprison their authors and send their wives and children into exile."

But following on from the 'Elements' Quartet which was challenging, raw and powerful, this new book demonstrates again that this is an author with a talent that will prevail and is certainly still worthy of attention and enjoyment.

One of 2026 most original, entertaining and moving stories.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to Doubleday Publishers and NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Quotes:

"Oscar," said Thelma turning to him. "Your reputation enters the room while you're still outside on the street paying the taxi driver."

"In my experience," said Clementine,"it iOS the young, so firmly convinced of their moral rectitude, who are the quickest to condemn anyone who dares hold an opinion contrary to their own. I don't know why they bother going to university, at all, since they seem to understand everything about the world."

" Westminster Abbey always puts me in mind of a bar in a brothel. You never know who you're going to run into, but they're sure to have story to tell."

" Ambition," said Oscar, is like an orgasm. If it takes too long to achieve, one might as well give up the ghost."

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Weight of Angels, is the latest novel by one of my favourite authors John Boyne. This is an historical novel that is a what if imaginary story featuring the literary genius of Oscar Wilde that proved to be an emotional journey. John Boyne has created an alternative reality in this “what-if” epic that rescues Oscar Wilde from the crushing weight of history, offering him a second act that is as exhilarating as his first was celebrated.

In actual history, February 1895 marked the beginning of the end for Wilde. When the Marquis of Queensbury left a card at the Albemarle Club calling Wilde a “posing Somdomite,” Wilde’s decision to sue for libel backfired spectacularly, leading to his arrest for gross indecency and his eventual death in a Parisian hotel room at just forty-six. John Boyne creates the premise hinging on a single moment of restraint, What if Wilde had simply ignored the insult? By bypassing the trial that destroyed him, Wilde avoids the spiral of public disgrace and humiliation, instead stepping into a 20th century that is just beginning to roar.

The story extends Oscar Wilde’s life so that he experiences the changes of the early 1900s, allowing him to influence the world rather than be erased by it. There are many historical characters that feature in the novel, such as Winston Churchill, Houdini and Katherine Hepburn that add humour and interest. John Boyne has written an historical novel that is interesting, humorous and thought provoking. We are allowed to read a what if account of what Oscar Wilde’s life may have been if he had lived in this dramatic and tumultuous period, witnessing events he was never supposed to see. The second part of the book is almost a tribute to a life he never got to live.

This is a fascinating read by an author who manages to make any subject entertaining. This is not the first book by John Boyne that at first look is not to my taste, yet I have enjoyed every word when reading it. The story explore how Wilde’s genius might have reacted to the changes in the new century, such as the suffragette movement and the impending world wars.

The Weight of Angels is more than just a historical fantasy; it is an emotional story of a literary genius in a “what-if” premise.

The Weight of Angels is a poignant, witty, and deeply moving novel that reimagines the life of a literary genius whose life was cut short.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

So what would the literary world be like if Oscar Wilde had never gone to prison? In The Weight of Angels, John Boyne imagines this exact scenario.

Starting at the point where Wilde's life originally dropped out of his control, he decides not to take his lover's father to court for slander. Instead he takes a circumspect view thus enraging Bosie (Lord Alfred Douglas - Wilde's lover and the son of the belligerent Marquess of Queensbury) but ostensibly saving his life. It has devastating consequences for Bosie but Oscar continues his meteoric rise within literary circles and the book follows what might have been his entire life from that point on.

John Boyne has taken on a mammoth task with this novel and, on the whole, it works pretty well. I only know Wilde through his novel and plays which were works of genius. I know nothing of the man himself but John Boyne has created a flamboyant and witty genius who wasn't afraid to remind everyone what a great man he was.

There were some parts that felt a little forced or unbelievable (including Oscar's continued flaunting his sexuality) but I enjoyed 90% of the book and think Boyne has come up with an interesting premise.

Alternative histories are always a tricky thing to tackle but Boyne appears to have done his homework and I would definitely recommend this novel. It is definitely very entertaining and very funny in parts.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Transworld Digital for the digital review copy.

[Olive Fellows (abookolive)]

What if the author and playwright Oscar Wilde had never gone to prison? What if he didn't fall into disgrace, and instead lived into the 20th century, experiencing all of the changes that came with it? That's what this new historical novel imagines, and as a massive Wilde fan, I only wish it could have been the reality.

Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!

[gracie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one's on me to be honest. I do not know why I requested this arc when I know that, controversy aside, I didn't like the author's writing style in 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' either. I was blinded by my interest in Oscar Wilde lol. I'm dnfing it 25% in. Thank you Henry Holt & Company for the arc.

[Nancy]

Early I enjoyed Oscar Wilde's voice, which seems so genuine and clear in this novel. Much of the novel is dialogue, conversations between Wilde and his gay friends, talking about their gay friends. It allows Wilde's wit to shine.
But it also didn't keep my interest.
I was also disturbed by the references to the 'boys', mostly faceless sex workers. There is little sympathy for their plight. The age was rife with sex workers of both sexes, reduced to the work by poverty. But these 'gentlemen' took advantage of their services with little concern.
I decided not to finish the novel.

[Kym]

Note: I read a NetGalley ARC edition of this novel.

This review breaks my heart.

But it’s not John Boyne’s soon-to-be-released novel that’s responsible. The Weight of Angels is a rather clever reimagination of Oscar Wilde’s life had he decided to ignore the libelous insult thrown his way and just move on. The novel is, as you might expect of Boyne, beautifully written and engaging. But, it is simply too long and too . . . well . . . for lack of a better way around it . . . too Forest-Gump-ish. Reimagined-Wilde simply meets too many notables over too many years, and it all starts getting old by the mid-point of the (already overly-long) novel.

With about 200 pages remaining, I decided to take a break and read a few reviews of the book to see what other ARC readers were thinking – and darned if a lot of them didn’t agree with me: Too long. Too Gump-ish. I also read more than a few mentions of “Boyne’s recent controversy.” Which, of course, made me curious. What controversy?

So I Googled.

And THAT is what broke my heart. Because I discovered that John Boyne, a gay man who has written beautiful novels featuring gay men (including, of course, the very novel I was currently reading), does not extend his allyship or support to all members of the LGBTQ+ community, and in fact, identifies as a TERF.

I would not have agreed to read an ARC of this novel had I been aware of Boyne’s political views, and particularly his offensive stance toward trans people.

After a personal cognitive dissonance crisis, I ultimately decided to finish the novel. (The Gump-ish-ness only intensifies, just sayin.’) But I will not be star-rating this book, nor will I be recommending this novel to other readers.

Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on September 29, 2026.

No star rating given.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story by a favorite author of mine was a slow read. For some reason, I wasn’t interested or engaged. Mostly about a bunch of men with no morals. His other books were soooo much better. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

[Shantha (ShanthasBookEra) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Can one rash decision prove the difference between a life well lived and a life destroyed?

When the Marquess of Queensberry left his calling card at the Albemarle Club in February 1895, Oscar Wilde sued for libel, which led to his arrest, criminal prosecution, and ultimately prison. From then on, his gilded existence spiraled into public disgrace, humiliation, and an early death. But what if he had simply ignored the insult?
What direction might his life have taken?"

In The Weight of Angels, John Boyne reimagines Oscar Wilde's life in the pivotal years and landmark events of the twentieth century and how much more of an impact he would have had in history. With humor and emotional resonance, Boyne tells a brilliant story where Wilde interacts with important historical figures of the first half of the 1900s. The research is impeccable and the writing is fantastic. The reimagined life is mainly told through thought-provoking and witty conversations. Several important and controversial topics are explored throughout the novel. I was a bit entertained by Oscar Wilde sharing that novelists that write 600 or 700 page books really need to learn how to be more brief. The irony is that The Weight of Angels is about 600 pages. More evidence of the author's humor. Highly recommend for those who enjoy reading about historical figures and books of an intellectual nature.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt Books and John Boyne for the gifted advance reader's copies. All opinions are my own.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the twenty Boyne texts I have read, to-date, I have loved eighteen. The other two I rated 3/5, and unfortunately this was one of them.

When I saw the initial social media post hinting at this novel, I was so very excited; another Boyne novel – and not just any Boyne novel, an Oscar Wilde Boyne novel! I thought I was its target audience. Needless to say, I was wrong.

I think on some level the fact that some of the 4- and 5-star reviews are from people who hadn’t had much prior exposure to Wilde may account for our different experiences and opinions of this novel. But I entered into this, having come to know Wilde. Through meeting his grandson at an event by the Oscar Wilde Society, visiting Paris solely to see Pere Lachaise… I have lived and loved researching the history of Oscar Wilde. That’s why I was so excited for this book.

I first began to struggle when the fictional trial maintained the confidence and eloquence of the real trial, because it didn’t entirely align with the Lord Alfred Douglas as historical accounts presented him – it still largely felt like Wilde’s trial. When the novel reached Clapham Junction, I again began to question whether the real events there would have played out the same way for Douglas given that he didn’t have the reputation of Wilde – the novel itself, towards its conclusion, notes that Douglas’ name had faded into history.

Initially, historical accuracy was my main concern, but then things… changed.

As we move towards the largely fictional aspects – the post-1900 scene – we’re faced with a gradually growing social commentary on the modern-day told through the actions of a 20th century, historical and parodical fiction. Before reaching half-way we see the holy trinity of ‘rage-bait’ jokes: American intellect, religion (Catholicism), and – of course – gender transitions. Each, more than once. What began as a joke soon became tiresome and predictable.

More than once I found myself thinking that this is not what I’d have expected from one who wrote The Echo Chamber, but by the end, with the multitude of historical figures interposed, it seemed like this book was indeed an amalgamation of The Echo Chamber and Traveller At The Gates Of Wisdom.

I thought it could be me, reading into things, but then I’d face a perfectly transparent line such as: “there is no one quite as fascistic as the self-proclaimed liberal” and “columnists who insist that language itself is violence, I say, put down your quills and hush your moronic tongues.”

Sadly, I grew weary.

This wasn’t quite the book I was expecting it to be.

It’s truly a testament to how excited I was for this book that I’ve sat and written this review at length – it’s a testament to how much I’ve loved other Boyne books (A Ladder to the Sky remains my favourite) that I continued reading Angels to the end. But in the end, I feel that this book just tried far too hard to be reactionary – in fact, it even says as much: “If my work didn’t upset someone, I’d know that I had failed.” I mean, I understand because it’s a tale as old as time – drama sells. Oscar Wilde himself said that the only thing worse than being talked about, was not being talked about. Perhaps it is apt, then, that he was chosen to front this piece. But I understand, because I’ve seen it – it can even be seen in some of the reviews here already - arguments on Twitter gain attention, daring puns and ‘shots fired’ invite readers. But as I say, this book tries far too hard.

The saddest thing for me is that I don’t think Boyne needed to do any of that. He writes brilliantly, and this could have been a good “what if” story about Oscar Wilde and about the journey to repealing Section 28. Alas.

It seems appropriate to end on an Oscar Wilde relevant note, even if he was just a displaced traveller through history here:

In this retelling of ‘what if things were different’… what on earth happened to Robbie Ross?

[Jeanine]

In 1895, Oscar Wilde sued the Marquess of Queensberry for libel, which triggered a chain of events that led to his imprisonment and contributed to accelerating his death at 47. Boyne ambitiously reimagines Wilde’s life had he ignored the Marquess’s insult. I chose to read this novel based on the author rather than premise. Unfortunately, I grew weary from the endless conversations and interactions with every notable person that lived in the early 20th century, which eroded the emotional impact resulting in a DNF as I just couldn’t slog through 600 pages.

NetGalley and the publisher provided this book for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.

[Amanda Clay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the most absurd work of Mary Sue fanfic I’ve ever read.


The Weight of Angels by John Boyne is the speculative story which answers the question: what if Oscar Wilde hadn’t sued the Marquess of Queensbury? What path could his life have taken? And the answer is every bit as self-indulgently purple a work of prose as I could ever have imagined.

Full disclosure: I don’t like fanfic, I don’t read fanfic, I dislike the fanficification of modern publishing. But this is John Boyne. Celebrated, award winning Irish novelist and author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Absolutist. I had to see his vision. And it did not disappoint.

Mary Sue Wilde does EVERYTHING!!!

SEE Oscar broker a truce between Thelma Furness and Wallis Simpson!! THRILL as he convinces Churchill to bring up gay decriminalization in parliament which he does and it passes and they call it Oscar’s Law! MARVEL at the kooky Woolfs as Oscar proposes Hogarth Press publish the long poem Bosie wrote when HE went to prison!! So much sexual and racial justice and equality you’ll laugh and cry!!

He goes to Hollywood and invents Hepburn and Tracy. He wins an Oscar and a Nobel Prize and an OBE. He meets and advises and influences any gay person you can think of in that time. Even Truman Capote and Gore Vidal sail across the sea to worship at his, em, feet. The only one left out was poor Alan Turing, though I kept expecting him to pop up and give the old boy a pep talk, toss his apple out the window.

This is to say nothing of the plays and poems Mr Boyne creates in the style of. It may seem like I’ve spoiled a lot, but I assure you I have barely scratched the surface of this sizable tome.

This book is a delight to read, and I highly recommend it. Especially if you need a literary laugh. I’m not sure if that was what Mr Boyne intended, but I still give it 2 stars.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Weight of Angels" by John Boyne is positively phenomenal. What if the greatest playwright of the Victorian Era, Oscar Wilde, had just ignored the insult that eventually led to his conviction and incarceration for gross indecency (homosexuality)? This book explores just that: the masterpieces he could have written, the relationships he could have had, and the impact he could have had on, not only literature, but the world at large. Boyne perfectly captures Wilde's acerbic wit and sharp intelligence, and there are countless, quoteworthy passages that sound exactly like what Wilde would have actually said in such situations. I loved that Boyne not only made Oscar Wilde a great man, but he made him a deeply flawed man as well. Boyne's version of Wilde came alive from the pages as wholly, completely real. This is Boyne's most ambitious book yet, and he rose to the task in spectacular fashion. This alternative history is well researched, beautifully written, intimate, and entirely though provoking. The book is quite long, but worth every second it takes to read and savor it. It is a powerful, emotional story and does the great Oscar Wilde justice. Five stars!

[ari · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Where to begin with this!!! 1) I love Oscar Wilde 2) I am not usually a historical fiction fan. I was also unsure how successful this would be - the concept being that in this version, Wilde does not reply to the Marquess of Queensberry's insult, which changes the trajectory of his life. This feels like a tricky thing to do - take a real person and reimagine a key thing that happened in their life. Luckily for me, Boyne is extremely successful with this execution. The book is amazingly done - I loved the characters (GUS!!!, Nancy!!), the writing, the wit, everything. There was a small section that dragged a bit for me, but 95% of the story had me deeply engaged. The chapters jump around a bit but it never feels discombobulated as everything comes together smoothly. Some parts are told in letters, others in plays, and some as a traditional story. I was sad when this was over.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co. for the ARC.

[Kate (k8tsreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I genuinely think I was too dumb or uneducated to really enjoy this book. Which is crazy because I am actually the most overeducated person on the planet.

But really: the amount of historical figures in this book that make cameos! It's truly astounding. And it would be cool if I knew who they all were. But I didn't. And I would have spent literally half this book googling people if Oscar Wilde (in the context of this book, at least) didn't live until he was basically 100 and the book itself wasn't 600 pages.

This is a very strange book. It's sort of speculative historical fiction: what would happen if Oscar Wilde hadn't died when he had and instead lived to interact with all sorts of other historical figures and writers that came after him? There's *technically* a plotline that runs through this book and some character development for Oscar Wilde, but there's also 50% of this book that is just cameos from famous people. They show up, say a few things that would maybe make sense if you knew who they were, then disappear again into the ether without affecting the story in any meaningful way. I would have cut like 90% of that out and dedicated much more to Oscar Wilde instead.

Because here is what I expected this book to have based on the description:
✓ Great writing, excellent character development, and a moving plotline (because it's John Boyne)
✓ Sweeping historical detail
✓ LGBTQ relationships
✓ Great info about Oscar Wilde, whose work I absolutely love but whom I know relatively little about

What this book actually had:
✓ Great writing (it is John Boyne)
X Excellent characters and a moving plotline (hardly ever did I feel emotionally attached to anyone in this novel)
✓ Sweeping historical detail (I daresay TOO sweeping)
✓ LGBTQ relationships (but none that made me feel much, with the exception, sort of, of one)
X Great info about Oscar Wilde (Did I actually learn anything if everything that happens in this book is speculative and occurs after he dies?)

It's an extremely well-written book, and maybe I just wasn't the correct audience. If you're a classic literature nerd, this might be the best thing you've ever read! But for me, it was mostly a slog. And there's no one more disappointed than me.