William Kuhn

The first thing I do when I pick up a non-fiction book is flip to the back to check out the bibliography, notes, etc. to get a feel of what kind research the author did. The notes in Swimming with Lord Byron immediately sent up red flags for me because the author cites Wikipedia as a source. *facepalm*

The biographical details will be familiar to anyone with a fair-ish knowledge of Lord Byron's life; the difference here is that everything is interpreted with a thoroughly 21st century viewpoint.
… (meer)

‘Swimming with Lord Byron’ fascinated and absorbed me from the start. It reads like a great work of fiction, partly due to Byron’s complex character and eventful life, but also due to the engaging way it is written. The author shows how the poet’s art and life intertwined and affected each other and speculates on how early experiences shaped his character and work. It gave me a lot to think about and I came away feeling a deeper and more personal understanding of Byron. The author has clearly researched and thought about Byron’s life in depth and provides extensive notes and references at the end.

I don’t usually enjoy biographies, but I was curious about Lord Byron and I’m glad I took the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this one. It changed my perceptions and will remain with me a long time.… (meer)

Though at times I really wonder why we always should hear about someone's same-sex relationships as where we never hear about some people's relationship with the opposite sex, I can see the importance in the light of the life of Lord Byron.
The author manages to make you feel like travelling through time and get acquainted with Lord Byron himself. But you also will feel the athmosphere of the places you visit in the book.
If empathy seems to be a fashionable word these days (often for the wrong reasons), in this case the author get exactly that done with the reader, empathy for Lord Byron.
Being a biography I would have appreciated some illustrations, but that is personal.

I think the only flaw is that the author mentions the age at the beginning of each chapter. But maybe others do value exactly that.

Surprise for me was to read that Lord Byron came to the Southern Netherlands!… (meer)