Whole life story recommendations

[Gobolino80]

I've just devoured 'The Romantic' by William Boyd. I absolutely love what I'd describe as 'whole life story' books (not even sure if that's a genre of fiction) which he seems to be so good at. Does anyone have recommendations for books that are similar? I really love family sagas that span centuries too.

Thank you everyone! Some great suggestions

As a PP said, my first thought was Stoner. I love a book that follows a character from cradle to grave.
There's also a tiny perfect book called A Whole Life, by Robert Seethaler - can't really get any more "whole lifey" than that.

The Stone Diaries! yy! Brilliant book.

Also The diviners by Margaret Laurence, another great Canadian female writer

Also love the Smiley trilogy referred to up thread

Edward St Aubyn’s Melrose novels. There are five in total, and they follow the life of a man born into the British aristocracy. He is sexually abused, becomes a drug addict, marries, cheats, has two sons, and then finds a kind of peace and redemption. They are beautifully written, funny, heartbreaking and wise. The characters are interesting and memorable as well.

Or how about Anthony Powell? His Dance to the Music of Time books follow a family. Clive James revered Powell.

I think Ford Maddox Ford wrote a series of novels about a family - Parades End, etc. Not sure though ( I haven’t read them, though I do have the DVD of Parade’s End - the one with Benedict Cumberbatch).

Coincidentally Benedict Cumberbatch also starred in the miniseries on Patrick Melrose (based on St Aubyn's books) which was superb

Elizabeth Stroud's series on Lucy Barton - exploration of a woman's life. Deceptively simple language. One of my favourite discoveries lately
Alexandrian Quartet, Lawrence Durrell - a fascinating story about intertwined lives of a group of expatriates in Egypt around the time of WW2 told through perspectives of different characters, so effectively several "whole life books"
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand - a story of a rebel architect in the early XX century US
The Class, Erich Segal - follows lives of a Harvard University class through decades. Don't know how many times I've reread it.
Various books by Richard Ford
Books by Narine Abragyan, a contemporary Armenian writer. I read them in Russian but I think a few are translated into English (Three Apples Fell from the Sky, some others I think). Multi-generational sagas with elements of magical realism.
A suitable boy, Vikram Seth - a huge multigenerational saga
10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world, Elif Shafak
Second Pachinko, Any Human Heart and other books by Boyd

Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger might fit the bill.

Cold is the Dawn and the two following books in a trilogy by Charles Egan are excellent. Based on his own family research from trimester of the Irish potato famine forward. In the form of a novel but historically accurate

the time of the potato famine

Outlander books
Time Travellers Wife
A Suitable Boy
The Hearts Invisible Furies

I am a little late to this thread but Bournville by Jonathan Coe would fit your description. I really enjoyed all the characters.