a novel about intimacy and devotion, the power of tenderness, the mysteries of time, presence, and absence, secrets revealed and withheld, and friendships between strangers emerging from dire circumstances

A beautiful story, so deftly constructed . . . Bodies of Men is a wonderful book.

Spare, elegant, beautifully written

A beautiful, lyrical, elegiac book of love and war. A different take on men and conflict, and
a war story like no other

Featherstone’s writing rings with assurance, and echoes with love, memory and tenderness.

a beautiful, tender, captivating story

a tender, liberating love story, but… a provoking one about our definitions of masculinity, bravery and courage

rich in tone and reflective, revealing the fragile nature of relationships within the shadows of war. Bodies of Men is a profoundly moving piece of fiction from a perceptive writer.

a captivating and moving love story that acutely measures the deep paradox of the masculine condition… Featherstone brings it all together in refined, unpretentious prose – war writing without sentimentality or hyperbole. I was totally absorbed by this book, I think it’s just the thing for readers of Sebastian Faulks. There are even some ethereal notes of Michael Ondaatje in this. It’s that good.

Review to come

a timeless novel of love between men in wartime… a novel that says sweetness and strength in a man make for no contradiction but are two halves of a whole, and that shows each man, in his own way, is a ‘dangerous story’.

a strangely gentle novel about wartime conflict, violence, and chaos. Nigel Featherstone explores the emotional currents running between friend and friend, child and parent, lover and beloved. The novel is set in a time and place where everyone is vulnerable and anyone might be shot, betrayed, captured or abandoned, but love of all kinds endures.

if the reader wants setting, description, action at breakneck speed and a bittersweet ending, Bodies of Men will give it all… if you want a tender and remarkable story of discovery and fidelity, this is the book for you.

Bodies of men, then, is a war novel that questions war. But, it is told with a generous touch that doesn’t undermine or betray those who choose to go. It’s a page-turner, underpinned by a fundamental understanding of humanity. It’s a very good read.

the novel is worth reading for Featherstone’s keen understanding of desire and the consequences of generosity

Extended Review