Hearts of Men

'Just the thing to lose yourself in . . . tremendously good' Daily MailCamp Chippewa, 1962. This is the summer that everything changes for lonely thirteen-year-old Nelson, marking the beginning of his uncertain friendship with a popular boy named Jonathan, and the discovery of his father's betrayal. As the years pass on, both Nelson and Jonathan find their notions of loyalty and bravery tested to the limit, and each will be forced to ask himself what it really means to be a good man . . .

Newly minted Midwestern laureate Nickolas Butler delivers on the big-hearted promise of his bestseller Shotgun Lovesongs with The Hearts of Men . . . this novel’s examination of a fracturing relationship between a flailing father and overarchieving young son is superbly judged and Butler’s prose remains a joy to read, even when his material is tough, The Hearts of Men is a wry, tender-hearted novel about men: their families and friendships, their vulnerabilities and foibles, their secrets and lies. Part coming-of-age narrative, part meditation on masculinity, part war story, this novel had me spellbound all the way to its riveting conclusion’, The Hearts of Men is a winning second novel, by turns wistful and wise, sad and funny, eminently readable, and always atmospheric. Without a doubt, Nickolas Butler is a young writer to watch, A marvel of storytelling. This unforgettable novel goes straight to the heart of what it means to be a man and live a life guided by the true north of a moral compass. The Hearts of Men is full of pain, joy, longing, redemption, disappointment, and beauty -- in short, all the qualities that distinguish the very best novels on our shelves, Like a great campfire story, The Hearts of Men is epic and hushed in the right places, simultaneously local and universal, and brilliantly, beautifully unspooled. It's both a love letter to good men of the past and a hopeful cheer for the good men to come

Nickolas Butler was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. His award-winning debut novel, Shotgun Lovesongs, was an international bestseller and has been optioned for film by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Butler graduated from the University of Wisconsin before attending the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and currently lives in Wisconsin with his wife and their two children.

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