--- product_id: 207586119 title: "Leading Men: A Novel" price: "FREE" currency: GBP in_stock: false reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/207586119-leading-men-a-novel store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Leading Men: A Novel **Price:** FREE **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Leading Men: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** FREE with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/207586119-leading-men-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Buy Leading Men: A Novel Reprint by Castellani, Christopher (ISBN: 9780525559078) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Review: Loved it - I didn't want to finish this poetic, Italian dream of a novel. Sad, worrying but life affirming . I loved it. Review: Undeniably great, but inevitably a little remote - Christopher Castellani delivers a devastatingly honest and perceptive treatise on love and sacrifice in this novel, a mostly fictionalised account of the relationship between Tennessee Williams and his partner of 15 years Frank Merlo. Beautifully written, it also captures effortlessly the feel of its settings, from Italy in the 1950s to the United States in the present day. Aspects of the characters' lives are interwoven through time, with each chapter changing the temporal perspective, making for absorbing and rewarding progression throughout. And yet my one issue with the novel is that, like many that inhabit the same or similar genre, its tropes and its tendency for its characters to take such a psychoanalytical approach to everything in their lives put it somewhat out of reach: an examination of their lives rather than immersion in them. That said, it is still a very good novel I am glad to have read. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 2,952,848 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1,294 in Biographical & Autofiction 3,302 in Drama (Books) 25,425 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer reviews | 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (536) | | Dimensions | 13.97 x 2.36 x 21.44 cm | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 0525559078 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0525559078 | | Item weight | 299 g | | Language | English | | Print length | 368 pages | | Publication date | 1 Jan. 1900 | | Publisher | Penguin Publishing Group | ## Images ![Leading Men: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Fj37zi2hL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved it *by D***D on 22 August 2020* I didn't want to finish this poetic, Italian dream of a novel. Sad, worrying but life affirming . I loved it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Undeniably great, but inevitably a little remote *by G***N on 2 February 2020* Christopher Castellani delivers a devastatingly honest and perceptive treatise on love and sacrifice in this novel, a mostly fictionalised account of the relationship between Tennessee Williams and his partner of 15 years Frank Merlo. Beautifully written, it also captures effortlessly the feel of its settings, from Italy in the 1950s to the United States in the present day. Aspects of the characters' lives are interwoven through time, with each chapter changing the temporal perspective, making for absorbing and rewarding progression throughout. And yet my one issue with the novel is that, like many that inhabit the same or similar genre, its tropes and its tendency for its characters to take such a psychoanalytical approach to everything in their lives put it somewhat out of reach: an examination of their lives rather than immersion in them. That said, it is still a very good novel I am glad to have read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Superb novel... *by G***L on 15 February 2019* American author Christopher Castellani has written an almost epic novel about male authors and the men who loved them. The book, "Leading Men", features real people - Tennessee Williams, Frank Merlo, Truman Capote, Jack Burns, among others - while adding to them a cast of fictional characters. (It's handy to read this book on an Ipad or other devise which makes it easy to refer to Wiki when you have a question about a character in the book.) The book is perhaps a little too long, but the relationships between the characters need a fair amount of space to develop. Castellani has invented characters as he is writing a fictionalised version of real events. Not an easy concept to either write or read, it's the only way he can tell his story. The book takes place in the 1940's to the 1960's Tennessee Williams and his lover/aide Frank Merlo live the good life in Italy. Williams is writing during the day, while Merlo keeps Williams' life and household in running order. The two men are not necessarily faithful to each other and they do fight a fair amount, but the reader can easily discern the love between them. Their friends (and rivals) Truman Capote and Jack Burns - both with their own lovers - come in and out of the story. And added to the story as fictional characters are a Swedish mother-and-daughter, Bitte and Anya Blomgren - who meet up with Williams and Merlo in Portofino and are sort of added to their lives. Anya is based on Liv Ullmann, the Norwegian actress and director. Frank Merlo and Anya become life-long friends. But Frank Merlo, who I think is the main character in the book, does not have a long life-time. He dies of lung cancer in a New York hospital in 1963, after his relationship with "Tenn" has withered. Tennessee Williams knows and acknowledges his creative juices flourished during his 20 or so years with Frank Merlo. Still friends with Anya - who has go on to become a highly regarded actress - he writes a short play about Frank he gives to Anya. What Anya does with this not-particularly-well-written play is explored near the end of the book. Christopher Castellano's book is character-driven. A bit of a plot but what's there mainly exists to service the characters. The Frank Merlo character is a particularly well-drawn, nuanced look at a man who is comfortable with his sexuality but is uncertain about his place in his world. He may book airline tickets to Spain for Williams, but he has not-so-secret desires to become an actor/singer/dancer and find success in his own right. Castellani's book is a wonderful read, though not for every reader. Make sure you read all the reviews you can before you buy the book or take it out of the library. As always with well-written fiction, I'm left with the urge to find out as much as I can about the "real people" and their stories. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/207586119-leading-men-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/207586119-leading-men-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-16*