A Man Of Substance ~ Reviews
Read Christian’s life, from thirteen to empire, a saga spanning decades.
What Readers Are Saying
1973: A Man of Substance
When I set out to write A Man of Substance, I wanted to give a boy like Christian a life worth witnessing. Not through spectacle, but through the quiet truth of survival. Hearing that those truths have landed, that the story has found its way into hearts, means more than I can say.
Below are two early reflections that left me humbled and deeply moved.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ju
“You don’t look like someone who needs saving. But you do look like someone who’s had to save himself too many times.”
1973: A Man of Substance is the first part of what promises to be the telling of an epic coming-of-age journey. Following the life of Christian Tambor, the saga unfolds on Christian’s 13th birthday, January 1973…
1973 is a story of strength and survival, awakening and being seen. Please note themes addressed include domestic abuse and coercive control, not to shock or sensationalise, but to provide the backdrop for Christian’s life. The author handles these with tenderness, but be aware if these are possible triggers.
1973 unfolds under the author’s unique writing style and storytelling ability, a use of metaphors and pacing that opens characterisation and scene setting to a new level. By the end of January, you will be willing Christian on. By December, you are left with a glimmer of hope as to what 1974 will bring.
“You left me standing. You left me speaking in my own measure.”
Read the book and start this journey.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Polli
Stunned. Absolutely stunned. My brain is still trying to process the range of Thornwell’s talent.
This author, it seems, writes with many different pens. Gone is the sex and smut, the horror, the prolific live wire on Substack. Here he is stripped bare. A boy at the beginning of manhood. A boy bearing witness to change. A boy who carries the cross of abuse with the stoicism of a wounded soldier. A boy that makes me want to reach into the pages and hug him.
Scattered along Christian’s thirteenth year are snippets of cultural history, music, news, world events, artfully spooned into daily life like sugar in tea. The imagery is so real you can taste it.
In 1973 Thornwell has taken a subject so cruel, carved its truth with precision, framed it with metaphor and poetry, and offered it up like a prayer.
This pen begins dipped in fear, colours a world in bruises, best friends and just being. It ends in ink, in possibility, in hope. It feels lived. It feels like the pen is pain, the words release, the reading exorcism.
Yes, I am stunned. Maybe beyond stunned. In awe? Definitely. Eager for more of Christian’s life? One hundred percent.
With Gratitude
To everyone who has read, reviewed, and shared this work ~ thank you. Every word you’ve offered helps keep Christian’s story alive, and allows me to write the next chapters with care and patience.
If you’ve read 1973: A Man of Substance and it stayed with you, please consider leaving a review or sharing it with someone who reads like you do.
What this is
A Man Of Substance is a lifelong novel told in yearly books, beginning with 1973. Each year stands alone, yet the shape of the man is only revealed across the decades. It is literary, queer, and fiercely human. Faith and friendship. Violence and care. Writing as witness. A boy who refuses to disappear.
Companion guides
Every chapter sits beside two companions:
The Aussie Board, to explain cultural and historical details
The Scrapbook, to capture the month’s headlines and emotional weather
Together, they deepen the story without demanding study.
How to read
The story unfolds slowly, in rhythm with the week.
Wednesdays – Ink & Bone
My author memoir, free for all subscribers. Reflections from the desk, the drafts, and the years between.
Thursdays (fortnightly) – The Aussie Board
A companion piece exploring the Australian context of the upcoming chapter.
Fridays (fortnightly) – The Scrapbook
Headlines and historical notes from the month surrounding each chapter, offering real-world echoes to Christian’s world.
Saturdays (fortnightly) – New Chapters
The next instalment of A Man of Substance releases here, following its supporting essays.
If you would rather not wait, you can buy the first book now, directly from Rowan and read the full first year, 1973, today.
Content care
⚠️ This work contains domestic and family violence, coercive control, and a child’s fear.
Please read with care, take breaks when needed, and visit the Reader Care page if you want support.
Welcome in
You are warmly invited to read, comment, and share.
If something strikes you, say so.
If someone you love reads like this, send it their way.
Your attention allows me to release this life with patience and truth.
Start with January. New chapters follow in sequence. The rest of 1973 will roll out here over the coming weeks. If patience is not your flavour, buy the book and read the full year now.
Just want to say I meant every word of that review. For me 1973 was a reader's wet dream: writing perfection and a subject that can crush souls. Christian's silencing as a child becomes his power as he grows into a man. You want bruises on your heart? Read Man of Substance.