Tim Garvin
Reviews
Arizona librarian
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully poetic original book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2015
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BHAJAN is a beautifully written book and one full of authentic spirituality. The plot, with six well-developed points of view, involves a purring tiger named Bhajan and his magical effect on the crew and animals in a traveling zoo. The story is fast moving, the characters real and convincing, and the writing poetic and original. Here’s a section concerning the estrangement of Dawson and his mother, just after his mother’s apology and his refusal to relent: “He stood and listened for a while to the sigh of grass her passage made. She had untied her end of some tether between them, and he felt it slacken. Maturity would be, all right, Mother, let it be in the past. But something in him could not rise. He headed for the van, and the river murmur came up over the whisper of grass. He stopped at the van door and turned to the river and listened. He thought, it's like an old language no one understands anymore.” Beautiful writing. And a beautiful story. I highly recommend this book. Be sure to check out the amazing
poem “Letter to Myself” at the end of the book
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Max Reif
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Complex Tapestry of LOVE, Complete with a Mysterious Tiger!
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2015
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I feel myself permanently enriched by having "hung out" with Bluey, El, Dawson, Annie, and the others. And the "folks" from the Animal Kingdom as well: Bump the Ostrich, of course Bhajan the tiger, and the lion, Okapi, raccoon, mandrill, parrot, and others whose names elude me now (and I'm too lazy to reach up for the book). I loved joining them on their journey of much-more-than-expected spiritual awakening! Tim Garvin has packed the novel (the characters' minds) with the dawning awareness of these discoveries. In doing so, I believe he has shared "tidbits" about intuition and the inner life and the opening of the heart, which have never appeared in an American novel before!
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K. Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book deserves six stars.
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2015
I was so pleased with this story that I read it in only two sittings. It was then necessary to tell everyone I know to read it. The settings, the characters, and the plot were all imaginative, complex, and well-described. The quality of the writing is excellent and compelling. I can't recommend it too highly. It would have been fine if it did not delve into the inner workings of the spiritual realm. The fact that it ventured there just made it more interesting. I would give it six stars if I could.
Jopek
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, insightful and spiritually uplifting
Reviewed in Australia on September 5, 2015
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An Australian bushman named Bluey who wrote poetry and quoted Shakespeare, a tiger that purred through the night, an unlisted gridiron player, a teenage computer whizz with his 'clamorous' mother and El - the warm hearted animal carer. A wonderful group of characters drawn together in a travelling zoo but transformed by the power of Bhajan. Even JJ, the tormented young fighter from Iraq, found healing from this wordless mystic. The inner thoughts and experiences of all the characters were beautifully expressed. This is a rare gem that draws the reader deeper into there own heart space. The type of story I'm always on the lookout for and will happily read again.​