Rating: 
Summary: Mystical Romance
Review: "The sun was wounded and falling slowly from the sky, victim of an arrow shot by the night. Its blood spilled in red luminescence onto the stark blue of the sky, creating pools of glistening crimson. The clouds raced to stanch the flow, but only succeeded in turning their white loveliness a pale pink. The streaks of their tears formed a rainbow against the sky..." J. Winter is a master of the metaphor. He makes love to each page with visions that could only come from a keen sense of observation and extended contemplation. Personification also moves to an entirely new magical level and the simile is unabashed in its beauty as it lays open on the page. There is such intense beauty in the writing style it becomes a perfume that drifts through the pages never letting you escape its pure scent. The rhythm of the words entice you into poetry and spiritual elements so rare, the writing at times becomes art. The basic plot is one of a tragic love story that lays bare the pain of separation, the loneliness of the human heart, true love and ultimate sacrifice. These elements blend into a unity and here and there a tiny droplet of horror emerges to balance the romance. The love between a Korean woman (Changmi) and a Native American man (Ainsley) flesh out the story with sensual images painted in lyrical language. The long flowing sentence mingle with warm conversation and all have the undercurrent of emotion needed to connect the feelings of the characters with the readers own deep and perhaps even hidden emotions. Changmi/Rose is untouched by love until she meets Ainsley. She is working at a cat house while he is an animal trainer working with Tigers, Lions and Jaguars. He has never been scarred by love, but carries a physical scar inflicted by a jaguar. Rose and Ainsley almost seem to stalk around one another, only getting close enough to let their wild natures show for moments in time. Ainsley is lonely and seeks comfort in the arms of Rose who refuses to become emotionally involved due to the nature of her employment. They never realize that their relationship will turn into a mystical journey into the depths of loneliness and sacrifice. The story begins with Ainsley saving a girls life after she falls into a Tiger exhibit. He risks his life and is willing to die. He seems to be one with the animals in a spiritual way and is unafraid of dying. This fearless spirit is heroic and yet is his dangerous rebellious spirit that haunts him. I found the theme of cats and flowers fascinating throughout the novel. The entire story resembles two roses tangled together and growing towards the sun or the warmth of love. Changmi's story weaves around Ainsley's life in such a way as to take hold of him and bring them both beauty and pain. This story unravels at its own pace if you let it flow through you. T'ongil is completely satisfying, unpredictable, unique and stunningly sexy. This is a story you could read repeatedly just to drown in the decadent descriptions! This novel will leave you purring in anticipation for a second reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written
Review:
A beautifully written story. It masquerades as a love story, but is much more than that. There is a strong element of metaphysics, and the writing is lyrical.
Ainsley Revere ne Falling Feather is feline director at an institute that studies big cats. He is sometimes called a 'whisperer,' because his colleagues think he 'talks' to the tigers and jaguars in his care. When a little mute girl falls into the pit and is surrounded by tigers, he leaps in after her, stares the leader, Nicte, down and saves the girl. Another leading character is a Korean prostitute nicknamed Changmi, known to her customers as Rose, but whose real name is Kiri. Ainsley falls in love with her. He compares her to a black jaguar who once mauled him, also named Rose. The story is beautifully told, with an underlying foundation of Eastern/Native American mysticism. This is an unusual novel, but very well written and if you like it as well as I did, you'll be delighted with it. Joseph Pierre
Rating: 
Summary: A strange & wonder-filled love story
Review: A compelling drama of loss & self-discovery, in which cultures mingle, time & space are elastic & ordinary life is infused with extraordinarily lyrical language.
Intermingled with the human love story, is another, far more fierce & fascinating. While not my usual cup of tea, this is a strange & wonder-filled read, occasionally awkward, often elegant, which literally sings.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Impressive Debut
Review: Eastern mysticism meets Western spirituality in Julian Winter's debut novel, T'ongil (pronounced "tong eel"), the Thirst for Love. There's much here to satisfy the spiritual palate, but above all, T'ongil is a well-crafted love story about two mysterious people who discover in each other an ancient and other worldly connection. Spirituality is more than a backdrop here. It is an inseparable element that makes the main characters, Ainsley and Changmi (Rose), who and what they are. Ainsley (the Tiger Whisperer as his peers know him) meets Changmi in an unlikely place in modern-day times. Each is deeply familiar to the other, but they aren't sure why. Both are apprehensive because of past wounds. Still, they cannot leave one another alone and are inevitably drawn to each other in spite of fears and, in Changmi's case, occupational barriers. There's something between these two that transcends the present and evokes primal memories of another existence. Winter's skill as a poet shines throughout in his stunning descriptions of the southwestern landscape of America. Having lived in the southwest for many years, I know his descriptions of land and sky are dead on accurate. He obviously has experience with the topics his book explores. Perhaps he's spent time in the Far East or the South Pacific and the American Southwest. Or he has an understanding of Native American spirituality. One could easily get bogged down trying to cover far too much ground with so many subjects, but Winter holds all of these elements in perfect balance to create an intriguing and very readable debut novel. T'ongil is a hybrid love story that is fundamentally about the longing for love and the search for one's soul mate. Ainsley and Changmi have found that love in one another, but how will it culminate? Finding out is a satisfying read. Don't miss T'ongil.
Rating:
Summary: intriguing relationship drama
Review: His grandfather taught him the ways of his Native American heritage. Thus, Ainsley Revere is proud of his blood, but also feels out of place in the white civilization where he works. In fact it is his job at the zoo that keeps him anchored, as he loves the big cats. He especially feels connected to Nicte the tiger he shares a special bond with. Oonce the Big Cat's helped in rescuing a girl trapped in a cage with other tigers ready to dine. At a brothel Ainsley meets hooker Changmi, sold from an orphanage into prostitution slavery. He surprises her as he behaves respectfully towards her unlike most of her clients. Strange to the woman, he seeks to know the real Changmi, not the pleasures of Rose as she is known amidst the trade. She cannot comprehend his motives nor does she trust any patron. Ainsley cannot understand why he cares what happens to Changmi, but since he does he knows he must act on it. However, what to do? T'ONGIL: THE THIRST FOR LOVE is an intriguing relationship drama that is quite different than the norm due to the setting, the lead couple, and the big cats. The story line grips the audience as readers see inside Ainsley, Changmi, and even several animals as to what makes them what they are. The t'ongil (Korean word for connection) between Ainsley and Changmi, and between Ainsley and three particular cats slowly develop so that readers receive a weird, well written yet complex charmer that character study fans and romance aficionados will want to peruse. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: driven by the storm
Review: I have to start by saying that T'ongil is just not my cup of tea. I accepted a review copy because the author's request was more cogent and well written than most I receive. I am almost sad to have to fulfill my duty of reviewing the book. Let me say first that Julian Winter is indeed a very talented writer. Some of his descriptive passages put a lot of more famous and widely read authors to shame. Parts of this book communicate a greater reality behind creation than many now alive ever notice. Yet... I could not help feeling that I was walking a moral tightrope by even reading some of the stuff this book contains. To use the words of a man named Peter: as great as some of the writing here was, "these are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm." All too often, what passes for the "spiritual" in T'ongil is a mere hyper-glorification of fleshly existence. It is as if the author has maybe seen the real picture of reality, yet has been limited to a close-up of its most plain and dusty corner. I cannot recommend T'ongil.
Rating:
Summary: A mesmerizing, illuminating journey into the spiritual world
Review: T'ONGIL by Julian Winter is such a unique story that it almost defies description. It definitely is a love story ( or rather a series of love stories) but it is far more than that. By creating characters from opposite sides of the world (Korean and American Indian), placing them in life patterns that differ widely (Institute of Learning about animals such as jaguars, lions, tigers, leopards vs a house of prostitution) and blending these disparate elements into unified spiritual journeys, author
Julian Winter has given us one of the most unlikely tales out of which he creates wholly credible characters whose natures are in many ways other-worldly. To reveal too much of this mystery would detract from the powerful impact that reading this book will have on the reader. But simply put, Ainsley (or Fallen Feather as his Indian heritage reveals his loaded name) studies large cats (of the tiger type) and has been through a near death experience - having been mauled by one of his cats while rescuing a child - that has bonded him spiritually/physically with his animals. He is a loner who encounters a beautiful Korean girl (Changmi or Rose or Ri as we learn during her character development) making a living as a prostitute. How these two break through each other's shells and intertwine their hearts dominates the storyline. But along the way we encounter deeply guarded secrets in both of them that are gradually unveiled until the true trial of loving is presented. Winter weaves this strange tale with grace and a strong afinity for nature. At times his poetry about sunrises and sunsets rhapsodizes a bit excessively, but again, this is part of the burgeoning spiritual awakening that drives steadily through the book to the final page. He creates believable supporting characters, allows the crudeness of the world outside the realm of the main characters to intrude, and introduces at least one character who seems palpably real (Nichole/Nick - a transgendered man becoming a woman ) evaporate into the air, never allowing us to know why she existed or where she went. But these asides are insignificant criticisms and may even alter with second readings of this beautiful book. Winter clearly has enormous talent and imagination and the tools to take us with him on his tender and tenuous journeys. This is a book to read slowly, with patience and caring, knowing that in the end the time spent between the beautifull designed covers will be well rewarded. A fine debut novel!
Rating:
Summary: A mesmerizing, illuminating journey into the spiritual world
Review: T'ONGIL by Julian Winter is such a unique story that it almost defies description. It definitely is a love story ( or rather a series of love stories) but it is far more than that. By creating characters from opposite sides of the world (Korean and American Indian), placing them in life patterns that differ widely (Institute of Learning about animals such as jaguars, lions, tigers, leopards vs a house of prostitution) and blending these disparate elements into unified spiritual journeys, author
Julian Winter has given us one of the most unlikely tales out of which he creates wholly credible characters whose natures are in many ways other-worldly. To reveal too much of this mystery would detract from the powerful impact that reading this book will have on the reader. But simply put, Ainsley (or Fallen Feather as his Indian heritage reveals his loaded name) studies large cats (of the tiger type) and has been through a near death experience - having been mauled by one of his cats while rescuing a child - that has bonded him spiritually/physically with his animals. He is a loner who encounters a beautiful Korean girl (Changmi or Rose or Ri as we learn during her character development) making a living as a prostitute. How these two break through each other's shells and intertwine their hearts dominates the storyline. But along the way we encounter deeply guarded secrets in both of them that are gradually unveiled until the true trial of loving is presented. Winter weaves this strange tale with grace and a strong afinity for nature. At times his poetry about sunrises and sunsets rhapsodizes a bit excessively, but again, this is part of the burgeoning spiritual awakening that drives steadily through the book to the final page. He creates believable supporting characters, allows the crudeness of the world outside the realm of the main characters to intrude, and introduces at least one character who seems palpably real (Nichole/Nick - a transgendered man becoming a woman ) evaporate into the air, never allowing us to know why she existed or where she went. But these asides are insignificant criticisms and may even alter with second readings of this beautiful book. Winter clearly has enormous talent and imagination and the tools to take us with him on his tender and tenuous journeys. This is a book to read slowly, with patience and caring, knowing that in the end the time spent between the beautifull designed covers will be well rewarded. A fine debut novel!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: The best things come in obscure packages, and finding a great book is like finding treasure. That is how I feel about T'ongil. T'ongil -- which means togetherness -- is an original and poignant story of a Korean prostitute and a Native American man who come together under strange circumstances. They have pasts that torment them -- said torment draws them to each other and helps them embark on a strange and lucid romance. There are various metaphors in this novel, which makes it quite an interesting literary experience. However, the language is sometimes vague and reading between the lines is called for. I hadn't expected to read such a wonderful gem. This novel is recommended to anyone who might be in the bargain for a unique and profound read.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning, Ethereal, Poetic, and Exotic Love Story
Review: The Story (not easy to describe briefly): A Native American man, Ainsley, runs an Institute that studies the big cats, and he has an almost magical way of communicating with them and caring for them (he does not "handle" them). A Korean woman, Rose/Changmi/Ri was orphaned when very young, sold into prostitution, and is now a successful prostitute in the United States. Kit is a young Korean woman living in the United States, unhappily married, and working as a waitress. Ainsley and Changmi gradually fall in love, while Ainsley befriends Kit (who secretly falls in love with him). Okay, up until now, this probably sounds like a typical good romance novel, but nothing too unusual. IT ISN'T TYPICAL! This is romantic literature with a metaphysical twist. It is the most unordinary book I have ever read. The writing is stylish, lyrical, replete with metaphors, and elevates the story, at times, to the category of a fable or a tragic/romantic myth. The entire book is paced as a crescendo, with a slow pace through the first three-quarters, followed by a rapid acceleration. Through the last fifty pages, I had to take breaks to catch my breath and absorb what I had read. The plot twists near the end are astonishing and yet credible. I am not a reader of romance novels, and I was mildly reluctant to accept the copy offered by the author. When I get free books to review, I often sell them afterward. I will not sell this one, and I will loan it only to trusted friends. As far as I can tell, this is Mr. Winter's debut novel. I look forward to the next one.
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