Max Overton
I read Maraglindi: Guardian Spirit in its previous incarnation a few years ago, but its message has remained with me. It is a novel of Australia, but it is not limited to that beautiful country; the message applies to all men and women everywhere and in every time. Couched within the framework of Christianity, it applies equally to any religion that preaches love and acceptance. Reincarnation is a thread that runs through the story, and shows how our actions are not limited to one life but reverberate through many incarnations as we strive to learn the lessons necessary for our spiritual growth.
The protagonist, a young Aboriginal girl, Maraglindi, is born of an act of hate, but she typifies Love in its most elemental form, and all who come in contact with her during her short life are touched by this love. But this is so much more than just a story with a message; it is a history. Maraglindi: Guardian Spirit is a story set against the backdrop of Colonial Australia, where we get to experience the lives of rich and poor, privileged and deprived, the white overlords and the downtrodden, dispossessed Aboriginal First People of this glorious country.
Maraglindi: Guardian Spirit is a book I would not hesitate to recommend, not just as a story that describes the racial discord of earlier times, but also as one that holds out a hope that things can be different. We live in times where hate is rearing its ugly head once more, so we need stories like this to remind us that hate can be overcome, not by violence and more hatred, but by love and acceptance.
Max Overton is the author of over forty books, many of them historical fiction.
Margaret Tanner
Set in 1850s Australia.
Glindi, an Aaboriginal woman, gives birth to a baby girl she names Maraglindi (Glindi's sorrow).
Born amidst violent times when Aboriginal men were treated worse than their Masters' dogs, the women suffered even more. Their only use was to satisfy their owner's lust and keep his house in order.
Against this horrific background Bob Rich has woven a rich tapestry of love, hate, decency and depravity. Once you start reading you won't be able to put it down until you have devoured every word. It is quite obvious the author has done extensive historical research before he wrote this story.
Highly recommended.
Margaret Tanner is a Best Selling and Award Winning Australian author of drama-laden historical western romance.
Florence Weinberg
Guardian AngelMaraglindi by Dr. Bob Rich pulls no punches. Set in the era of Queen Victoria, its major themes are two: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and, all human beings deserve equal respect and treatment regardless of sex, color of skin, age, wealth, or place of origin.
A highly superior being from elsewhere in the universe is assigned the task of leading human beings to the ideal state of perfect love. This being becomes Maraglindi. As she grows, she demonstrates to all who come in contact with her just what love and the Golden Rule can do. There is, however, one barrier to her ability to spread love, peace and understanding: the negative force of hatred and prejudice. There is much violence and bloodshed in this novel, but also much hope and goodness. Dr. Bob Rich's powerful work, while set in the past, is deeply relevant today, as we witness hatred and prejudice spread by persons in powerful places, through the power of modern media. We need you, Maraglindi! Come, Guardian Spirit!
Emeritus Professor Florence Weinberg is the author of eleven novels that have won eleven awards.
