The Bone Man of Benares

By: Terry Tarnoff

Narrated by: Terry Tarnoff

Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

In 1971, Terry Tarnoff packed a bag, a guitar, and 16 harmonicas and headed out on an eight-year journey that would take him into the jungles of Africa, the mountains of India, and beyond. This account of his revelatory journey is a tumultuous love story, a spiritual odyssey, and a rollicking escapade all rolled up into one. Tarnoff is a fevered, risk-taking writer with an uncanny ability to render place. 

The Bone Man of Benares is a lunatic bird of a book, flapping, singing, soaring, often all at the same time. It's a wild-hearted celebration of cross-cultural discovery, a laugh-out-loud, delirious adventure that traverses the chasm of time, speaking to listeners young and old about the universal need for connection.  

©2013 Terry Tarnoff (P)2019 Terry Tarnoff

Truly A Literary And Aural Cinematic Event

This audiobook narrative by Terry Tarnoff of his book, "The Bone Man Of Benares" is masterful, and I recommend it to all those who've read 'The Bone Man' as well as those who have never had the unimaginable experience. Listening to Tarnoff's many-faceted narrative is equal to watching "Apocalypse Now" for the first time -- shrapnel and live fire hits you from everywhere and out of nowhere at any and all moments. It's truly a literary and aural cinematic event. And you'll never listen to another narrative like this one because this world is gone forever. Tarnoff's adventures occur at a time when hippies, poets, musicians -- wanderers with rucksacks -- populated special places in the world. His voice, an amazing, powerful instrument with innumerable variations of tone and texture takes you on an existential, philosophical, epochal voyage through Africa and Asia with stops in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Paris. While exuding the obsessions of a hyper-romantic, poetic young man in his twenties, Tarnoff's adventures and observations of the intersection of hip international youth with the local populations of India, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia become a fun-house of brilliant comedic revelations. He is able to reach high points of hilarious situational absurdity which one could never imagine occurring in today's googled, globalized online 'culture'. Tarnoff's narrative is magical and hypnotic in its rhythms, which spill out in cascades of bright movie-like eruption, as we see the wonders of the East through his eyes. He consistently tantalizes us us with his razor-sharp, off-kiltered wonder at the insanity of the conundrums in which he continually finds himself on his eight-year journey. Tarnoff tackles the demons he finds within, often caught in a drug-infused swirl of hashish smoke and various powders during those hot, humid, monsoon-filled, somehow innocent times. There is an ecstatic and deeply humorous, laugh-out-loud convergence between Tarnoff's mind and the reality of the bizarre world he travels through, and it all comes out with great immediacy and relevance in the inimitable voice of one who's been to worlds we can no longer observe. We're along for the ride, bouncing from chapter to chapter with some of the wackiest, most otherworldly characters in contemporary literature, as told by a character himself who is as confused and amazed as those he writes about, a narrator armed with deep wit, and downright interestingness.

A journey, of body, mind, and soul

Tale of an incredible journey told by the author. Terry Tarnoff is a master story teller, painting vivid images of the exotic places he journeyed. The characters personalities come to life with their accents, vivid and alive, his reading takes you right along on his wonderful journey. His inner realizations are interesting, revealing and entertaining This kind of journey could not happen today and after traveling with Terry though all his adventures and emotions, told with a wry sense of self humor, I was sorry to leave at the end.

Fantastic Listening Experience!

The book is incredible. The audiobook is even better! The story is great, the locations are exotic, and the characters are unforgettable. It's a great ride into a different time and place, a vibrant era that will forever excite the imagination.

Took me back to my traveling days

I enjoyed Terry's audible version of his book very much. I travelled & lived in many of the same places (Stockholm, Crete, Mykonos, Kathmandu, Goa, Benares) in 1970 - 1973. His descriptions brought those experiences back vividly. Thank you, Terry, for writing about your travels, travails, & transformation so beautifully.

Amazing story

I did enjoy the book so much, a spiritual quest with a lot of humor and love.

I did 5 chapters and was disappointed in all.

Unnecessary use of offensive language. A poor plot. Boring and not a central theme developed in the first 5 chapters.

What a trip

Great audio book.Love the accents.Fascinating story or stories.You couldn't make it up, if you had not lived it.

Laughter, Tears and Self Discovery.

As one who has traveled and eventually emigrated to the tropics, so much of this wonderful book reflected my own experiences and discoveries. Through humour and honesty we get to experience a little of the real Europe, Africa, India, Nepal and Indonesia. Both the authors writing and narration make his impressions, experiences and emotions our own. I laughed out loud and shed a tear, a beautiful book about travel, self discovery and love. Very highly recommend.

Feel like you’re on the journey

As someone fascinated by the hippie trail and the travellers of the 1970s I found this book really captivating but anyone into adventure, travelling, and a good old true story will enjoy this. It is honest and Terry Tarnoff really does bear his soul, warts and all. The characters he paints are illuminated and some of his experiences are so well told that you feel more intrepidation than I think even he did experiencing them! A few weeks after reading and there are scenarios that keep popping into my head and they are so vivid I have a clear picture of them! My only negative point would be the accents of women. It is difficult playing both the male and female characters but sometimes the women can appear a little too gentile for who they actually are, pretty feisty ladies I think! But that is minor as I loved this story and look forward to hearing more from Terry Tanoff. Also, thank you Terry for introducing me to Fantuzzi! How I have never heard of him before escapes me but thank goodness his music and all round positivity is now in my life.