Heartsinger [Hardcover]

Karlijn Stoffels (Author), Laura Watkinson (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

A deeply romantic and hopeful fairy tale about the power of love and of music.

Mee was born with a great gift: the ability to sing other people's stories and heal their pain. But Mee also carries his own pain -- his failure to reach his deaf mother and heal her grief at his father's death. As he travels the country, he eases many people's sorrows, but he cannot connect with anyone himself.
Mitou also has a gift: spreading joy through a few notes from her accordion. When she hears about Mee--who was born on the same day she was--she knows that surely they belong together, each of them helping others through their music.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. At the midday hour on the same stormy day, two remarkable musicians are born in an unnamed land. Mee, the singer of dirges, can see inside a person's soul; Mitou, an accordion player, is the finest merrymaker. Dutch author Stoffels makes an impressive American debut as she adopts the mannered language of fairy tales. Hearing of Mee, Mitou feels certain that she is destined to meet him; as she travels to find him, Mee and Mitou each encounter individuals in need of their respective services. These characters' stories, cleverly interlinked, play on timeless themes of love, loss and rejuvenation, but fold in idiosyncratic elements: a queen gives birth between courses at a banquet (her neglected child is doomed to stare nonstop at her reflection: Somebody has to look at me.... And if nobody will, then I'll do it myself). Stoffels's prose can be overwrought (The sight of the waves causes me pain. Even the roar of the ocean stabs my heart), but her characters, especially the women, have a ferocity that belies the possibly precious tone, and readers who like love stories will savor the imaginative details. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—The intertwined layers of this story are peeled off as the author traces the odyssey of Mee, the son of deaf mute parents. Relying on sign language as a child, he soon discovers his own musical powers to ease the pain of others, and he becomes a renowned singer of sorrows. He is filled with sadness because he could not make his mother happy after his father's death and then feels empty when she dies as well. Mee travels from funeral to funeral, from sickbed to sickbed, giving voice to people's suffering, helping them to mourn and feel contentment again. He is called upon to help a princess, perhaps too conveniently named Esperanza, who mysteriously spends her time looking in a mirror. En route to his mission, he learns about a host of unusual people, each of whom is dealing with a void in his or her life. In addition, there is Mitou, a cheerful young woman who is a singer of joy. She was born of a loveless marriage at the same time as Mee. They are destined to unite in order to help people rid themselves of sorrow and fill their lives with joy. Each of the chapters offers a well-constructed backstory for the people whom Mee hears of on his journey and could be read on their own. This Dutch import owes much to its translator, who fills the pages with vivid prose that gives the stories a cinematic quality and a lilting tone. A unique selection by a master storyteller.—Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545069297
• ISBN-13: 978-0545069298
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great cute story!, May 16, 2009

By 

tvandbookaddict (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heartsinger (Hardcover)

Heartsinger is such a cute story! I have never come across a story quite like this and I gotta say I loved it. :) I kinda wish they'd make a movie out of this because it would make an adorable kid's story. Of course, this is NOT just for kids.
Mee is a cute little boy who has a gift for singing. He comes to be known as the "singer of sorrows" since he's able to make people in mourning feel better with his song. Mitou is a cute little girl who also has a gift, she can make people happy by performing lovely music.
Mee travels across the land singing for mourners, eventually he comes across Mitou. What will happen? hmmm you'll have to read Karlijn's book to find out. :D Trust me, you will thank me for telling you about this ADOWABLE (yes I spelled that with a w) little book, I say little because it's only about 134 pages long, but boy those are some great pages, story wise I mean, well the pages are pretty too hehe.
Heartsinger will make your heart sad at times, but when you're finished you will have this warm little spot in your heart because of it, it's just, it's cute okay? just read it!
-tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, but depressing, September 19, 2009

By 

Lehcarjt (N. CA, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heartsinger (Hardcover)

Five stars for writing craft, word-smithing, and story telling. This is a beautifully done book. The use of repetition was extremely well handled and the story came together perfectly. (and the English is a translation - so hats off to the translator as well.) It is written as an old fashioned fairy tale, which really worked.

One star for my reaction after finishing. I sat there, staring at the cover, and felt mildly depressed. That is not why I read books.

It is the story of Mee (the name isn't accidental) - the singer of sorrows. He travels the land attending catastrophe and funerals to sing the truth of individual's lives and thereby give comfort. As he sings, we learn different stories of different people, including a princess named Esperanza on a far off island that spends her entire life staring at herself in mirrors. Her people want Mee to save her from her mirrors along with the help of Mitou (say that aloud), a girl known as the merrymaker.

This is a book of messages. Each person Mee meets had a story message, the book overall had a message. The problem is that these messages were all so sad. They were about human relationships: parent-child, husband-wife, hero-followers, sex (although not overtly - the sexual story was handled via metaphor). Each one showcased the negative - abuse, abandonment, loneliness, craving, infidelity.

I think the overall message was of chasing hope (Esperanza) and finding self, but it didn't come off nearly as strongly as the negative. I have a hard time seeing teens enjoying this. It is more the type of book to read because you want to dissect it and figure out what is beneath the surface.

Great cover - but misleading on what is on the pages.

5.0 out of 5 stars Two musicians fated to share a love of music and for each other, July 23, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heartsinger (Hardcover)

Karlijn Stoffels' HEARTSINGER tells of Mee, born with a gift to sing others' stories and heal their pain. He's a wandering mistral but Mitou knows she belongs with him - even though they've never met. Two musicians are fated to share a love of music and for each other. HEARTSINGER covers many different facets of love.