A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present. When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be…until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader’s belief in the power of love to move mountains.
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2012: I'll admit that when I first read the title of Jan-Philipp Sendker's novel, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, I winced (just a little). Something about it gave off a whiff of well-aged Stilton, but this love story is no stinky cheese. In it, a respected New York City attorney vanishes, supposedly en route to a business trip, leaving an embittered wife and dumbfounded daughter behind. No, I'm not getting my genres mixed-up. While there's a mystery--one the daughter, Julia, travels to Burma to unravel--what she uncovers there is anything but sinister. Julia is a cynical sleuth, and your suspension of disbelief will be tested, too, but as this sweeping romance unfolds, you'll gladly fall for it. --Erin Kodicek
From Booklist
Already a huge hit in Europe, Sendker’s debut is a lush tale of romance and family set in mid-twentieth-century Burma. Four years after her father mysteriously disappeared, Julia Win traces him to the small town of Kalaw after finding a love letter among his possessions addressed to a woman named Mi Mi. In Kalaw, an old man named U Ba approaches her, promising to tell her the story of her father’s life before he came to New York and met her mother. As a child, Tin Win was abandoned by his mother, who was told by an astrologer the boy was cursed. At 10, Tin Win gradually goes blind. He’s taken in by a kindly neighbor, who finds him a home at a local monastery. It is there that he meets Mi Mi, whose crippled legs make her as much of an outsider as Tin Win. Their natural camaraderie quickly turns into love, but their happiness is brief. A beautiful tale bound to enchant readers on this side of the Atlantic. --Kristine Huntley
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145 of 161 people found the following review helpful
By Nini
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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If you are an Amy Tan fan and/or you enjoyed 'The Bridges of Madison County' or 'Memoirs of a Geisha', then you will love this book! This is a love story between a boy named Tin Win and a girl named Mi Mi that lasts over 50 years and it's so beautiful, heartbreaking, touching and haunting. This book has the right mix of romance, magic, heartache and inspiration that will make it a favorite for many people. For years 'The Art of Hearing Heartbeats' has been a bestseller in Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Serbia, Israel, Croatia and Japan. Finally it has been translated in English and I'm so in love with this story that I've added it to my list of favorite books. I don't write book reports or spoilers in my reviews in order to avoid giving everything away, but what I will say is, don't hesitate to buy this book! This brilliant author, Jan-Philipp Sendker, has gifted us with a story that is so powerful and moving, it will touch your heart and you will want to share it with everybody. It is THAT good.
83 of 94 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The first third of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is enthralling. The remainder of the novel is problematic; it sustained my interest but not my enthusiasm.
After telling her that he was leaving for an appointment in Boston, Julia Win's father boarded a flight to Thailand and disappeared. The Times described him as "an influential Wall Street lawyer" but the police suspect he had a hidden past. Burmese by birth, Tin Win became an American citizen in 1959. Julia, a recent law school graduate, viewed her father as staid, reliable, out-of-date -- not the sort of person whose life is filled with mystery or who takes an unannounced trip to Thailand. Four years after his disappearance, Julia finds a letter he wrote to a woman named Mi Mi. Julia travels to Kalaw, determined to find Mi Mi, the only clue to her father's past. There she meets U Ba, who has been waiting to tell her the story Tin Win told him, a story from which "a life emerged, revealing its power and its magic."
Just as we're settling into Julia's quest, the story shifts to the one told by U Ba. It starts with Mya Mya, a young Burmese woman who regards the birth of Tin Win as a calamity. An astrologer's prediction that he will lose his sight is soon fulfilled. After his parents die, Tin is taken to a monastery. It is there that he first meets Mi Mi -- or, more precisely, that he first hears her heartbeat. Mi Mi was born with "crippled feet"; their disabilities draw Tin and Mi Mi together.
Hearts and heartbeats are frequent images in the novel. Jan-Philipp Sendker also makes good use of the imagery of balance: Mi Mi, for instance, is emotionally well balanced even though she is incapable of balancing on her misshapen feet. Tin balances his blindness with exceptional hearing. Mi Mi and Tin balance each other: when Tin carries Mi Mi on his back, her eyes provide their twinned vision, his feet set them in unitary motion. Julia, despite having all the advantages of a stable, upper class family and western education, finds that she needs to bring her life into balance: understanding her father becomes a necessary condition of understanding herself.
As related by U Ba, Tin Win's tale is a love story that too often shares the characteristics of a well written fairy-tale. There are times when the descriptions of Mi Mi's blossoming love are a little too obvious, too melodramatic, too much like Barry Manilow with punchier prose. Moreover, the description of their developing love creates a dull lull in the story arc. After Tin leaves Mi Mi to meet his uncle in Rangoon the novel regains some of its force, particularly after it circles back to Julia and her uncertainty about her father's love (understandable given his abandonment of her). At that point a different and more original love story emerges, one that addresses a child's love for a parent. U Ba sums it up: "Love has so many different faces that our imagination is not prepared to see them all."
As the novel winds down, we learn the rest of Tin's story. It comes to a predictable finish but (despite its greater length) it seems less important than Julia's. To the extent that Tin's story is about the purity of devotion shared by two separated lovers, I tend to agree with one of the characters who observes that love is a form of madness and hopes it isn't contagious. And as much as I would like to believe in the strength of heart displayed by Tin and (especially) Mi Mi, I found it incongruous that Tin couldn't give the same unconditional love to his daughter, and I was disappointed that Sendker didn't address that incongruity in greater depth.
It's difficult to introduce an element of mysticism in a book that isn't wholly a fantasy. The best writers (Haruki Murakami comes to mind) manage to convince the reader that the mystical is real. That Sendker doesn't quite pull it off is my largest reservation about The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. Its fine prose and entertaining moments nonetheless make the novel worth reading, and an unanticipated twist at the end pays a rewarding dividend.
After telling her that he was leaving for an appointment in Boston, Julia Win's father boarded a flight to Thailand and disappeared. The Times described him as "an influential Wall Street lawyer" but the police suspect he had a hidden past. Burmese by birth, Tin Win became an American citizen in 1959. Julia, a recent law school graduate, viewed her father as staid, reliable, out-of-date -- not the sort of person whose life is filled with mystery or who takes an unannounced trip to Thailand. Four years after his disappearance, Julia finds a letter he wrote to a woman named Mi Mi. Julia travels to Kalaw, determined to find Mi Mi, the only clue to her father's past. There she meets U Ba, who has been waiting to tell her the story Tin Win told him, a story from which "a life emerged, revealing its power and its magic."
Just as we're settling into Julia's quest, the story shifts to the one told by U Ba. It starts with Mya Mya, a young Burmese woman who regards the birth of Tin Win as a calamity. An astrologer's prediction that he will lose his sight is soon fulfilled. After his parents die, Tin is taken to a monastery. It is there that he first meets Mi Mi -- or, more precisely, that he first hears her heartbeat. Mi Mi was born with "crippled feet"; their disabilities draw Tin and Mi Mi together.
Hearts and heartbeats are frequent images in the novel. Jan-Philipp Sendker also makes good use of the imagery of balance: Mi Mi, for instance, is emotionally well balanced even though she is incapable of balancing on her misshapen feet. Tin balances his blindness with exceptional hearing. Mi Mi and Tin balance each other: when Tin carries Mi Mi on his back, her eyes provide their twinned vision, his feet set them in unitary motion. Julia, despite having all the advantages of a stable, upper class family and western education, finds that she needs to bring her life into balance: understanding her father becomes a necessary condition of understanding herself.
As related by U Ba, Tin Win's tale is a love story that too often shares the characteristics of a well written fairy-tale. There are times when the descriptions of Mi Mi's blossoming love are a little too obvious, too melodramatic, too much like Barry Manilow with punchier prose. Moreover, the description of their developing love creates a dull lull in the story arc. After Tin leaves Mi Mi to meet his uncle in Rangoon the novel regains some of its force, particularly after it circles back to Julia and her uncertainty about her father's love (understandable given his abandonment of her). At that point a different and more original love story emerges, one that addresses a child's love for a parent. U Ba sums it up: "Love has so many different faces that our imagination is not prepared to see them all."
As the novel winds down, we learn the rest of Tin's story. It comes to a predictable finish but (despite its greater length) it seems less important than Julia's. To the extent that Tin's story is about the purity of devotion shared by two separated lovers, I tend to agree with one of the characters who observes that love is a form of madness and hopes it isn't contagious. And as much as I would like to believe in the strength of heart displayed by Tin and (especially) Mi Mi, I found it incongruous that Tin couldn't give the same unconditional love to his daughter, and I was disappointed that Sendker didn't address that incongruity in greater depth.
It's difficult to introduce an element of mysticism in a book that isn't wholly a fantasy. The best writers (Haruki Murakami comes to mind) manage to convince the reader that the mystical is real. That Sendker doesn't quite pull it off is my largest reservation about The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. Its fine prose and entertaining moments nonetheless make the novel worth reading, and an unanticipated twist at the end pays a rewarding dividend.
78 of 92 people found the following review helpful
By Red Rover
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this book based upon another review that said --- "If you like Amy Tan..." (I do), and "If you like Bridges of Madison County..." (I did)... then you should read this book. Having now read the book, I would not go quite that far. This book is not as good as Amy Tan or even Bridges of Madison County. The writing is trite and repetitive. The phrase "children singing" occurs so often you begin to wish the children would just stop singing already. Great literature it is not. On the other hand, the central love story is compelling and would make a fine movie. Indeed, variations of this same love story - two young lovers separated through circumstances beyond their control are spared the messy business of navigating life side-by-side thus leaving their perfect love intact - have already made several dozen fine movies. I did want to keep reading just to see what would happen next and that has to be worth something. In this case: three stars.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoy for summer, very light reading
Better written than you might expect, since this is his first book in English. However, it is light. Enjoy it.
Published 1 hour ago by Jennifer T. Wolcott
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read!
The book is a good read. Because it's takes place in a foreign country, I find it slightly confusing to keep track of some of the characters because their names are so similar.
Published 7 hours ago by Chris
3.0 out of 5 stars
Meh
Read it for book club, we'll discuss tonight. It's ok, has a poetic quailty that is compelling, sort of like the English Patient, but not as strong a narrative.
Published 15 hours ago by Judith J.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A tender story of self discovery
This is a very enjoyable book, holding a story about a woman in search of her father and ultimately gains a new perspective of herself. Read more
Published 1 day ago by kueen
5.0 out of 5 stars
a great read!
Couldn't put it down! Delightful. Insightful, intriguing, inspiring, informative. Knowing very little about Burma, I found this to be eye-opening.
Published 3 days ago by Dar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Am in the midst of reading this beautifully written little book!!
Thus far, in reading this book, I am enjoying every page!! I would recommend it highly for book clubs, too!
Published 3 days ago by Lynn S
5.0 out of 5 stars
Emotional, uplifting, magical, a must read
I loved this book because it is one of the most beautiful stories ever told. Jan-Phillip Sendker is a wonderful writer. My life is richer having read it.
Published 3 days ago by Dee Silverstein
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very special read
Such a magical escape to a highly emotional level. A beautifully written novel that takes the reader to another time in a world that is past , but imaginatively recaptured for the... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Mrs L N Karp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read for 2013
beautiful writing and story. would highly recommend to anyone from 15 to 95. Lots of levels to think about and brood over.
Published 4 days ago by Suzanne M. Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars
a love story like none I have read before
Storytelling and interweaving of past and present in this book kept my rapt attention.
Such vivid characters and while I was reading with my eyes, I also found my other senses... Read more
Such vivid characters and while I was reading with my eyes, I also found my other senses... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Margaret A Richard
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