A Well-Tempered Heart
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
Synopsis
The sequel to the international best-selling novel The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.
Almost ten years have passed since Julia Win came back from Burma, her father’s native country. Though she is a successful Manhattan lawyer, her private life is at a crossroads; her boyfriend has recently left her and she is, despite her wealth, unhappy with her professional life. Julia is lost and exhausted.
One day, in the middle of an important business meeting, she hears a stranger’s voice in her head that causes her to leave the office without explanation. In the following days, her crisis only deepens. Not only does the female voice refuse to disappear, but it starts to ask questions Julia has been trying to avoid. Why do you live alone? To whom do you feel close? What do you want in life?
Interwoven with Julia’s story is that of a Burmese woman named Nu Nu who finds her world turned upside down when Burma goes to war and calls on her two young sons to be child soldiers. This spirited sequel, like The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, explores the most inspiring and passionate terrain: the human heart.
Review
I absolutely adored Sendker's novel The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and I was so excited to pick up this sequel to that epic and moving story. Sedker's gift as an author was still vibrantly apparent in this follow up novel but the storyline left a little to be desired - mostly with the ending. The story did move quickly with inspiring and lovable characters that had a lot of depth. While I loved the visuals this book presented, it seemed like the author had a great idea for the story, which was beautiful, but felt compelled to frame it within the first novel's storyline. This made the book feel fragmented and unfinished at times. The author no doubt left off with the expectations of a forthcoming third book in this (presumable) series. I don't want to get to "down" on this book though because really it was a quick and beautiful read from an extremely gifted author. It's worth checking out.
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