A Well-Tempered Heart is a sequel to the beautiful book The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by the German author Jan-Philipp Sendker. These two books, which take place in Burma, came into my life exactly when I needed them. I am sure most readers who read the books would feel the same.
This book tells the story of Julia, who faced an unusual situation while her fast and financially healthy life in New York was in full swing. More precisely, this tells the story of both Julia and Thar Thar, who will take Julia from her life in New York and drag her to Burma.
As in the first book, I found a lot about myself in this book. I can also say that it helped me to question my life a lot and focus on how I really feel. We can’t say that for every novel, can we? Give these books a try; you may like them a lot. Enjoy!
A Well-Tempered Heart
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 recently left her, she has suffered a miscarriage, 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.
Jan-Philipp Sendker
Jan-Philipp Sendker was born in Hamburg in 1960. At the age of 13 he wrote in a school essay about what he would like to do as a grown up: Write novels. He finished school but never went to university. Instead he started writing novels. Despite brilliant ideas and promising first chapters, he never wrote more than twenty pages. He moved to Paris for inspiration, studied the language and the parisian life-style – both with very limited success.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
