Title : A Well Tempered Heart (The Art of Hearing Heartbeats #2)
Author : Jan-Phillip Sendker
Publication date : January 21st 2014
by Other Press
Hello everyone, great to see you again! So, I have talked about this wonderful book, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and when I found out that it actually has a sequel, I was so excited for it, I just couldn't wait. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats was one of the best book I have ever read and I am confident enough it has changed my life because now I take the romance genre seriously.
A Well Tempered Heart takes place 10 years after the events on the first book. Julia Win, our main character was in the US minding her own business as usual. Her life seemed empty, she got engaged only for it to end. She lived alone, her family weren't close to her anymore, it was a bland life. Not to mention that her job was also starting to take its toll on her. Things got worse until she started hearing a voice. Of a woman. From the past.
In short, A Well Tempered Heart is a really different book compared to the first one. If you expect a love story, you'll be disappointed. Again, we were taken to Burma back in 1960 - 1970s, with its traditional (and charming) way of life. Here there's a story of Nu Nu, a mother of two, during the civil war era in Burma. Life was hard back then, the war only makes everything worse.
The place where it all begins. Love. Longing for love. The place we can never be rid of. Where hearts are too big or too little. Too greedy or too satisfied. Where we are defenseless and vulnerable like nowhere else. Because love knows no justice. Not even a mother's love. Or a father's.
I can't tell much more about the book. It is a complicated one, with plot intertwines one another. There's no way I can do to highlight one part, without spoiling the other. To sum it up, this is a darker story, a sad one, in fact and it's a perfect example how a war novel can show the horror and pull it off nicely. Reading this, I could see (and feel) the war's horrible way of crushing people's life. The child soldiers, especially. I just can't believe people in the past did this thing to their own countrymen, like there's nothing more productive to do.
As usual, a Sendker's work is always filled with pretty words. I love me some pretty words! It makes me feel like reading a long poem, when it's not a poem at all. This alone is enough to convince myself that I am oficially Sendker's new fan.
She would buy food at the market, balancing the big basket of rice and vegetables on her head all the way up to their hut with Ko Gyi wrapped firmly on her chest. In contrast to all other young mothers in the village, she did not like to carry him on her back. She wanted to see him. She wanted to smell his hair. She wanted their hearts to hear each other.
I have no idea if there's going to be a third book, because obviously the author is working on his new trilogies now. I surely hope there is, though since the ending seems to be giving some hints. Deep down I have this feeling like "so, that's all? Come on, I know you're hiding something!" but I was on the last page already. But the hint is too big, I just can't ignore it. Hopefully I would find out soon. Now, let me end it with this lovely quote:
To forgive, one must love and be loved. Only those who forgive can be free. Whoever forgives is a prisoner no more.
5 rating for A Well-Tempered Heart. I read this a while ago and it still haunts me, just like the first book did. Such a memorable series! If you are looking for something heart touching, you can't go wrong with this. So, what's the most memorable book you've read in 2016? What makes it so good?
