The Art Of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

The Art Of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan – Philipp Sendker – 336 pages

Book Blurb:

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.

My Review: 4.5 stars

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A fairy tale and love story that takes place in Burmese countryside. This book explores the susceptibility of our senses, the meaning of beauty and the strength of unconditional love. This is a translated novel and it was impressively well done! With one character blind and the other crippled, the two mesh with one using the other’s eyes to guide them and one using the other’s legs to get around. Just a beautifully written novel.

Quotes I liked:

I have often wondered what was the source of her beauty, her radiance. It’s not the size of one’s nose, the color of one’s skin, the shape of one’s lips or eyes that make one beautiful or ugly. So what is it? Can you, as a woman, tell me? ”
I shook my head.
“I will tell you: It’s love. Love makes us beautiful. Do you know a single person who loves and is loved, who is loved unconditionally and who, at the same time, is ugly? There’s no need to ponder the question. There is no such person.”