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katykelly's review
4.0
Firstly, my apologies if I spell any names incorrectly - I listened to the audiobook, so have no idea how the character names are written and am going on other reviews.
This was a pleasant audio read, not too complicated a story to follow, with straightforward enough narration to know who was speaking. The story, of a father deserting his family and his adult daughter following in his footsteps and discovering his secrets, intriguing enough. What made it stand out a little was the fact that the father, Tin Win, comes from Burma, and so Burmese culture and settings were made central to the story. It was quite vivid, though hard to keep up with some similar sounding names (possibly easier in print). A friend of Tin Win tells his daughter Julia about her father's life from his earliest days of being seen as a curse, to his boyhood when he goes blind, to his maturity into an adult and the ability mentioned in the title.
It's a love story about children and parents as well as men and women. I found some aspects of the love story a little unrealistic and a bit much, but it was still beautifully written and moving. The ending especially so.
I felt I learned about Burmese culture through Sendker's book and thought the translation was very good - some beautiful language in there.
This was a pleasant audio read, not too complicated a story to follow, with straightforward enough narration to know who was speaking. The story, of a father deserting his family and his adult daughter following in his footsteps and discovering his secrets, intriguing enough. What made it stand out a little was the fact that the father, Tin Win, comes from Burma, and so Burmese culture and settings were made central to the story. It was quite vivid, though hard to keep up with some similar sounding names (possibly easier in print). A friend of Tin Win tells his daughter Julia about her father's life from his earliest days of being seen as a curse, to his boyhood when he goes blind, to his maturity into an adult and the ability mentioned in the title.
It's a love story about children and parents as well as men and women. I found some aspects of the love story a little unrealistic and a bit much, but it was still beautifully written and moving. The ending especially so.
I felt I learned about Burmese culture through Sendker's book and thought the translation was very good - some beautiful language in there.
katlizlove's review
4.0
I really loved the book, the cadence of the writing, the beautiful imagery. The last chapter of the book was my least favorite part unfortunately.
pam2375's review
2.0
This one just left me feeling a bit flat. I simply did not care about the characters. I think that this was my issue not the book. I will tell you that I did enjoy the writing. It (the writing) reminded me of song lyrics.
jwave08's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I loved to love this book. It was a beautiful love story, simply gorgeous. I found myself getting emotional from time to time, and my heart feeling so full at various parts of this story. I really wanted to stay with Mi Mi and Tin Win; and listen to U Ba a bit more.
Distracted by the "present" piece with Julie. The "main character" is really not main, or a character. And that is distracting. BUT only when the author rarely goes back to her in the present.
“Only a few days earlier he had explained to her that he did not merely read books but traveled with them, that they took him to other countries and unfamiliar continents, and that with their help he was always getting to know new people, many of whom even became his friends.”
#100YearsOfBooks
Distracted by the "present" piece with Julie. The "main character" is really not main, or a character. And that is distracting. BUT only when the author rarely goes back to her in the present.
“Only a few days earlier he had explained to her that he did not merely read books but traveled with them, that they took him to other countries and unfamiliar continents, and that with their help he was always getting to know new people, many of whom even became his friends.”
#100YearsOfBooks
book_concierge's review
3.0
A prominent Wall-street lawyer disappears shortly after his youngest daughter graduates from law school. Ostensibly headed for a business appointment in Boston, he leaves his New York City apartment never to be heard from again. Four years later his daughter, Julia, discovers a few personal papers, including a faded letter addressed to a woman in a small village in Burma, her father’s birthplace. First puzzled and then infuriated by her mother’s seeming indifference, Julia leaves her job, puts her life on hold, and heads to Burma to find her father. What she finds is a story of a love that endured decades of separation.
I really wanted to love this book, and feel so disappointed, although I did like it. The central love story is tender, touching and endearing. The story of Tin Win and Mi Mi and how they find one another and overcome each other’s handicaps to be fully realized individuals is just so life-affirming and uplifting.
However, it’s nested within a story of a daughter’s search for her father, and it becomes obvious that she knew little or nothing about him. Her mother is barely mentioned and comes off as an unfeeling shrew. We learn little about Julia, herself, other than that she is determined to find her father and learn his story. I never felt any connection to Julia. Although I did understand her perplexed response to Burmese culture; it was the antithesis of the hard-driving, career-minded, success-seeking American way of life she knew.
I wondered whether part of the issue might be the translation, but I doubt that’s it. I had the opportunity to meet the author during his very limited book tour. He commented that when he read the translation he was surprised at some of the passages – they seemed so much better than what he remembered writing in his native German. More likely, the disconnect has to do with a difference in style. Whatever the reason, for me the book just fell short of expectations. I liked it, I didn’t love it.
I really wanted to love this book, and feel so disappointed, although I did like it. The central love story is tender, touching and endearing. The story of Tin Win and Mi Mi and how they find one another and overcome each other’s handicaps to be fully realized individuals is just so life-affirming and uplifting.
However, it’s nested within a story of a daughter’s search for her father, and it becomes obvious that she knew little or nothing about him. Her mother is barely mentioned and comes off as an unfeeling shrew. We learn little about Julia, herself, other than that she is determined to find her father and learn his story. I never felt any connection to Julia. Although I did understand her perplexed response to Burmese culture; it was the antithesis of the hard-driving, career-minded, success-seeking American way of life she knew.
I wondered whether part of the issue might be the translation, but I doubt that’s it. I had the opportunity to meet the author during his very limited book tour. He commented that when he read the translation he was surprised at some of the passages – they seemed so much better than what he remembered writing in his native German. More likely, the disconnect has to do with a difference in style. Whatever the reason, for me the book just fell short of expectations. I liked it, I didn’t love it.
jesslolsen's review
5.0
I have just finished reading The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and trying to figure out how I can possibly do my feelings on this book justice by translating them to words. I can only describe it like a soft warm jumper on a cold day - I want to wrap myself in it and stay snuggled up a little bit longer…
There is a quote in the book “Only a few days earlier he had explained to her that he did not merely read books but traveled with them, that they took him to other countries and unfamiliar continents, and that with their help he was always getting to know new people, many of whom even became his friends.” and this perfectly sums up my reading experience - Sendker's writing is so clear yet whimsical that I feel like I had travelled to Burma myself and was sitting with U Ba listening to him tell me the story firsthand.
Modern settings don't quite portray love quite like those from older cultures. I loved the old Burmese fables and lore that were woven through the story, and how it contrasted with the harsh urban lifestyle of New York. There are quite a few of the pearls of wisdom on love and life I have written down and kept for future reference.
Two of my all time favourite love stories are Love in the time of Cholera, and The Notebook, and I now will be adding this one to the list.
There is a quote in the book “Only a few days earlier he had explained to her that he did not merely read books but traveled with them, that they took him to other countries and unfamiliar continents, and that with their help he was always getting to know new people, many of whom even became his friends.” and this perfectly sums up my reading experience - Sendker's writing is so clear yet whimsical that I feel like I had travelled to Burma myself and was sitting with U Ba listening to him tell me the story firsthand.
Modern settings don't quite portray love quite like those from older cultures. I loved the old Burmese fables and lore that were woven through the story, and how it contrasted with the harsh urban lifestyle of New York. There are quite a few of the pearls of wisdom on love and life I have written down and kept for future reference.
Two of my all time favourite love stories are Love in the time of Cholera, and The Notebook, and I now will be adding this one to the list.
tmathews0330's review
4.0
For those who loved Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner, this would be an excellent next choice. Poignant and unsuspecting, it calls into question what love is...and leaves the reader to decide the answer.