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himpersonal 's review for:
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats: A Novel
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"Love has so many different faces that our imagination is not prepared to see them all."
That was my favorite line of the book. Such a beautiful sentiment.
Some of you have heard me say that I really dislike a story within a story, especially where the inner story is being told be someone from the outer story. I find the flow is often disrupted by an outer character, who is listening to the inner story, suddenly interjecting with questions or bodily needs (hunger, sleep, etc.), and I find it jarring. I also dislike it because it feels like the writer is wanting to remind us those characters are still part of the book without actually giving them much to do.
In this case, it was highly effective because none of those things happened. When Julia needed rest, it was written as part of the story rather than an intermission. When she had questions about her father, her father's narrator answered her questions by weaving in more of her father's story.
Beautifully written. I might've titled it the Art of Hearing Heartbreak, because there's a lot of that in there too. But when you realize why it's named the way it is, it also feels so right.
Looking forward to the sequel.
That was my favorite line of the book. Such a beautiful sentiment.
Some of you have heard me say that I really dislike a story within a story, especially where the inner story is being told be someone from the outer story. I find the flow is often disrupted by an outer character, who is listening to the inner story, suddenly interjecting with questions or bodily needs (hunger, sleep, etc.), and I find it jarring. I also dislike it because it feels like the writer is wanting to remind us those characters are still part of the book without actually giving them much to do.
In this case, it was highly effective because none of those things happened. When Julia needed rest, it was written as part of the story rather than an intermission. When she had questions about her father, her father's narrator answered her questions by weaving in more of her father's story.
Beautifully written. I might've titled it the Art of Hearing Heartbreak, because there's a lot of that in there too. But when you realize why it's named the way it is, it also feels so right.
Looking forward to the sequel.