a well tempered heart by jan philipp sendker

So at first I was surprised to learn about the encounter of Julia with the monk at the meditation center in New York. A typical real Burmese Buddhist monk does not touch women. While a lot of situations narrated in this story might be true, it was disturbing and troubling to question the author’s research on the proper practices of a Burmese Buddhist monks. I admire the research the author has done, and also his writing. I am a native Burmese and I’m sorry to say this book has disappointed me. This spirited sequel, like The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, explores the most inspiring and passionate terrain: the human heart. 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. Why do you live alone? To whom do you feel close? What do you want in life? Not only does the female voice refuse to disappear, but it starts to ask questions Julia has been trying to avoid. In the following days, her crisis only deepens. 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. 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.

The sequel to the international best-selling novel The Art of Hearing HeartbeatsĪlmost ten years have passed since Julia Win came back from Burma, her father’s native country.

A well tempered heart by jan philipp sendker