Review of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

Title: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Author: Jan-Philipp Sendker
Published by: Other Press
Pages: 325
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Format: ARC
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: 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.

Do you ever read a story that makes you believe in the power of love?  I'm not talking about love at first sight, or tortuous and tormented love, but the love that transcends time and requires sacrifice.  The love that doesn't breed doubt, but instead builds a person up.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats makes me long for a love like that.  The story of Tin Win and Mi Mi is powerful and heartbreaking.  These two characters have a strength and tranquility that can only arise from sacrifice.  Throughout the novel the author reveals who each of these characters truly are through bits and pieces of their past. Their devotion and complete trust in one another is miraculous, even when separated and alone they still believed in their love. 

Tin Win and Mi Mi's story is told to Julia by a local Burmese villager as she searches for answers about her father.  I enjoyed this exchanged between past and present as Julia discovers who her father was and his devastating past.  The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is a work of literary art.  The writing was gorgeous in a way that is soft and gentle and almost cradles your mind as you read it.  It slowly evokes emotions and unravels your prejudices as you become part of this tale. 

If you are looking for a beautiful tale with elegant writing, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is the novel for you.   

Audio Review of The Doula by Bridget Boland

Title: The Doula
Author: Bridget Boland
Narrator: Madeleine Maby
Published by: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: 10hrs 35min
Source: Publisher
Format: Audio
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Raised in a funeral home, Caroline Connors saw her mother miscarry when she was just a young girl and realized that she had a calling. Unlike her family, who guide souls on their way out, Caro chose to bring them in. As a doula, Caro spent years providing comfort and emotional support to women in labor, but when her best friend, Mary Grace, experiences complications, she makes a quick decision, taking the baby’s life into her hands as her lifelong friend passes away. Now, charged with medical malpractice by Mary Grace’s husband, Caro must endure a trial that threatens her professional future, questions her identity as a doula and friend, and forces her to confront a dark past that she’s been hiding from for years.

Raw, soul-seeking and poignant; The Doula will stay with you long after you've set it down.

Caroline's life was finally getting back on track after years of bumps and obstacles when Mary Grace asks her to move to Milwaukee to help with the birth of her child. Caro packs everything and starts her new life over.  While I has some trouble with certain decisions Caro made, I still think she was a very realistic character.  She doesn't live a charmed life and, in fact, had a pretty dramatic and scaring childhood that has affected many of her life choices.  This definitely shaped her life and maybe the flaws make her more beautiful and real. 

I love that the setting takes place in my city.  It made me feel more connected to the story and helped me visualize everything in more detail.  The story itself was filled with hope and pain.  Child birth is a very personal experience and many people have passionate feelings about how they want their children brought into this world.  I loved that Bridget Boland explored them all, from the formal hospital, to a birthing center, to a spiritual/commune-type location.  It was so interesting learning how each doctor/midwife had their own style and feel to them.  It opened my eyes to all the different options pregnant women have depending on their styles and comforts. 

As for the lawsuit against Caro, it brings up emotions and past circumstances that many people don't want to face.  Mary Grace's husband was completely ridiculous.  I didn't like him from the first time he was introduced in the story all the way through the end.  I thought he was a jerk and that Mary Grace deserved someone better than him.  The one thing that bothered me with the trial is that all the blame was all pushed on Mary Grace.  Especially after events that happen later in the story I think the hospital should have been investigated in greater detail in accordance to Mary Grace's death and her daughter's birthing complications.  I thought something was definately suspect with the hospital and yet it seemed nothing fell on the doctors or nurses. 

While listening to the audio I immediately recognized the narrator's voice.  I had just finished another book that she narrates where she is a teenager, so it took me a couple of chapters to fit her voice into this new role.  But after that was figured out, the narration was wonderful.  I felt she really captured who Caro was and her struggling emotions through the entire ordeal. 

The Doula is a novel that unexpectedly touched me and I think it will be one that I re-read often in future years. 

Friday Night Date Night

Friday Night Date Night is a feature on my blog that showcases movie reviews (mostly movies that were adapted from books). Hopefully some of these reviews will help you decide what to watch on your date night or a night of relaxing at home.

 

When I first joined a book club I was hoping to find some great books that I wouldn't normally pick up and read myself.  To my surprise, this happens quite often and I found a couple of books that soon became my favorites.  One of those books was Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  From the first page to the last I devoured this novel.  It is wonderfully written and the plot takes something that is often written about and gives it a new and completely unique twist. 

I really wasn't sure what to expect from the movie so I didn't go into it with any preconceived notions.  I did enjoy the movie, but it didn't give me that warm and happy feeling the book did.  It crammed a lot of emotion and events into a small time and I don't think that quite worked for me in the movie.

I, however, loved how they did the flash backs between current time and the past.  It was so interesting to see the story unfold in both eras and how they eventually connected.  The acting was good, but Sarah was not quite how I pictured her.  You could definitely feel her conflict and her guilt, but her younger self wasn't as docile as I imaged her to be.  The one thing I wasn't expecting was that since most of the story takes place in France you have to read a good part of the dialogue, unless of course you can understand French.  I don't mind reading subtitles but I feel like I miss more of the story because if I look away for something then I miss what's being said. 

I did enjoy this movie, but the book is one hundred times better