a well tempered heart by jan philipp sendker

Nu Nu asks, “Can a troubled spirit transform into a serene one? A sorrowful spirit into a joyful one?” What do you think this book says about the possibility of changing the direction of one’s life?ĩ. What role do signs play in the lives of Julia, Nu Nu & Thar Thar? How do these omens help them to make sense of the mystery and purpose of their lives?Ĩ. If The Art of Hearing Heartbeats was Julia’s quest to find out who her father was, what is it she’s setting out to uncover in this sequel A Well-Tempered Heart?ħ. Why do you think this is, and what does the book say about the mutability of relationships?Ħ. After Nu Nu has her first child, her feelings for her husband change. Nu Nu wonders whether people come into the world with an allotment of good fortune that they can enjoy during their lives, and whether they ought to be more sparing with their intimacy…or is everything that happens mere caprice and chance? How do you think this book answers those questions?ĥ. Why is it Nu Nu’s voice that enters Julia’s consciousness? How are their stories interwoven, and how does Nu Nu’s tale of love and loss both relate to and differ from Julia’s?Ĥ.

What role does Burma play in this novel? How does its landscape, history and ethos provide fertile ground to tease out both Julia and Nu Nu’s journeys?ģ. How do Julia’s answers to these questions develop throughout the story? What do these answers signal to us about her evolution as a character?Ģ. In the beginning of the novel, the voice in Julia’s head asks her, “Why do you live alone? To whom do you feel close? What do you want in life?”.

A well tempered heart by jan philipp sendker