The Art of Hearing Heartbeats: A Novel

The first book in the Art of Hearing Heartbeats series, this is a passionate love story, a haunting fable, and an enchanting mystery set in Burma.

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.

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Published Jan 31, 2012

352 pages

Average rating: 7.6

147 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Atlas’s Mom
Mar 07, 2026
I love this story line. It was well written and flowed beautifully. I clearly saw the characters in my mind’s eye.
ShawnaMarie
Jan 28, 2026
10/10 stars
Such a sweet and sad book.
Margie Pettersen
Oct 27, 2025
8/10 stars
Julia Win travels to Burma to find clues from her father's past. Once in Burma she meets a man who tells her tales of a young blind boy and a girl, Mi Mi, born with a deformity.

Spoiler alert: Some parts were implausible. Why didn't the man return to the village? But of course, this is a plot contrivance which adds poignancy to the story. The blind boy and the girl fall in love and continue to write to each other for two years without getting responses. I think the author could have made the story more believable. The couple dying in each other's arms- really?
Harrietaspy
May 04, 2025
4/10 stars
Loved this book so much but then became more and more annoyed with the way the author filled in the back story un realistically and then left so many questions (or alternately trite answers to questions).
Cobbie
Apr 19, 2025
10/10 stars
An absolutely captivating love story.

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