I loved Still Alice when I read it years ago. I was not nearly as enticed with Left Neglected, because I had a hard time relating to certain aspects of the main character. As a result, I hadn’t paid that much attention to Genova’s follow up novels, but when Caitlin_D described the premise of Every Note Played in her review I was intrigued to see how Genova would explain a woman caring for an ex-husband she still feels so much anger towards. Karina and Richard’s […]
“Every note played is a life and death.”
Lisa Genova is a brilliant writer who uses her real world neuroscience degree to educate and entertain (if you can call these stories entertaining) a mass audience about a variety of brain disorders. Her most famous novel, Still Alice, tackles Alzheimer’s and was turned into a movie but she has also written about Huntington’s, Autism and unilateral neglect. Her latest novel, Every Note Played, focuses on the cheery topic of ALS, or Lou Gherig’s disease and its March 20th release date feels eerily timely next to Stephen Hawking’s […]
Alice, still.
When Julianne Moore won her Oscar for portraying a woman diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, I was intrigued. I hadn’t heard of Still Alice when it was initially published. Then, this last spring, one of my students had read the book and film for her adaptation project. That cemented it: I had to read it and watch it. I still haven’t seen the movie yet, but it had a terrific basis upon which to build. Read my full review to find out why.
Less painful than I thought it’d be
My book club picked Still Alice and I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t excited to read it. My grandmother with dementia died not too long ago and reading a book about early onset Alzheimer’s disease sounded unbearably grim. It took me longer to get through than most books, but I’m glad I read it. While sad, it wasn’t nearly as depressing as I thought it’d be. I think what saved it from being maudlin was the way Genova set up the book. As readers, […]
Autism Speaks
Lisa Genova’s Love Anthony is different from Still Alice and Inside the O’Briens because the story starts at the end of a neurological illness not the beginning. Anthony was an autistic young boy who passed away two years prior to the events of the novel. His mother, Olivia, spent all of her energy on him and his needs; her life subsequently crumbles after his passing, she divorces her husband and moves to their Nantucket beach home. Beth is a middle-aged stay-at-home mom who discovers her […]
I bet Lisa Genova’s a lot of fun at parties
While Genova’s Still Alice stars Alzheimer’s disease, Inside the O’Briens gives the reader an intimate view of what Huntington’s Disease does to a body — and a family. It’s a sad book — while Huntington’s affects only a fraction of the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s, it’s still a wretched disease and one that’s not particularly well-known or understood. I’ve heard of it, but I also watch a lot of medical dramas. Huntington’s is also 1000% fatal, usually within about 10 years of diagnosis. “As they lurch […]