Review: Still Alice by Lisa Genova
# Of book read so far this year:10
Title: Still Alice
Author: Lisa Genova
Narrator: N/A
Year Published: 2009
Rating (1-10): 10
Date Finished: 03/07/09
Genre: Literary Fiction
# Of pages: 320
Where did the book come from: Tammy
Blurb: Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University. Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind... Reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind, Ordinary People and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Still Alice packs a powerful emotional punch and marks the arrival of a strong new voice in fiction.
My Comments: This book is one that I found both was strongly compelling and strongly painful. It is not so painful that one shouldn't read it -- no, quite the opposite. I think everyone should read this one. It is powerful and poignant.,; one of the best books I've read in awhile. It is intelligently written, but full of human emotion and foibles. I have a hard time writing about this one because the power of the message, and the exquisite writing. It feels as though it is a non-fiction book, but it is not -- this is fiction. It feels real and feels like it is happening right now, as you read. There is so much I'd like to say, but I don't want to ruin one bit of the enjoyment for someone else. It is a wonderful unfolding, and the ending is actually quite nice and sweet. I mention that because I nearly didn’t read this book because I thought the ending could only be horrible and I just didn’t want to go through with it.
Buy or borrow this book. Read it. Learn from it, and then pass it on.
Title: Still Alice
Author: Lisa Genova
Narrator: N/A
Year Published: 2009
Rating (1-10): 10
Date Finished: 03/07/09
Genre: Literary Fiction
# Of pages: 320
Where did the book come from: Tammy
Blurb: Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University. Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind... Reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind, Ordinary People and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Still Alice packs a powerful emotional punch and marks the arrival of a strong new voice in fiction.
My Comments: This book is one that I found both was strongly compelling and strongly painful. It is not so painful that one shouldn't read it -- no, quite the opposite. I think everyone should read this one. It is powerful and poignant.,; one of the best books I've read in awhile. It is intelligently written, but full of human emotion and foibles. I have a hard time writing about this one because the power of the message, and the exquisite writing. It feels as though it is a non-fiction book, but it is not -- this is fiction. It feels real and feels like it is happening right now, as you read. There is so much I'd like to say, but I don't want to ruin one bit of the enjoyment for someone else. It is a wonderful unfolding, and the ending is actually quite nice and sweet. I mention that because I nearly didn’t read this book because I thought the ending could only be horrible and I just didn’t want to go through with it.
Buy or borrow this book. Read it. Learn from it, and then pass it on.