Helpful Score: 25
I read this book without any real prior information about Alzheimer's. I do not know anyone with this illness and I have never personally experienced any of the symptoms. I saw the book in the library and thought it might be interesting. Lisa Genova did an excellent job creating the main character and depicting her life from her vantage point with Alzheimer's. Even if the reader has no interest in Alzheimer's it is still an excellent read as relationships are strained as they sometimes conflict on what steps should be taken for the main character, Alice.
****Some of the reviews on this site from previous posters do give away the ending. Be very careful reading them if you would rather have the suspense. I did not read a review prior to reading the book as I normally would and it made it that more intriguing for me not knowing what would happen with the character.****
****Some of the reviews on this site from previous posters do give away the ending. Be very careful reading them if you would rather have the suspense. I did not read a review prior to reading the book as I normally would and it made it that more intriguing for me not knowing what would happen with the character.****
Helpful Score: 11
Still Alice tells the story of a 50-ish Harvard professor's struggles with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The reader witnesses her decline: from more frequent moments of forgetfulness to bad days with still some good days and finally the late stages, in which Alice rarely recognizes the people in her life. Although Still Alice is a very sad story in many ways, Genova tells it with humor, compassion, and warmth.
Still Alice is a quick and very engrossing read. It personalizes the sad decline an Alzheimer's patient endures, and at the same time reminds us of how precious our thoughts and memories are.
Still Alice is a quick and very engrossing read. It personalizes the sad decline an Alzheimer's patient endures, and at the same time reminds us of how precious our thoughts and memories are.
Helpful Score: 8
I just finished Still Alice and find myself heart sick over it. I'm not sure I'm sorry or glad over her ability to follow the instructions in the Butterfly file. While she seemed to slip into a lovely little second childhood, and her own children rallied... it seemed her husband's only reaction was to run away in horror. Which I imagine isn't an unusual reaction. Yet I know that had Alice known this was all going to take place so quickly, she would have acted sooner to act out her own plan. It makes me want to take the tests to see if forgetting my keys, what I had for breakfast, or even the new hire's name immediately after introduction, is something more than just stress, lack of time and actually not giving a d*mn. Is it always sweet and someone else takes care of the details or do you find yourself in an ally not even knowing your own name? That is the true horror story. I'd recommend it to anyone and then avoid their worried glance after finishing.
Helpful Score: 6
Still Alice
5 out of 5
One of my favorite books this year. I highly recommend this touching story of Dr. Alice Howland and her very personal journey into Alzheimers.
When Dr. Howland, a decorated Harvard professor starts having slight memory lapses she chalks it up to menopause, what else could it be, with her schedule she doesnt have time for much more, that is until the lapses are more frequent and more terrifying.
With her husband a Harvard Research Scientist they explore the possibilities and medical trials with each wanting to take a different approach. What ensures are a couple of heartbreaking discoveries, laughter and the healing of old wounds. But what is lost is what makes this book so remarkable Alice takes you on her own personal journey though this disease and you see it from the inside, from the person and not just the textbook. When she makes the comment of -- how can you remember what you have lost when you cant remember what had you had-- just brought the whole thing home for me. What if you cant remember the person you once were and the people that had meant so much to you?
Near the end of the book Alice gives a speech to the Dementia Care Conference that is just heartbreaking. For that one moment in time, she is once again the Alice Howland that her friends and colleagues know, love and respected. For that one moment in time she is Still Alice.
I cant recommend this book highly enough.
5 out of 5
One of my favorite books this year. I highly recommend this touching story of Dr. Alice Howland and her very personal journey into Alzheimers.
When Dr. Howland, a decorated Harvard professor starts having slight memory lapses she chalks it up to menopause, what else could it be, with her schedule she doesnt have time for much more, that is until the lapses are more frequent and more terrifying.
With her husband a Harvard Research Scientist they explore the possibilities and medical trials with each wanting to take a different approach. What ensures are a couple of heartbreaking discoveries, laughter and the healing of old wounds. But what is lost is what makes this book so remarkable Alice takes you on her own personal journey though this disease and you see it from the inside, from the person and not just the textbook. When she makes the comment of -- how can you remember what you have lost when you cant remember what had you had-- just brought the whole thing home for me. What if you cant remember the person you once were and the people that had meant so much to you?
Near the end of the book Alice gives a speech to the Dementia Care Conference that is just heartbreaking. For that one moment in time, she is once again the Alice Howland that her friends and colleagues know, love and respected. For that one moment in time she is Still Alice.
I cant recommend this book highly enough.
Helpful Score: 5
I thought this was a very insightful book on Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. It chronicled the progression of the disease and personal conflict for both the individual and the ones that love them. I especially enjoyed the thorough description of the diagnosis process, the effects that cause Alzheimer's Disease and treatment. I read a few reviews before starting the books and was concerned as they said it was too clinical and thought it might be boring but for those that aren't familiar with the disease personally this gave a good understanding within a compassionate story.
Helpful Score: 4
Deeply sad, accurate account of living with Alzheimer's. People need to be educated on this disease - it does not make the person living with it less of a person. Heartbreaking and deeply moving! I would highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 4
Heartbreaking and vivid story of Harvard professor learning she has early onset Alzheimer's Disease, and the devastating changes to her life and her husband & chidrens' lives as the disease takes over her mind. The story is so well written, and gives the reader a personal understanding of what an Alzheimer's victim loses and struggles to deal with. Excellent book. I lost sleep over this tragic story.
Helpful Score: 3
I loved every thing about this book but the ending. It left me hanging with what happened to Alice after she totally lost her memory. If you want to know how early onset Alzheimer's progress you really need to read this book. The characters are very well developed and very beleivable. Alice, a Harvard professor notices she is starting to forget thing and attributes it to menopause. After visiting her GP, she goes to a neuroligist to find out she has early onset Alzheimer's at the age of 50. The fast pace progression of the disease and her family and friends reactions are well documented. This is a great book!
Helpful Score: 3
This is the story of Alice, who forgets things sometimes, like names and appointments. She is a brilliant professor whose specialty is, ironically, language and linguistics. She is given the devastating diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's disease. You follow her life and relationships month by month, watching the continuing decline. It is brilliantly written - the author is able to subtly and slyly cause the reader to feel the loss and the frustration that Alice is experiencing. A completely different look at how it might feel to actually have this disease yourself. Excellent - everyone who knows an Alzheimer's victim should read this book...you will relate to them on a new level. D.
Helpful Score: 3
There are very few books that have an everlasting effect on me. I usually remember them all, but every now and then I read one that stays with me afterwards for a very long time. This is one of them. Still Alice a beautifully written book about one woman's battle with early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Alice is able to pull you into her world and makes you see what she does and makes you feel what she feels. I don't know how anyone could read this and not feel apart of Alice herself. I won't lie, but it is a pretty scary feeling. When she panicked I could feel it. It is such a heart wrenching story that I don't recommend reading it unless you are in the right frame of mind.
Helpful Score: 3
This book will make you think and touches on a subject not often found in literary fiction. It's a great read and I felt completely connected to the character. I highly recommend reading this book. You won't be disappointed!
Helpful Score: 2
This is a touching and sometimes haunting account of what it is to decline into Alzheimer's disease. I was moved by the struggles of the main character and her family.
Helpful Score: 2
The story of a highly intelligent lecturer in linguistics who rapidly descends into confusion as a result of Early Onset Alzheimers disease is beautifully written and constructed. I was deeply moved by the portrayal of Alice and her family as they learn to cope with their new situation. The tale is harrowing, but full of love too. I cried buckets.
Helpful Score: 2
Most of the Alzheimer's books are from the caregiver's or family's perspective. Still Alice is from the per with Alzheimer's. It is a must read for anyone who has a loved one with AZ.
Helpful Score: 2
I have never written a review here before but felt compelled after reading this book. My mother is 77 years old and has had Alzheimer's for about 3 years. While she did not have early-onset like the main character, Alice, I felt like I was reading about my mother's life in this book. Many of the things that happened to Alice also happened to my mother and our family. It was very true to life and is heartbreaking and terrifying to read about Alice's continued decline throughout the book. I did learn a lot, however, and will pass this book along to my brothers. I was a bit afraid to read this book because of my situation, but I'm glad I did. Everyone should read this to gain a better understanding of this terrible disease and those who suffer from it.
Helpful Score: 1
An informative novel that also was a celebration of an accomplished woman's life and the price we pay sometimes for the accomplishments in our life. I was struck by the feminist outlook, the true to life beginnings of the disease, the family interactions and the main characters determination.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book and very well written!!! Lisa Genova was certainly able to convey the steps that Alice's life took all along her journey. It is a very moving story and one that I felt compelled to read. I will definitely want to read other books by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book and one that everyone should read!!!
Helpful Score: 1
My dog and I are a therapy dog team at an assisted living facility, so I thought this would be good to read. It WAS! It is not a deep, poetic novel - more informative. But, I sympathized so much with Alice and her journey away from remembering. It helps me look at the Alzheimers residents that we visit as the people they probably once were - somehow lost inside, but "Still Alice." Fast read, hard to put down.
Helpful Score: 1
I had never heard of this book until it was required reading for my high school daughter in her health occupations class. Wanting to keep up and help her if need be, I was thankful it was available here on PBS. This book is amazing!
The book is about Alice, who is in her late 40's when we meet her. She is a psychology professor Harvard, has written many publications, is well respected, married to her husband who is also a Harvard professor, and is a mom to three grown children. Early on she realizes she can't remember some simple things she should definitely know. Then one day while jogging, she forgets how to get home. While she attributes it to possible menopause and/or stress, she decides to pay her doctor a visit. This visit spawns a trip to a neurologists where she gets the most dreaded news. She has early onset Alzheimers.
The resulting story is insightful, heartwarming, amazing. I used to work in the medical field and am astounded at how well this disease is translated into laymans terms. This is not just an Alzeheimers book, it's a beautiful story of a family, of heartbreak, and beauty. One to be remembered long after reading it.
The book is about Alice, who is in her late 40's when we meet her. She is a psychology professor Harvard, has written many publications, is well respected, married to her husband who is also a Harvard professor, and is a mom to three grown children. Early on she realizes she can't remember some simple things she should definitely know. Then one day while jogging, she forgets how to get home. While she attributes it to possible menopause and/or stress, she decides to pay her doctor a visit. This visit spawns a trip to a neurologists where she gets the most dreaded news. She has early onset Alzheimers.
The resulting story is insightful, heartwarming, amazing. I used to work in the medical field and am astounded at how well this disease is translated into laymans terms. This is not just an Alzeheimers book, it's a beautiful story of a family, of heartbreak, and beauty. One to be remembered long after reading it.
Helpful Score: 1
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. My mother developed early-onset Alzheimer's at age 48, and Alice loses her abilities much as my mother did. I enjoyed reading from Alice's point of view. I do wish John's feelings could've been explored a bit more in depth.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book. I worked with Alzheimer's patients, and loved the point of view, the family dynamics. Very well done.
Helpful Score: 1
This was an amazing book! I was most impressed by how the author took you inside the head of an Alzheimers victim and helped you understand the the progression of the disease. The other thing I found interesting was the different reactions of each of the family members. The book is so realistic that it reads more like a memoir than fiction. I loaned it to a friend who is a doctor and he had high praise for it as well. Extremely well researched and readable.
This was an amazing book. Brought me to tears on more than one occasion, especially the speech she gave at the Dementia Care Conference. My grandmother had Alzheimer's and seeing it from that POV is startling, heartbreaking, and more than a little scary.
Helpful Score: 1
Haunting, thought provoking, scary to think it could happen to you. Insightful. This is a must read book. A wonderful real life look at someone with the start of EOAD. Wow!
Helpful Score: 1
This one is a tough one to get through without a box of tissues next to you, but it is certainly worth reading. The author provides an amazing, in-depth portrait of a woman diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimers disease. She understands the progression of the disease and is able to communicate it very effectively. Don't miss this book.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a wonderful book. While it tells a sad story, it does so with great honesty and clarity, so that I could sympathize with her and all that she was losing, without getting caught up in too much emotion. It really described her journey in a way that made it so understandable.
Helpful Score: 1
I thought it was a great book, written very sensitively and did not paint family members, who maybe couldn't cope as well as others, in a negative light. I personally did not care for the ending though, although I understand why it ended the way it did.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book for anyone who has aging parents. It was sad and heartbreaking but also very informative about how alzheimers impacts loved one's.
This was a hard book for me to read, as I have a mother with dementia. However, I was really impressed with the accuracy of the author's research. Many of the events were exactly what I have experienced with my mom. What an emotional roller coaster! That, in itself, was a testament to the author's skill. There were times I wanted to applaud Alice and I so identified with her frustration and her family's pain. As I said, a hard book to read but should be a real eye opener to anyone not familiar with dementia and Altzheimer's.
Helpful Score: 1
Through the life of a fictional character, this book presents an accurate informational source for anyone seeking insights into Alzeheimer's Disease. The author is a Ph.D. neuroscientist who has researched the topic carefully and makes the main characters believeable and symathetic. It will tug at your heart.
Helpful Score: 1
If you want a personal view into the life of someone with Alzheimer's Disease, Lisa Genova provides that in an intimate and often times painful story of Alice, a Harvard Psychology Professor who is diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer's at the age of 50.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone, because at some point in our lives, we will all know someone with Alzheimer's Disease. It gives a stark reminder of the humanity of the individual while touching on care issues facing families as the afflicted loses their autonomy.
A MUST READ!
I strongly recommend this book to everyone, because at some point in our lives, we will all know someone with Alzheimer's Disease. It gives a stark reminder of the humanity of the individual while touching on care issues facing families as the afflicted loses their autonomy.
A MUST READ!
Helpful Score: 1
This is a must read. Lisa Genova gives insight into how the Alzheimer's victim feels and thinks. There is story beyond the Alzheimers so we are drawn into Alice's life. It moved me to the point of tears. There were times when I had to put the book down for a break. But I always came back. Still Alice is a very thought provoking book.
It made me think about some things in my own life. Why are we always so busy?
Am I one of the people who are not warm and friendly to those with mental limitations? I would like to think not, but is that my perception or theirs?
How much patience would I have if it were my spouse? Or parent? Would I be one of the characters I inwardly critized or admired?
It made me think about some things in my own life. Why are we always so busy?
Am I one of the people who are not warm and friendly to those with mental limitations? I would like to think not, but is that my perception or theirs?
How much patience would I have if it were my spouse? Or parent? Would I be one of the characters I inwardly critized or admired?
Helpful Score: 1
Just EXCELLENT! A very compelling story with believable characters.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was good...very sad but insightful...made you think of how you would feel if you were in this poisiton. Very touching!
Helpful Score: 1
This book tells a story that must be told. It provides excellent insight into the mind of a patient with Alzheimer's, as well as the impact on her family.
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book for my book club and really liked it. It was very insightful into the world of someone with Alzheimer's. I was able to feel the confusion, fear and anxiety of the character as she faced what for us would be ordinary moments in life. I highly recommend this book especially if there's someone in your life suffering from this horrible disease. I found it to be very thought provoking and it left quite an impression.
Helpful Score: 1
"Still Alice" was an incredibly heart breaking story of not just a woman declining through Alzheimer's, but an entire family's journey. The story starts out showing how successful Alice Howland is. She is a Harvard professor, has a PhD, 3 grown children and a happy marriage. Slowly things start to change. Over the next two years, we see how this degenerative disease takes over the lives of Alice and her family.
There were parts of the story that had me smiling because they are everyday things that could happen to anyone. Other parts had me tearing up. And then there were the parts that made me fearful for the future, and glad that I don't have this disease running through my family. This book gave me a look into the lives of the families that have this disease as a reality. They have my sympathy for what they have to go through, but more than that, they should be held in the highest of esteem and viewed with the utmost of respect.
I listened to the "Still Alice" audio book. It took a long time for me to get used to the Author's voice. I don't think that she was the right person to read the book. Alice was a 50-something. Lisa's (the author) voice reminded me of a 20-something party girl. It may have been the East Coast accent that made me think part of this, but she is definitely younger than the character of Alice, which really threw me off. Also, there wasn't much differentiation between the character voices. I couldn't tell if Alice was the one speaking, or her husband, John. I highly recommend this book, but would suggest readers grab the book rather than the audiobook.
There were parts of the story that had me smiling because they are everyday things that could happen to anyone. Other parts had me tearing up. And then there were the parts that made me fearful for the future, and glad that I don't have this disease running through my family. This book gave me a look into the lives of the families that have this disease as a reality. They have my sympathy for what they have to go through, but more than that, they should be held in the highest of esteem and viewed with the utmost of respect.
I listened to the "Still Alice" audio book. It took a long time for me to get used to the Author's voice. I don't think that she was the right person to read the book. Alice was a 50-something. Lisa's (the author) voice reminded me of a 20-something party girl. It may have been the East Coast accent that made me think part of this, but she is definitely younger than the character of Alice, which really threw me off. Also, there wasn't much differentiation between the character voices. I couldn't tell if Alice was the one speaking, or her husband, John. I highly recommend this book, but would suggest readers grab the book rather than the audiobook.
Helpful Score: 1
Alice Howard is a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard. Alice notices her memory is not like it use and starts to forget how to do everything things so she goes to see a Neurologist. She is told she has the early onset of Alzheimers. Told in Alice's voice this book gives you a scary look into the life of someone is slowly losing their way of life as the Alzheimers creeps in their mind. Heartbreaking and very real look. Book is well written and does hit close to home is you have ever known anyone with Alzheimers.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book from the minute that I read the first page. It makes your realize how precious life is and that you need to cherish each moment.
Helpful Score: 1
This book hooked me from the very beginning and didn't let go until I had finished. And honestly, even after that. It was heartbreaking, but not in an obvious or sappy way. Telling this story from Alice's point of view was genius. I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 1
"Still Alice" is a fabulous book. The subject matter is not happy, by any means, but it is very informative regarding Alzheimer's Disease and how it can affect those who have it. I was unsure while reading it at first if I would continue, because I could tell it was going to be hard to read, BUT I can now say I am very happy I read the whole book. I laughed, cried and felt angry as Alice makes her way through the journey she has been thrust into. It isn't easy to read at times, but as I got to the middle of the book I found it almost impossible to put it down until I was finished reading it.
I highly recommend this book!!
I highly recommend this book!!
This was a moving look into a woman's battle with early onset alzeimer's. If you have someone in your life struggling with dementia, this story will move you to tears frequently and make you pray that your body goes before your mind does.
Helpful Score: 1
I knew next to nothing about Alzheimer's when I picked up this book. After reading it I can't say that I know much more but I do have a sense of what it might be like to watch someone progress with the illness. This was a very very sad but heartwarming tale of watching someone succumb to the disease but it was a little too lighthearted for me. Not all families are able to cope with the demands of the disease.
Helpful Score: 1
This book helped me very much in understanding the early stages of alzheimer's from the patient's point of view.
One thing I discovered reading this book is that it's almost impossible to read the last couple of chapters. This is because the tears were rolling down my face.
Thousands of reviews have been written about this book and I'm sure I can't add much except how it made me feel. Because of Lisa's insight and ability to understand how the mind works, I felt like I was truly inside of Alice Howland's mind. All of the thoughts she had from denial, to disbelief to anger and then acceptance, were my thoughts too as I read.
I once worked as a Hospice volunteer for a brilliant scientist. She was a pathologist who studied brains and how they worked. She had A.L.S. Different diseases totally, but watching her body go, while her mind stayed sharp was equally devastating. Your body or your mind. I can't even imagine.
This book has been on my shelf for a few years. I'm so glad that I finally read it. It was brilliant.
Thousands of reviews have been written about this book and I'm sure I can't add much except how it made me feel. Because of Lisa's insight and ability to understand how the mind works, I felt like I was truly inside of Alice Howland's mind. All of the thoughts she had from denial, to disbelief to anger and then acceptance, were my thoughts too as I read.
I once worked as a Hospice volunteer for a brilliant scientist. She was a pathologist who studied brains and how they worked. She had A.L.S. Different diseases totally, but watching her body go, while her mind stayed sharp was equally devastating. Your body or your mind. I can't even imagine.
This book has been on my shelf for a few years. I'm so glad that I finally read it. It was brilliant.
I can't say enough about how wonderful and insightful this book is. I have give out so many copies! Want to know what it feels like to know that you have Alzheimer? Read this book. It has a great story, humor, fustration and acceptance. A must read.
Story Overview
Alice Howland is 50-years-old and has achieved great personal and professional success. She is a tenured professor at Harvard in the field of cognitive psychology and a world-renowned expert in linguistics. Her husband John is also a respected Harvard professor and researcher in biology. She has three grown children, Lydia, Anna and Tom. Although she's had some tragedy in her life (her alcoholic father killed her mother and sister in a drunken car crash that only he survived), Alice has a satisfying and full life. Although her marriage has operated on cruise control for several years as she and John have pursued their separate careers and she and her daughter Lydia disagree about Lydia's decision to pursue an acting career instead of college, Alice has a satisfying lifefilled with travel, teaching and family events.
But lately, Alice seems to be forgetting things more oftenlosing her train of thought in the middle of a lecture she's given hundreds of times, leaving her BlackBerry in a restaurant, mixing up times for appointments. But one day while out running, Alice finds herself completely disoriented and lostin the town where she's lived for more than 25 years and on a route she's run countless times. Flushed and panicked, Alice wanders around her home town until her world suddenly rights itself and she knows where she is. But the experience shakes her to the core, and more lapses cause her to visit her long-time family doctor. Is it menopause? Stress? Depression?
After several tests, her physician sends her to a neurologist, who conducts more extensive tests and gives Alice shocking news: she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Initially reluctant to share the diagnosis with her husband, Alice finally shares her secret with him. Like Alice, he is unwilling to believe it and pushes for more tests. But the worst proves to be true, and they face a future that seems bleak and hopelessa future where Alice will slowly disappear until the faces of those she loves are the faces of strangers and her ability to communicate (the linchpin of her professional life) disappears as her brain is ravaged by the disease.
My Thoughts
This book is heart-breaking. I struggled to read the last 65 pages or so because I was crying so hard I could barely see the words. I've always known Alzheimer's is a cruel disease, but reading Alice's storyand "experiencing" Alzheimer's from the patient's point of viewbrings to life the horror and the tragedy of the disease in a way that makes it all too real. Lisa Genova has done something special with this book; she has given a voice to people who are slowly and irrevocably losing their voice. She's managed to bring her readers inside the mind of an Alzheimer's patient and take them on the journey from momentary lapses in memory to a world where the man you've been married to for years becomes "the man who owns the house" and your daughters become "the mother" and "the actress."
In many ways, the book reminded me of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. In that book, a young man named Charlie with an IQ of 68 undergoes a special experimental procedure to increase intelligence, which seems to have worked successfully on a mouse named Algernon. The experiment works, and Charlie's IQ increases dramatically. However, the improvement is only temporary and he reverts back to his initial mental capacity. In the story, which is written as letters and notes in Charlie's journal, you can track Charlie's progress by the way he writes. Initially his writing is very simple and full of spelling errors. Then as his intelligence increases, the writing gets more sophisticated and the spelling errors disappear. Then, as he declines, the writing reverts back to how it was in the beginning. That book also made me cry; you mourn the loss of Charlie as you see him beginning to crumble mentally after achieving a "normal" life.
In Still Alice, you experience the progression of Alzheimer's as Alice doesrepetitive conversations, leaving a room after talking to a long-time acquaintance and coming back moments later and introducing yourself to them as if you've never met before, losing vocabulary. As Alice deteriorates, you experience her losses and gaps in memory as if it is happening to you, and this makes for heart-breaking reading. At the end of the book, when she wonders why she can't go to her home and wonders why she is with the "man who owns the house," my heart was full of sadness. One device Lisa Genova uses to chart the disease's progression is a series of questions that Alice devises to "test" herself before her dementia gets too bad. The idea is that if she can no longer answer the questions, she should open a specific file on her computer and follow the directions there for committing suicide. As the book progresses, the answers get shorter and more inaccuratecharting her deterioration. It was a brilliant device, and I was sobbing when Alice finds her letter to herself and struggles to carry out its instructions.
As tragic as this story is and as horrible as the disease is, Genova is also able to present some beautiful moments as well. As the disease progresses, Alice lets go of many of the things that kept her separated from her familyhealing her relationship with her estranged daughter and allowing her to realize what is truly important to her. Although I wouldn't wish Alzheimer's disease on anyone, I thought Genova offered some slight reassurances that the disease itself may possibly protect the people suffering from it at the endgiving them a simplified and almost childlike existence. The ending scene between Alice and Lydia offered a kind of bittersweet endingreminding the reader that love can still be alive despite the ravages of the disease.
My version of the book included an interview with Lisa Genova about her research and motivations for the book. The book itself was given the "stamp of approval" by the National Alzheimer's Association, and Ms. Genova writes for the organization in a professional capacity. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University. I think this is worth mentioning because this isn't a writer who imagines what Alzheimer's might be like. She studied and researched it and worked hard to accurately capture the diagnosis process, symptoms, treatment options and progression accurately. I, for one, applaud her hard work and decision to write this book.
My Recommendation
I think this book is a must read for anyone affected by Alzheimer's disease. I pray that this disease never touches me or anyone I know. I cannot imagine anyone being unaffected by this book. It will rip your heart out, and I suggest you do not read it without having many tissues nearby. I haven't been this emotionally affected by a book in a long time, and, for this reason, I must give it 5 stars.
Alice Howland is 50-years-old and has achieved great personal and professional success. She is a tenured professor at Harvard in the field of cognitive psychology and a world-renowned expert in linguistics. Her husband John is also a respected Harvard professor and researcher in biology. She has three grown children, Lydia, Anna and Tom. Although she's had some tragedy in her life (her alcoholic father killed her mother and sister in a drunken car crash that only he survived), Alice has a satisfying and full life. Although her marriage has operated on cruise control for several years as she and John have pursued their separate careers and she and her daughter Lydia disagree about Lydia's decision to pursue an acting career instead of college, Alice has a satisfying lifefilled with travel, teaching and family events.
But lately, Alice seems to be forgetting things more oftenlosing her train of thought in the middle of a lecture she's given hundreds of times, leaving her BlackBerry in a restaurant, mixing up times for appointments. But one day while out running, Alice finds herself completely disoriented and lostin the town where she's lived for more than 25 years and on a route she's run countless times. Flushed and panicked, Alice wanders around her home town until her world suddenly rights itself and she knows where she is. But the experience shakes her to the core, and more lapses cause her to visit her long-time family doctor. Is it menopause? Stress? Depression?
After several tests, her physician sends her to a neurologist, who conducts more extensive tests and gives Alice shocking news: she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Initially reluctant to share the diagnosis with her husband, Alice finally shares her secret with him. Like Alice, he is unwilling to believe it and pushes for more tests. But the worst proves to be true, and they face a future that seems bleak and hopelessa future where Alice will slowly disappear until the faces of those she loves are the faces of strangers and her ability to communicate (the linchpin of her professional life) disappears as her brain is ravaged by the disease.
My Thoughts
This book is heart-breaking. I struggled to read the last 65 pages or so because I was crying so hard I could barely see the words. I've always known Alzheimer's is a cruel disease, but reading Alice's storyand "experiencing" Alzheimer's from the patient's point of viewbrings to life the horror and the tragedy of the disease in a way that makes it all too real. Lisa Genova has done something special with this book; she has given a voice to people who are slowly and irrevocably losing their voice. She's managed to bring her readers inside the mind of an Alzheimer's patient and take them on the journey from momentary lapses in memory to a world where the man you've been married to for years becomes "the man who owns the house" and your daughters become "the mother" and "the actress."
In many ways, the book reminded me of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. In that book, a young man named Charlie with an IQ of 68 undergoes a special experimental procedure to increase intelligence, which seems to have worked successfully on a mouse named Algernon. The experiment works, and Charlie's IQ increases dramatically. However, the improvement is only temporary and he reverts back to his initial mental capacity. In the story, which is written as letters and notes in Charlie's journal, you can track Charlie's progress by the way he writes. Initially his writing is very simple and full of spelling errors. Then as his intelligence increases, the writing gets more sophisticated and the spelling errors disappear. Then, as he declines, the writing reverts back to how it was in the beginning. That book also made me cry; you mourn the loss of Charlie as you see him beginning to crumble mentally after achieving a "normal" life.
In Still Alice, you experience the progression of Alzheimer's as Alice doesrepetitive conversations, leaving a room after talking to a long-time acquaintance and coming back moments later and introducing yourself to them as if you've never met before, losing vocabulary. As Alice deteriorates, you experience her losses and gaps in memory as if it is happening to you, and this makes for heart-breaking reading. At the end of the book, when she wonders why she can't go to her home and wonders why she is with the "man who owns the house," my heart was full of sadness. One device Lisa Genova uses to chart the disease's progression is a series of questions that Alice devises to "test" herself before her dementia gets too bad. The idea is that if she can no longer answer the questions, she should open a specific file on her computer and follow the directions there for committing suicide. As the book progresses, the answers get shorter and more inaccuratecharting her deterioration. It was a brilliant device, and I was sobbing when Alice finds her letter to herself and struggles to carry out its instructions.
As tragic as this story is and as horrible as the disease is, Genova is also able to present some beautiful moments as well. As the disease progresses, Alice lets go of many of the things that kept her separated from her familyhealing her relationship with her estranged daughter and allowing her to realize what is truly important to her. Although I wouldn't wish Alzheimer's disease on anyone, I thought Genova offered some slight reassurances that the disease itself may possibly protect the people suffering from it at the endgiving them a simplified and almost childlike existence. The ending scene between Alice and Lydia offered a kind of bittersweet endingreminding the reader that love can still be alive despite the ravages of the disease.
My version of the book included an interview with Lisa Genova about her research and motivations for the book. The book itself was given the "stamp of approval" by the National Alzheimer's Association, and Ms. Genova writes for the organization in a professional capacity. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University. I think this is worth mentioning because this isn't a writer who imagines what Alzheimer's might be like. She studied and researched it and worked hard to accurately capture the diagnosis process, symptoms, treatment options and progression accurately. I, for one, applaud her hard work and decision to write this book.
My Recommendation
I think this book is a must read for anyone affected by Alzheimer's disease. I pray that this disease never touches me or anyone I know. I cannot imagine anyone being unaffected by this book. It will rip your heart out, and I suggest you do not read it without having many tissues nearby. I haven't been this emotionally affected by a book in a long time, and, for this reason, I must give it 5 stars.
This is a wonderfully written account of early onset Alzheimer's - fascinating, intriguing, and a little bit scary too! Lisa Genova takes the reader on a journey many people face alone - both the patient and the family. Once I started reading it I was hooked had trouble putting it down because I wanted to know how it was going to progress. A must read!
A book you will not soon forget. The main character is engaging from the beginning and throughout her journey you can relate and sympathize with her. A moving book that helps shed light into what the person is going through and ways that they learn to deal with it and others around them. A very powerful moving book.
I really enjoyed this book
As an exploration into the mind of an alzheimer's patient and a study on the effects it has on a family, it was informative and engrossing. But it read as a fictionalized description written by a clinician, and not what I expect from a novelist. The details of the doctor patient interactions were sterile and verbatim. The main character pre-alzheimers is flat.
I'd be interested to see the same story told through the family's eyes, and have their reactions and decisions further developed.
Yes, it was eye-opening and developed sympathy for the disease. But it is not the best book I've read this year, as others have stated.
I'd be interested to see the same story told through the family's eyes, and have their reactions and decisions further developed.
Yes, it was eye-opening and developed sympathy for the disease. But it is not the best book I've read this year, as others have stated.
This is the second of Lisa Genova's books I have read and really enjoyed it. I feel it is an easy read and your able to connect and feel for the characters. I couldnt put the book down.
This is a book about a 50 year old professor at Harvard who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers Disease. It's such a great book and I'm glad I read it. It really opened my eyes to how debilatating this horrible deasease is.
You won't be sorry.
You won't be sorry.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and I will add her to my list of author's to read! I felt connected to Alice from the beginning and my heart broke for her, watching her mind deteriorate and watching her realize that it was happening. I was intrigued watching her progress through this and saddened by the fact that she was. The reaction by some of her family members made me angry at times. This book depicted the disease in such a way that made it real, personal, and understood. I would most definitely recommend this book.
(Fortunately I have never had a loved one afflicted with Alzheimer's disease so I have no life-stories to compare to this book. I loaned it to a friend who experienced this first hand and her reaction to the book was that it was right on the mark.)
(Fortunately I have never had a loved one afflicted with Alzheimer's disease so I have no life-stories to compare to this book. I loaned it to a friend who experienced this first hand and her reaction to the book was that it was right on the mark.)
I couldn't put this book down!! LOVED it! I would highly recommend this author and this book! I began by reading Left Neglected by the same author and fell in love with her characters and style of writing. You will not be disappointed!!
I received the book and have read it yet again. It is a marvelous, heartrending story, well-written and a pleasure (though difficult at times)to read and learn.
I read this book once before trying to understand dementia. Now, my Mom has been diagnosed and I picked it back up to re-read for a new understanding. The author has the knowledge and the ability to present this disease in a format I can understand.Excellent work!
This was a wonderful, heartbreaking read. Make sure you have tissues handy for the ending. Watching the family members cope with the changes in their brilliant wife/mother was beautiful and painful.
An exceptional book that really takes you into the mind of a person with Alzheimer's disease and shows you what life is like from their point of view. Very well written. I could not put this book down!
A very interesting and moving story....well written but left me with a great deal of sadness.
A touching, haunting glimpse into a brilliant woman struggling with a life-altering, and ultimately life-ending disease. It pulled me in, right from the start and never let go. However, I do wonder why the subject of sex was never brought up even once in this book. Alice is physically in "the best shape of her life", and we can only assume that she had a healthy/happy sex life prior to the diagnosis, but there is no mention whatsoever made of her sex life, before and after this disease hit her. A missed opportunity for some poignant moments with her husband in this arena which would have led to a richer story line.
Very good. I thought it would be depressing but it wasn't.
If you are dealing with someone with Alzheimer's this book is good to read. Just be ready for the sadness as it is ârealâ.
Think that Alzheimer's only happens to the elderly? You won't after reading the story of fifty year old Alice Howland, a Harvard professor. Alice's occasional lapses of memory, which she first attributed to menopausal symptoms, start her on a journey into the dark and frightning world of Alzheimer's.
Thought-provoking story told from the patient's viewpoint. Good reference for those who are dealing with family or friends with this disease.
Scary to even contemplate - makes me remember every lapse in memory I've ever had!
Thought-provoking story told from the patient's viewpoint. Good reference for those who are dealing with family or friends with this disease.
Scary to even contemplate - makes me remember every lapse in memory I've ever had!
It seems impossible to describe madness from a first-person perspective, but Lisa Genova makes a good attempt. She writes from a scientific perspective about the clinical aspects of Alzheimer's disease, but also from the human perspective about what the disease does to Alice. Alice's words at the end stage of her disease are almost too coherent, but the ravages of the disease are nicely conveyed otherwise. If you've ever spent time with someone with Alzheimer's, you'll recognize a lot of features of Alice. Even if you haven't, watching the deterioration of a highly intelligent mind is gripping.
Excellent depiction of the Disease. It makes you feel many emotions. I recommend this read. I work with Alzheimer's and this made me see even more into the disease
Amazing book with depth and "on the edge of your seat" momentum! WOW!
This is the story of Alice's journey through Alzheimer's. Alice is very, very bright. Very articulate. But Alzheimer's gets her anyway. Mostly told through her eyes, the descriptions of the disease are distressing, sad, and difficult to bear. That said, the story helps us to understand just a little more what is going on in the brain of an AD victim. I use the word "victim" very deliberately, one is not a "person living with Alzheimer's", one is a Victim.
This story shows an inkling of why. Every person who has contact with someone with AD could benefit from reading this. It will heighten your awareness, strengthen your resolve to be patient, and help you to forgive yourself for not understanding.
This story shows an inkling of why. Every person who has contact with someone with AD could benefit from reading this. It will heighten your awareness, strengthen your resolve to be patient, and help you to forgive yourself for not understanding.
Gives you an understanding of what the patient is feeling, not just the people who love them. Excellent writing.
I thought that this was a very interesting book. I don't have anyone in my family that has experienced alzheimers. However, I personally have thought that I have the disease. Some of the text in the book really hit "head on." It was one of those page turners that kept me up till all hours of the night.
Loved it !
Loved it !
This was a great story from the Alzheimer's patient's perspective. Alice was only 50 when diagnosed. She originally thought her symptoms were due to menopause. It's really a sad desease for all involved. Easy read.
An incredible book that will keep you riveted. I couldn't put it down. A personal view of living with EOA.
Love it!" is not really the whole rating because it also scared me to death. I'm married to a woman who is well into the process of coming down with Alzheimer's and the story in STILL ALICE is too familiar. I ordered copies for both our daughters just to help them understand their mother.
Read this book for a book group that I belong to. It was very enlightning for me. I question how the author knew so much about a disease. I enjoyed the read but ever since I keep thinking to myself, do I have it? I just question little decisions that I make and wonder.
I decided to read Still Alice because of its many favorable reader reviews. I'd never heard of the book or the author but gave it a try. I cannot even recall the last time I felt this emotionally moved by a book - ever. Something about this story, this educated woman who is a mere 4 years older than I am slowly losing herself to Alzheimer's, touched my heart deeply. I found myself welling up with emotion several times while I read the book and then there was a moment towards the end where I had to stop reading because the tears in my eyes had completely obscured my vision. WTF? So, before I even finished the book, I bought a copy and sent it to my mother. Honestly, I just want to know if I am crazy or maybe just hormonal or - possibly - this is just the right book for me at the right time. Walking in the shoes of Alice was the perfect perspective for this story. Finishing this book has filled me with empathy for a disease I knew so little about when I started.
For anyone who is interested in what dementia/Alzheimers looks like in the early stages and how it progresses. Great story. Well written. Great blend of science and fiction
Interesting concept - I'm going to suggest it to my book discussion group. We're mostly over 50 and the subject could affect any of us.
This was a great book. I liked the way it was written in the first person, so the readers could see what is going on in the mind of the Alzheimer patient themselves. Having dealt with a lot of patients with this condition, it was very true-to-life.
Hopefully, this book will make it easier for family members and other caregivers to understand the person and be more comforting and less frustrated.
It is a disease that literally steals a person's mind.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has aging relatives, as 'you never know' what is in the future for any of us.
Hopefully, this book will make it easier for family members and other caregivers to understand the person and be more comforting and less frustrated.
It is a disease that literally steals a person's mind.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has aging relatives, as 'you never know' what is in the future for any of us.
An extrordinary book. Well written and had to be well researched. I really loved this book and the day to day deterioration of the person. I recommend this book to anyone interested in this genre.
Best book I've read in a long time. The author's ability to write an uplifting book based on a depressing topic is stellar!
Excellent book - great perspective from an expert in the field. Highly suggest reading.
Wonderful book that gives you a glimpse into the world of a woman diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. I didn't want the book to end.
Really great book. So interesting to read a book written from first person POV of early-onset Alzeimers. Gives you great compassion for people with the disease. Important book to read.
Read this one a year ago and still think about Alice. Sad but appealing and thought provoking. This helped me be more patient with my 98 year old Mother.
I recommend this to anyone who has a friend or relative dealing with Alzheimers. I think I would have been better prepared to communicate with my grandmother as she was going through Alzheimers had I read this book sooner. It's important to know that the book is more interesting than sad. It's actually joyous overall so don't be scared to read it.
amazing book. I thought it was a well written story, sometimes painful to read, but I learned alot.
I will never forget Alice. Despite hearing great reviews I had put off reading it because I knew it would be sad, but it actually is a hopeful story. It is beautifully written, I was drawn in immediately, as the story develops you feel her confusion, and you feel for all her family members, it is just a wonderful story.
As a professional caregiver for over 10 years I found this to be the most accurate and insightful book on Alzheimers that I have ever read. I highly recommend it to other professionals as well as others who know someone affected by this tragic condition.
If you or anyone you know is dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, this is a must read. It is a book you won't forget. It is very informative about the progressive disease but isn't so technical that you get bogged down. I loved this book. It's an easy read.
As highly recommended as this book is and as much as I wanted to read it, it took me a good while to muster the courage to actually do it. I was intimidated by the subject because I lived for a year with a family where the elderly grandmother had Alzheimer's, and even though there was much I didn't understand I witnessed first-hand how traumatic her condition was for the entire family. Finally I decided to just go for it, and when the novel was over I sat there for a while, heartbroken, not knowing where to begin thinking back on it like I usually do after finishing a book. There was so much there. There was Alice's love for her family, her bitter-sweet feelings for her husband, her fear of losing herself, of losing all the time she thought she had. There was her husband's pain and the decisions he had to make, her children's fear and strength, the relationships between them all, and the impact of Alice's diagnosis. All this tore at me and demanded attention, all the questions that stemmed from the story being told by a person with Alzheimer's begged to be answered, and I couldn't begin anything else for several days because I was still living in Alice's world, trying to come to terms with a question that resonated with me because reading, books and words are an enormously important part of my life, just like they were for Alice - how does one cope with the knowledge that meaningful reading is no longer possible?
How does the author do this in a volume of less than 300 pages? It's simple, really. Lisa Genova has a gift. She does it with writing like this:
"She sat in the passenger seat and waited for John to say something. But he didn't. He cried the whole way home."
What else does the reader need to understand the depth of feelings, the gravity of the situation? Nothing at all, it's all there in three short sentences.
Another aspect that made the book work is the authenticity of everyday feelings and surroundings. I don't know this for a fact but I think that Ms. Genova is a runner, and I think she has a house somewhere at the beach in New England. I think that she has a passion for the world of academia and a complicated parent-child relationship in her life in one way or another. I think she drew on all those parts of her own life and experiences in crafting Alice's story and through her own familiarity she made the story even more personal than it already is.
I cried while I read this novel. I cried for Alice, for her husband and for their children. I cried for the losses of memories, dignity, conversations and truly meaningful time together. I also laughed through tears because of Alice's irrepressible spirit, intellect and sense of humor that shone through till the very end. This book may not affect you as it did me, there is a lot to be said about timing after all. I thought it was excellent, heartbreaking but truly excellent, and I highly recommend it.
P.S. I have not been able to use the word "thingie" without immediately looking for a more articulate alternative for weeks now. Thought you should know.
How does the author do this in a volume of less than 300 pages? It's simple, really. Lisa Genova has a gift. She does it with writing like this:
"She sat in the passenger seat and waited for John to say something. But he didn't. He cried the whole way home."
What else does the reader need to understand the depth of feelings, the gravity of the situation? Nothing at all, it's all there in three short sentences.
Another aspect that made the book work is the authenticity of everyday feelings and surroundings. I don't know this for a fact but I think that Ms. Genova is a runner, and I think she has a house somewhere at the beach in New England. I think that she has a passion for the world of academia and a complicated parent-child relationship in her life in one way or another. I think she drew on all those parts of her own life and experiences in crafting Alice's story and through her own familiarity she made the story even more personal than it already is.
I cried while I read this novel. I cried for Alice, for her husband and for their children. I cried for the losses of memories, dignity, conversations and truly meaningful time together. I also laughed through tears because of Alice's irrepressible spirit, intellect and sense of humor that shone through till the very end. This book may not affect you as it did me, there is a lot to be said about timing after all. I thought it was excellent, heartbreaking but truly excellent, and I highly recommend it.
P.S. I have not been able to use the word "thingie" without immediately looking for a more articulate alternative for weeks now. Thought you should know.
A very good read. I could not put this one down. True to life and sad in parts.
This book was really sad and will be painful for readers that have experienced Alzheimer's. It may be helpful also to show the reader what can be expected in a person that has Alzheimer's. Be prepared to cry so have some tissures handy. I enjoyed reading this book and really feel for families going through similiar events in the book.
Incredibly sad, but compelling and well-written novel about a woman living with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. Reading about the progressive and devastating disease from Alice's point of view made the story especially heartbreaking.
I so enjoyed this book! It is one of those books that will leave an impact on you, to have compassion when a family member has Alzheimer's.
A gut punch of a story. A well written story that made you feel for the characters in the book. Alice and her family were brave souls. A heartbreaking book to read, but well worth the read. I am looking forward to Julianne Moore's portrayal of Alice.
loved the book!! great insight into those afflicted with alzheimer's.....
Minute descent into Alzheimers. Heartbreaking, compelling. I couldn't put the book down. Great medical info matter of factly included. Statistics. Makes Alzheimers personal, puts a face on it. Made me wonder about my future... All adults should read this.
Great book! Told in the prespective of a woman who is progressing with Alzheimers. Sad but thought provoking.
This was the best book I have read in a while. I can't seem to get out of the character. I had to check again to make sure it was a novel not a biography. I took it with me and read it every chance I got.
I am in awe of Lisa Genova. This is one of the best- crafted and believable stories that I've ever read. I'm
recommending it to everyone!
recommending it to everyone!
This is a good paced read about a very interesting subject. The insight the author provides into the world of earlu onset alzheimer's is incredible.
** spoiler alert ** There is so much to digest with this book. I started out not liking it...not sure why, whether it was because it was a book not necessarily of my choosing but the book club's (which I chose to participate in!) or because it was written by a Ph.D. and sometimes reads like it. (I felt similarly with Marisa de los Santos, PH.D's works)
Although the slow warmup, Lisa Genova draws the reader in to Alice's world. Alice is a Harvard professor, lauded in her field of psychology, and realizes, at ...moreThere is so much to digest with this book. I started out not liking it...not sure why, whether it was because it was a book not necessarily of my choosing but the book club's (which I chose to participate in!) or because it was written by a Ph.D. and sometimes reads like it. (I felt similarly with Marisa de los Santos, PH.D's works)
Although the slow warmup, Lisa Genova draws the reader in to Alice's world. Alice is a Harvard professor, lauded in her field of psychology, and realizes, at 50 years old, that she's forgetting things that she shouldn't. She forgets how to get home from her regular run, and forgets about going to the airport for a conference she was looking forward to. Alice is diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimers early in the book.
I found it amazing that Alice was invited to speak at the Dementia Care Conference, as an expert. That was probably my favorite part of the book, and I cried reading her words. I found it inspiring that she spearheaded a support group for patients of EOAD, not just the caregivers. I loved when Alice was considering her love of her daughter, Lydia: "But will I always love her? Does my love for her reside in my heart or in my head?"...The mother in her believed that the love she had for her daughter was safe from the mayhem in her mind, because it lived in her heart.
Alice's husband, John, was faced with the decision to go on sabbatical like he and Alice had previously discussed, or to take a new, highly-desired position away in New York City. I found this hard that John would want to take Alice away from the home she's always known, when change would confuse her further. At the same time, I understand John's admission that why should he take a sabbatical to stay home and watch Alice waste away, forgetting how to work the microwave, or even who he, her husband, is.
~SPOILER~
The Author, in her Postscript, described that she very cautiously brought up Alice's consideration of suicide as an answer. I think she wanted to bring this up since, from her conversation at the end of the book, 100% of the EOAD patients she met with (those under sixty-five) had considered it, but treaded lightly since it's such a controversial topic.
However, I feel that the day in June 2005 when Alice read her "Butterfly" file which details what to do when she can't answer the basic questions she should know, and when Alice kept forgetting about what to do when she's made it upstairs, I would assume John, or one of her children, would have come across that file, being up on the computer screen. I know that every individual would act differently, but upon seeing the file, wouldn't John at least consider helping her through with her plan she made when she was thinking clearly? Especially since he was having such a hard time seeing Alice decline? I think this was a time Genova shied away from controversy. Not that she could include everything a family faced with this disease would go through, but I feel that was a logical thing John would discover.
Although the slow warmup, Lisa Genova draws the reader in to Alice's world. Alice is a Harvard professor, lauded in her field of psychology, and realizes, at ...moreThere is so much to digest with this book. I started out not liking it...not sure why, whether it was because it was a book not necessarily of my choosing but the book club's (which I chose to participate in!) or because it was written by a Ph.D. and sometimes reads like it. (I felt similarly with Marisa de los Santos, PH.D's works)
Although the slow warmup, Lisa Genova draws the reader in to Alice's world. Alice is a Harvard professor, lauded in her field of psychology, and realizes, at 50 years old, that she's forgetting things that she shouldn't. She forgets how to get home from her regular run, and forgets about going to the airport for a conference she was looking forward to. Alice is diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimers early in the book.
I found it amazing that Alice was invited to speak at the Dementia Care Conference, as an expert. That was probably my favorite part of the book, and I cried reading her words. I found it inspiring that she spearheaded a support group for patients of EOAD, not just the caregivers. I loved when Alice was considering her love of her daughter, Lydia: "But will I always love her? Does my love for her reside in my heart or in my head?"...The mother in her believed that the love she had for her daughter was safe from the mayhem in her mind, because it lived in her heart.
Alice's husband, John, was faced with the decision to go on sabbatical like he and Alice had previously discussed, or to take a new, highly-desired position away in New York City. I found this hard that John would want to take Alice away from the home she's always known, when change would confuse her further. At the same time, I understand John's admission that why should he take a sabbatical to stay home and watch Alice waste away, forgetting how to work the microwave, or even who he, her husband, is.
~SPOILER~
The Author, in her Postscript, described that she very cautiously brought up Alice's consideration of suicide as an answer. I think she wanted to bring this up since, from her conversation at the end of the book, 100% of the EOAD patients she met with (those under sixty-five) had considered it, but treaded lightly since it's such a controversial topic.
However, I feel that the day in June 2005 when Alice read her "Butterfly" file which details what to do when she can't answer the basic questions she should know, and when Alice kept forgetting about what to do when she's made it upstairs, I would assume John, or one of her children, would have come across that file, being up on the computer screen. I know that every individual would act differently, but upon seeing the file, wouldn't John at least consider helping her through with her plan she made when she was thinking clearly? Especially since he was having such a hard time seeing Alice decline? I think this was a time Genova shied away from controversy. Not that she could include everything a family faced with this disease would go through, but I feel that was a logical thing John would discover.
This book is a wonderful book written from the prospective of a professional woman who develops Early Onset Alzheimers. I found it difficult to put down.
A very insightful look into the emotional aspects of someone with cognitive decline and memory loss. Heart breaking but helpful to be able to understand the point of view of the person suffering the decline.
How utterly tragic... to have someone's life laid open to you so that you can see this vampire as it sucks their mind away....how tragic.
This book is a very easy read - the author makes you feel that you are another person in that family - you end the book wondering how you personally would react to this situation and which side you would have taken. Both those you have experience with Alzheimers and those who do not can learn from this book.
Next paragraph may be a ****SPOILER****
To think that Alice planned for her own death and then just came upon the details by accident. Then was unable to follow it thru - I really felt for her. This book only covers a 2 year span and she declined that fast. I noticed that it was only a 2 month span when she forgot the total answers to her 5 questions and could only give partial answers. How sad for her family. I can understand both sides - the husband for wanting to go on with his life and not watch as his wife literally died in front of him and also the children for not wanting to lose their mother - for holding on to all they felt was familiar.
This book is a very easy read - the author makes you feel that you are another person in that family - you end the book wondering how you personally would react to this situation and which side you would have taken. Both those you have experience with Alzheimers and those who do not can learn from this book.
Next paragraph may be a ****SPOILER****
To think that Alice planned for her own death and then just came upon the details by accident. Then was unable to follow it thru - I really felt for her. This book only covers a 2 year span and she declined that fast. I noticed that it was only a 2 month span when she forgot the total answers to her 5 questions and could only give partial answers. How sad for her family. I can understand both sides - the husband for wanting to go on with his life and not watch as his wife literally died in front of him and also the children for not wanting to lose their mother - for holding on to all they felt was familiar.
Compelling and gripping, sad brutally honest.
Still Alice is a beautiful story of a woman's experience with early onset Alzheimer's. It's a story of enormous loss adn the fight Alice wages to retain her dignity.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
A must read for anyone who has someone with dementia in their life.
I think this is a must read for anyone dealing with Alzheimer's disease. It explains how the slow, sad progessive disease, unhinges all the families lives.
Amazing book. A must for anyone who has someone in their life with dementia. Couldnt put it down.
Genova, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard, relates the experience of living with Alzheimer's from the Alzheimer's point of view. Alice, a brilliant professor of cognitive psychology at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics, discovers she has early onset Alzheimer's. It read a little too much like a scientific paper, as though Alice's thoughts and struggles are a researcher's observations studying Alzheimer's. Such a topic allows few endings that can be original and satisfying at the same time. I felt that how it ended, though, could have been better. It was rushed and confusing to me; I wanted to know more about how John, Alice's husband, continued to deal with their situation, and how they ultimately decided on that big moving question.
Excellent book! Recommend for anyone who has a family member with this disease.
A moving story about a woman's struggle with early onset Alzheimer's.
Alice, who has early onset Alzheimer's, struggles to accept her fate and continue her life with the disease. The book is a fair description of living with Alzheimer's but does not describe just how destructive it is. Still Alice depicts only the early stages and maybe a portion of the middle stages. My dad died from the effects that Alzheimer's has on the mind, which controls the body and it's functions. So, while this is a very good book, it does not describe the magnitude of what will ultimately happen to an Alzheimer's victim.
Quickly engaging, I plan to read more by Genova.
Very very sad, but oh so good! Written from the heart!
Quick read really enjoyed the book
I loved this book. The author made you care not only about Alice but about the whole family. Granted, it's not a happy book, but it is quite topical and makes you think about this horrible disease.
Speaks to the heart. Wonderfully written.
I did enjoy reading this book.It is about Alzheimer's,in a 40plus woman..a professor in Boston.I learned a lot and could easily put myself in her situation.It was sad..especially in the end,but this story will be forever remembered.
Excellent book! Written from the perspective of a woman who has early onset alzheimers. Very scary to think this could just happen to you. I could not put it down.
I couldn't put this book down! It was interesting, informative and places the reader within the mind of Alice as she copes with a frightening diagnosis! A must read for anyone who has dealt with a family member with this terrible disease!
I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped. I agree with the reviewer who said that this book felt impersonal, partly because of the third-person narration and partly because of the ratio of facts about Alzheimer's to character development. I think this book would be a great way to learn about the disease for someone who is faced with a diagnosis of EOA in the family. As a novel, though, it was not good. I struggled to like Alice, and I was disappointed that Genova chose to make her a high-prestige world-renowned expert in linguistics professor at Harvard (*cough* Mary Sue *cough*). I wish she could have been a more realistic character, so maybe I could have related to her more. Was Genova thinking that it's more of a tragedy when a really smart person loses her memory than when it happens to an average woman? Controversial idea. Anyway, the details of the memory tests got to me, and I skipped about 50 pages halfway through. I managed to hang in there, waiting to find out if Alice was going to follow through on her instructions to herself, which provided most of the dramatic tension in the book. In the future, I think people who have Ph.D.s in neuroscience from Harvard (so much name-dropping) should leave the fiction to talented authors.
Loved Still Alice... was hard to read at the time, because of my Grandmother, who has since passed. Lisa Genova is one of my favorite authors.
