Reviews
I finished this book in one night. It flowed so naturally so I couldn't put it down. The thoughts and emotions Alice experienced helped me to really understand the fear and confusion someone with Alzheimer's would experience.
Still Alice is a book that makes you think about it even a few days after you've finished reading it. Genova has done a wonderful job of researching Alzheimer's and explaining from a first-person narrative the decline of someone who is diagnosed. Although there are some chapters in which the writing could be better or where I might have taken a different direction, Still Alice is a masterpiece in its own right. A short quick read, you will absolutely remember this book for years to come and it may even haunt you with the lingering question: could I potentially be Alice? Would I want to know?
For me, this was an absolutely gripping book. Choosing a Harvard professor whose specialty was linguistics as the victim of early-onset Alzheimer's disease made the story tragically ironic. My father had mild Alzheimer's when he died, but he was 95 years old. From the perspective of looking back on 50, it's hard to imagine how frightening it would be to see yourself losing function at such an early age. It seemed to me that the progression was awfully fast. Even with early-onset, I would think such a fast deterioration would not be the norm. I can well understand what Alzheimer's organizations would support the book. It gives a great deal of insight. Highly recommended.
Because of the subject matter, I don't think I can say that I actually enjoyed reading this book. I can, however, confirm that it made me feel something.
I really wanted to like this book a lot more. It started out strong, but then it just faded for me. I'll write a review for this later.
Beautifully and authentically written
Loved the movie so let's see how good the book is. Well, this is just brilliant! The best thing I have read in a while. Alice's story is powerful and sheds light on a cruel disease that can affect all of us directly or indirectly.
** spoiler alert ** The book is very well written and paints such a real and painful glimpse into a woman living with early-onset Alzheimers. Overall it was really interesting to see the changes in symptoms over time, and the inner thoughts that Alice faced along the way. It just felt more like a timeline though rather than a story so it was a little boring to get through/felt like I knew what was coming and didn't have much to keep me motivated in finishing it. The 'butterfly' file was definitely a bit haunting- and then sad when you realize that Alice was answering all the questions wrong for so many months, but not realizing they were wrong... so never clicked on the file.
**short review: i'm really amazed by this book. because not only i gain more knowledge related with Alzheimer's disease, but the flow of the story is really incredible. The way the author describe things is just really great, and i enjoyed every part of the story told. good book. :):)
One of those quiet books that sneak up on you and take your feet away. A must read for every person who's ever had a lapse in memory or who is around someone who has - i.e everyone. Deals with early onset Alzheimer's in a compassionate and gripping way
3.5
OMG!! One of the BEST books I have ever read!! Loved the story and the insight. So good and pulled me in soooo quick. Loved this book and highly recommend it. It is not a downer just a really good insight to the disease!!
Even biographies not saturated with disease were vulnerable to holes and distortions. My yesterdays are disappearing, and my tomorrows are uncertain, so what do I live for? I live for each day. I live in the moment. There’s no peace in being unsure of everything all the time.
I had some problems with this book. I didn't like it when the doctor assumed that if Alice couldn't remember some very complicated things that she was headed down the road to dementia. He predicted her condition because she was using her intellect to recall things instead of just rote memory. I just don't think that is a very realistic assumption. Also, at times it felt like a pharmaceutical company's propaganda piece. Hinting that perhaps as soon as people can't recall what address someone mentions 3 hours ago they should be taking some not yet created but perhaps just on the horizon if drug companies could just have your financial support, drug as a precaution. I also didn't approve of the criticism of the daughter who didn't want to go to college, but instead wanted to pursue an acting career. There were just too many indications that everyone should march in time. I was the only one in my book group who felt this way - so .....
Very moving story and Alzheimer's disease . I loved how realistic the characters seemed with their flaws. The writing wasn't great but it didn't take away anything from the story. Should definitely re-read in the future.
I didn't care for the writing, for it made me feel like I was reading a journal/article and it bored me a bit because of that. Also she did become unnecessarily repetitive on certain things, espec. at the beginning. Another thing she goes on and on about things that felt like filler and seemed to come off drone-ish. I did like how she handled the way the disease grew and developed.
This book is incredibly hard to read. I can't even imagine what it took to write it. The narrative haunts you, especially since the vast majority of the book is written from the point of view of the Alzheimer's patient. Obviously, no author capable of writing a book such as this has ever experienced early onset Alzheimer's first hand, aka been the person with the disease, however, Genova makes the reader believe that these experiences she depicts are not only real and believable but also heart-breaking. I have to admit that I found great relief when I finished the book because the entire narrative is an unrelenting descent. There is no hope at the end of the tunnel. This book is very well written. I don't know that I can recommend it though.
Absolutely heartbreaking book, but very good.
Great book! This was surprisingly a quick read, even with the sometimes heavy medical terminology. However, those parts didn't drag the story down at all. They only added to my understanding of the disease. I loved that it was told from Alice's point of view, so you got to be in her head when she started forgetting things. You got to feel her confusion, and even her lack of knowing that she was repeating herself. It made for an interesting perspective, and I don't think the book would have been the same without it. It was a sad read, though. You see her struggle, and the struggle of her family from losing the mom/wife they had for so many years. For anyone who has known someone with Alzheimer's, this book will give you a look into what it may have been like for him/her. It's a sad reality, written into a great book.
As a psychology student, this book opened my eyes to a knowledge not limited to theories and developments but to an actual depiction of a life lived with mental sickness. Truly not one to forget.
Very well written, and a good reminder that there is a person on the other side of that illness. I had a family member with Alzheimer's, and it's very easy to get look at them with pity and sadness, long before they're gone. Definitely gave me a change of perspective in how they might see things.
moving
This novel is from the perspective of Alice, a forty-something year old woman, a professor at Harvard University and a mother of three children. Her and her life are completely ordinary until she starts forgetting things; she loses her keys, finds herself disorientated two minutes from her house and struggles to recall words that would usually come so easily to her. Quickly it becomes apparent that something is wrong and Alice is soon after diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Alice must learn, not only how to cope with the disease, but how to prevent it from consuming her entire life... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...
