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Love Anthony

by Lisa Genova (Goodreads Author)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 6,876 ratings · 1,558 reviews

Olivia Donatelli's dream of a 'normal' life was shattered when her son, Anthony, was diagnosed with autism at age three. He didn't speak. He hated to be touched. He almost never made eye contact. And just as Olivia was starting to realise that happiness and autism could coexist, Anthony died. Now she's alone in a cottage on Nantucket, separated from her husband, desperate...more

Paperback, Australian Edition, 309 pages

Published October 1st 2012 by Simon and Schuster Australia (first published September 1st 2012)

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Sep 30, 2012 Carolyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-bwahaha-crumble-under-the-writ, 2012-new-to-me-authors, favorites

I'm almost not sure what to say....

I have cried my way through this book. Wanting to climb into my son's high bed and hold him close.

This book is eerily similar to my life. So very much.

I have 2 sons. Both Autistic. One, the youngest, almost Asperger's. My eldest... Now 11, is non-verbal, eats with his fingers, adores "Mighty Machines" and "Bob the Builder", loves his chips... And steals everyone's hearts.

I am a photographer. A desperate move on my part, needing to find some source of income y...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Lis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did like this book but not as much as Genova's first two books (Still Alice and Left Neglected), which I loved.

I found the parallel-story/channeling aspect of the book a peculiar way to tell the story of an autistic boy (though it did allow us to see a parent's experience as well as the boy's experience). I found the "voicing" of the boy who couldn't speak rather unconvincing: I didn't experience it as what an autistic boy would actually be thinking, but always as what an author is imagining...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, after waiting over a year for my beloved author Lisa Genova to write another book equal to Still Alice and Left neglected, I have to say I am severely disappointed. This book did not have what ever it was those books had. I felt for the two mothers/wives who were the main characters. There just wasn't enough character development. I didn't feel I knew them. After not writing for years, Beth sits down and this novel just comes to her. Yes, it's supposed to be magical but it didn't feel like...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Judy Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book was Amazing!! My first book by Lisa Genova, and will be reading the other two as soon as possible! I loved the author’s usage of words to describe each scene in detail, which puts you in the setting as if you were experiencing its first hand-- from the items in a room, the senses, feelings, touch – making it so real and powerful!

This was a poignant, powerful, and heartfelt story of two women--their paths crossing at a time with strength from each other without knowing it. Olivia, mothe...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This one made me cry. I am not a crier. Given, I was sitting in ICU shortly after my husband had brain surgery so there may be a excuse. Or a correlation.

Lisa Genova possesses a brilliant resume. She is a scientist with many letters following her name. She must think pragmatically so I struggle to reconcile the other part of her, the one I forgot. Her beautiful writing style as she empathetically takes the reader through a neurological experience so profound and so emotional, I cried.

I haven't...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Nance rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, books-read-2012, nance-s-rrr-2012-challenge, autism, favorites, tearjerkers

First, I just want to say ”thank you” to Ms. Genova for writing a book about autism. Regardless if this is a book of fiction, I found myself re-living daily episodes from the past years 19 years with my own son. The author really did her research well. It just gave me a sense of peace that I haven’t felt in a long time. I could relate to the main character, Olivia who constantly questions - “Why my son?”, “Why my family?”, “Was it something I did wrong while I was pregnant?”, and “Will we ever f...more First, I just want to say ”thank you” to Ms. Genova for writing a book about autism. Regardless if this is a book of fiction, I found myself re-living daily episodes from the past years 19 years with my own son. The author really did her research well. It just gave me a sense of peace that I haven’t felt in a long time. I could relate to the main character, Olivia who constantly questions - “Why my son?”, “Why my family?”, “Was it something I did wrong while I was pregnant?”, and “Will we ever find out the true answer?”. Every day in this world we are faced with destruction, chaos, and tragedy – just trying to pick up the pieces for a life gone wrong. But autism does not come from life’s hard-knock choices. It comes from the unknown - a force yet to be reckoned with. So how do we live through the challenges of not knowing what’s in store with our innocent trusting children? Day by day, that’s how – knowing and hoping that you’re making the right choices for them because that is all they have in their corner – you!

This book didn’t just deal so much with the medical and scholastic aspects of autism. It dealt a lot with the feelings that come with having a child diagnosed with this life-long tragedy. It was beautiful, heartfelt, and meaningful. Now some people have criticized the author’s novel for having too many unnecessary details that were not needed to enrich the story. Well I, for one, thought that the details were important and necessary. It made the story more believable...because, after all, we all have a life to live. I have three other children, and life couldn’t be more hectic. I had to learn to spread myself pretty thin when they were young, and my husband held a job that was very demanding and time-consuming. Now, life is a little easier because my kids are 21, 19, 17, and 16. Without those extra details present in the book, it wouldn’t have shown how autism can have a huge impact on anyone who comes in contact with the disability, not just family members. For example in my experience, I have had people not be able to talk to me or look me in the eye when they first found out about what my son was dealing with, and other times, people wanted to know everything – they were just so interested and supportive. People’s reactions were weird at times. Some people treated my son like any other child, not drawing unwanted critical attention to him, and other people looked like they were scared to death, and didn’t know how to treat him. You never knew what people were going to think or blame you for when they didn’t really know what was really going on. I had people scream at me to take him home when he was having a episode in public, and other people offering their help. I was always surprised one way or the other. And, that’s exactly how Olivia is portrayed in the book when faced with awkward situations from her son, Anthony.

I absolutely loved the book-within-a-book idea. The other main character, Beth, writes a novella told by Anthony, while also living through her own more intimate family crisis. It’s written from his point-of-view. It was simply magical! After reading numerous books and looking up things on the internet for years, it just gave me a different incite as to how these children think and learn. What’s in their head is such a mystery. One minute you think you know what they are thinking because of a past episode, and the next minute, you’re scratching your head saying, “How can that be? It wasn’t like that the last time.” It definitely always keeps you on your toes and constantly keeping your brain in working order. There’s never a dull moment. It’s not all about the tough times, though. It’s also about the happy ones – seeing progress right before your very eyes when looking back through the years. The first word spoken – years later than a normal child, but spoken none the less. The first time they actually look in your eyes – not very often, but when it does happen, you’re so excited that just maybe you’re getting through that barrier built from the inside out. And, of course, the first hug – perhaps they will feel, just a smidge, how much they’re loved.

On that note, I just want to acknowledge to Ms. Genova how much I enjoyed her novel. It was inspiring and moving. It was beautiful and mesmerizing. But most of all, for me it was home.This is the life that my son lives each and every day. Every morning he gets up and takes on the same routine – something that feels comfortable and calming to him. You never know what that particular day will be like – good or bad. But I do know this, whatever it takes, he can count on us to do our finest; whatever he needs, we will provide it the most superb way we can; and, whatever makes him happy, we will always have his best interests at heart.

As the reader, you will probably need a few tissues to get you through the sad parts, but hopefully it will give you a better understanding of just what a child and a family goes through when autism is present in their every day lives. It’s not easy, but you do it because you’re all your child has. I do believe that someday there will be a cure to unlock the mysteries surrounding this spectrum disorder that affects 1 in 88 children – autism. Until then, we just have to practice patience and understanding for these children who are just simply extraordinary in every way possible.
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Aug 10, 2012 Susanhayeshotmail.com rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I won, I won, I won, I won, I won - picture the happy dance the Old Man does in A Christmas Story upon learning of his Major Award and that's me all over. I WON a copy of Love Anthony from a goodreads giveaway! Can't wait for it to get here:-D

So, obviously, I received a copy of this through goodreads first reads from Gallery Books. And it still makes me happy dance just to think about it. Thank you!

About a year ago I totally blasted Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury. As the mother of a 14 year old boy...more I won, I won, I won, I won, I won - picture the happy dance the Old Man does in A Christmas Story upon learning of his Major Award and that's me all over. I WON a copy of Love Anthony from a goodreads giveaway! Can't wait for it to get here:-D

So, obviously, I received a copy of this through goodreads first reads from Gallery Books. And it still makes me happy dance just to think about it. Thank you!

About a year ago I totally blasted Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury. As the mother of a 14 year old boy with autism, or 14 year old autistic boy if you prefer, it just didn't scan well for me. There were a number of reasons. Love Anthony sounds like it might be more of the same but somehow I found it so SO much better. If you have already read Lisa Genova, are interested in autism and can embrace (or even just overlook) the belief that the spirit or spiritual presence of a deceased child could guide an author's writing then jump right in, you will not be disappointed. Four and a half stars.

Oh, disclaimer, this is a long one. Can't seem to sum it up.

This is overall a book about relationships, healing, accepting and moving on ... and not particularly in that order. I have read a truck load of books about autism, fact and fiction, it has been a central theme of my life after all, and somehow this one really captured something for me. Genova has captured so many of the feelings I have struggled with, wallowed in and even rejoiced in throughout our personal journey with autism. They are legion and range all over the place and I was so pleased to see them expressed so well through Olivia's journal and memories.

Much to my surprise I also enjoyed Anthony's voice. I had fears it would be just a little too precious but somehow it worked. We too have often wondered, in serious, deep moments of questioning, and the crazy making, frantic "what does he need just to shut up and be calm for a minute" moments and in lighthearted, joking moments, just what IS going on inside the head of our boy. We've come a very long way in our ability to understand the Language of Stims and Acting Out as well as the Language of Significant Looks and sometimes it is truly comical to see the expressions on his face - they are so typically teen - he has truly mastered the "Really, Mom?" look. But he is completely non verbal and resists all other forms of communication (PECS, sign language, even his iTouch) so we mostly are just guessing, always guessing.

One of the hardest things about autism is accepting that the life you expected is not going to happen. There will be some improvements, some delightful surprises but there will disappointments and set backs too. Once we had the diagnosis we too set about trying to help our boy progress. Some things are better than we imagined back in those first weeks and months. Some things we hoped for, still hope for, still work towards, have not happened. A couple times each year I bang my head up against my own personal wall of expectations and spend a week or so feeling not quite but getting close to hopeless as some new behavior manifests and I realize that words like stimming and perseverating (it's a fancy word for obsessing) are now a permanent part of my vocabulary. That I really am going to have to go to another meeting about my child, my formerly sweet, passive, compliant child attacking one of the para educators at school. Or exposing himself on the school bus. That we may never achieve independent toileting and that it's quite possible I'm not going to get a "Mom, I love you," even in ASL without someone else making him do it.

I know in my head that my kiddo loves me and appreciates me but, but. But. It's been a long road to realizing, really accepting this particular limitation and becoming grateful that autism has truly taught me something about what it takes to love unconditionally, without expectation. I thought when I fell in love with my spouse that I had an inkling of what that meant and when I gave birth to my three typical children that I really and truly understood unconditional love. Not so but I'm getting there. We're getting there.

My thanks to Lisa Genova for providing another little piece of the getting there and another window into the world of autism. Excellent read. (less)

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Oct 26, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I cried.

If you haven't read Genova's previous book -- "Still Alice" -- then read that first and then come to this book; that process will enable you to trust in her writing -- because you'll need to where we're going.

This book has many flaws which you may, as I did (by virtue of Still Alice), regard as beautiful imperfections.

I was in the middle of reading several other books (as usual) but I stopped to read this - hardly page-turner territory I'll admit although you'll want and need to...more

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Oct 12, 2012 TamElaine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’ve never been more excited about a book, than this one....I waited for its release date and purchased it the minute it went on sale....I thought the story line of the book as promised in the synopsis was ingenius....I had read blog posts by the author whose writing I just knew I would love, even though I had not yet had time to try her other books.

The story pulled at my heartstrings as Olivia’s story begins to unfold...as we meet Anthony through her eyes, it is obvious to conclude the author h...more I’ve never been more excited about a book, than this one....I waited for its release date and purchased it the minute it went on sale....I thought the story line of the book as promised in the synopsis was ingenius....I had read blog posts by the author whose writing I just knew I would love, even though I had not yet had time to try her other books.

The story pulled at my heartstrings as Olivia’s story begins to unfold...as we meet Anthony through her eyes, it is obvious to conclude the author has a solid knowledge of autism and probably even intimately knows a child much like Anthony....but Olivia’s story was interspersed with Beth’s story – struggling to cope with a cheating husband and suddenly becoming single - a story that, to me, did not deserve so much attention and drama. In only a few chapters I did not like Beth – could not connect with her at all, especially her immaturity. I don’t feel like I need to be in love with every character in order for the book to be good, but Beth’s connection to Olivia as the book moves on is integral and I think if I had liked Beth, this coming together of two characters might have had more impact....Instead I found Beth’s part of the book unmoving, dramatic, irritating, and unnecessary in moving the story forward to the point where the women connect...I found myself wanting to skip over the chapters involving her to get to Olivia’s story....instead we spent way too much time with Beth getting dressed or eating. I feel like the point at which the two women’s stories connect could have happened much sooner and allowed for more Anthony, more emotion. But once the two women did meet, Beth admittedly did seem to grow from the experience.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but there were two parts of the book that may very well be life-changing for me..... one was the very last chapter, the epilogue of Beth’s book – With every line of that last letter as written from Anthony, I wept harder...My heart, my chest, my throat, my face, my eyes pulsated with something so painful, yet so beautiful and happy at the same time....This letter can stand on its own...it did not need to be part of a book....and if there is one thing every Mom with a child of Autism should know, it’s the perspective written within that letter....I finished this book on the way to see family, in the car as my husband was driving....my son (my version of Anthony) was not with us...he could not have coped with the outing we were making today....I’ve never longed for him so much as I did after reading this book....

And the second......As a Mom of 3 children with autism, I’m always trying to figure out what my children are thinking, trying to understand their thought process....I think I’ve come up with some good theories, but I believe the passage about Anthony's brain being made up of different rooms is the best I've ever read and one I could never have contrived myself...This passage, several paragraphs long is a solid 5 stars !

Thank you Lisa for your book, but mostly, thank you for the last chapter, for the perspective I needed to hear more than any other ! It is a letter I will read over and over again !(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-authors, autism, women

With the reading of each of Lisa Genova's three novels, I have learned something about the workings of the mind. I like that she takes different ways in which the mind can operate from the "normal" path and explores the effects on the person experiencing that abnormality and those around the person, but with the focus on the person whose mind is in aberrant behavior. In this latest novel, Love Anthony, the brain so-called malfunction is autism. Genova states quite clearly in the afterward of her...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I won the book on the Good reads giveaway. I just love it so far, I must keep reading to see what happens.

Just finished this AM. Loved this story & Nantucket. I learned just because a person/child may look or act different does not mean they are stupid or disabled. They just express them shelves in different was. Being a parent of a child with autism is challenging and hard on a relationsonship. Love getting lost in the lives of the two women in this story & all the love that Anthony ta...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Penny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book follows 2 women. One has just gone to live on Nantucket Island following a separation from her husband. This couple are coping with the aftermath of the death of their son, Anthony. The other woman has just discovered that her husband is cheating on her and so she separates from him.
The themes of separation and loss run through the book and seem to work better in parts than in others. For me, the earlier part of the book was repetitive and I found the characters difficult to connect t...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Jean Oram rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: commercial-fiction

I can't wait to discuss this one with book club. While it is a book about a boy who has Autism it is so much more. Is a book about religion, faith, marriage, trust, friendship, the universe and coincidences... Etc.

I didn't want to put this book down. It is definitely more than four stars probably more like five. The book is told from many different points of view in that the main character, Beth who is having marital problems, the mother of the boy with autism--Olivia (who is also having marita...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After having read Lisa Genova's book Still Alice- and really liking it- bringing it up in conversations for months- I should have had more confidence that I would like this book before I read it. She made the world of people living with or dealing with dementia so real, so intriguing, and have me more compassion for their lives. But I think that since it sometimes feels like autism is so... Present... Talked about...that I wasn't sure I would like it. But all those same things applied. I feel mo...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Wendy Hall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book - it was a book that was hard to put down for me. However, after reading "Still Alice" and gaining so, so much insight into early-onset Alzheimer's disease, I was hoping to really gain that same type of knowledge and understanding about children with autism. Yet there was so much drama with some of the other sub-plots (which were interesting and engaging), that I felt like it wasn't this portal into autism that I had hoped for with this read.

The author definitely devel...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Nancy McKibben rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: readers who enjoyed Mark Haddon's curious incident book and who like Anita Shreve

Love Anthony
By Lisa Genova

Two women living on Nantucket Island: one, Olivia, a mother whose marriage has crumbled under the weight of the needs and tragic death of her autistic son, and the other, Beth, whose marriage balances on a knife’s edge as she decides what to do about her husband’s admitted cheating. These women do not initially know each other, but by the book’s end they are so intimately connected that each is able to give the other a profound and unexpected gift.

The chief virtue of th...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Melissapalmer404 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

#2 Book Read in 2013
Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova has become one of my favorite authors. Her previous books, Still Alice and Left Neglected, were powerful reads that showed her background in science before beginning her writing career. Her new book, Love Anthony, shows growth as an author. While less scientific than her other two novels, this book did not disappoint as Genova took a more spiritual bent to her writing.

In Love Anthony, Olivia is dealing with the death of her autistic youn...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like Genova's other two novels, this one is extremely compelling and is such a quick and easy read with her typical short chapters. She has a style of writing that is very casual and open, which means that you can read without having to digest too much. But she definitely does not write fluffy novels: like Still Alice and Left Neglected, Genova uses her background is neuroscience to illustrate another brain condition--autism--in a completely personable manner. I do feel that Love Anthony dealt l...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Kimberly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Back in September of 2011 I reviewed two books by amazing author, Lisa Genova. I have just finished her third book, "Love Anthony." Let me just jump right in and say this wasn't my favorite of the three by any means. I will tell you why, but first let me tell you about the book.

"Love Anthony" takes place on Nantucket Island, where it's busy with tourists and people with summer homes during the warm months and empty but for the locals who live their year-long during the cold winter months. Olivia...more Back in September of 2011 I reviewed two books by amazing author, Lisa Genova. I have just finished her third book, "Love Anthony." Let me just jump right in and say this wasn't my favorite of the three by any means. I will tell you why, but first let me tell you about the book.

"Love Anthony" takes place on Nantucket Island, where it's busy with tourists and people with summer homes during the warm months and empty but for the locals who live their year-long during the cold winter months. Olivia and her husband David purchased an 'investment' home which they visited during the summer with their son Anthony, who at the age of 3 was diagnosed with autism. When he was 8 Anthony died quite tragically, and two years later Olivia and David decided to separate. She moved to the Nantucket home to figure out the whys. Why was Anthony autistic? Why couldn't he communicate with her, tell her he loved her, allow a change in schedule? Why couldn't he look her in the eye? She spent her summer photographing families on the beach and filling in her time with reading the journals she kept while Anthony was alive.

Beth is a long-timer on the island, where she has been living year-round with her husband Jimmy and their three daughters. One afternoon her perfect life and marriage is ruined when she finds out Jimmy has been cheating on her. For a long time. With a co-worker. She kicks him out that day. In the months to follow, to busy her brain, Beth picks up something she hasn't worked on for many, many years; a book. Every day she finds solace in going to the library, sitting in "her" spot and writing her book, usually in long hand but occasionally on her daughter's tablet.

Here's the part of "Love Anthony" that bothered me:

Beth writes about a boy named Anthony who has autism. She writes it from his perspective, as if we are able to read his thoughts. He describes what it is like, how his mind works, why he does what he does. It's actually quite fascinating were it not for the fact that everything about Anthony is identical to Olivia's Anthony. His favorite things, what he eats, how he eats and basically how he compartmentalized. Absolutely everything.

As if she channeled him.

I won't tell you the rest of the book although most of it really is just filler and unnecessary background plots, because the book is worth reading if only to see Lisa Genova's interpretation of the mind of an autistic boy. It makes sense, the way she explains it. In fact, it's amazing how she describes autism from the perspective of the autistic without ever being able to really know.

So. Do I recommend this book? Yes and No. Yes for the Anthony pages which are really only a few, though amazing, but No for the rest of the content, which is a disappointment after Lisa's first two books which were so amazing.

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Dec 08, 2012 Susie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I kept wavering between a 4 and a 5 on this. I listened to the audio version, which was read by Debra Messing. I will miss Beth and Olivia, as I spent hours in the car with them.

I agree with others that some of the mundane details in the beginning seemed extraneous, but as the book went on and gained momentum, I felt like I was listening to some great writing! I enjoy scenes like the library (how dare someone sit in Beth's seat, for a Moby Dick marathon, even) Genova keeps you guessing as to whe...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I give this book 4.5 stars for being well written, but 1.5 stars for some aspects of the plot that really bothered me.

I loved the author's previous book, Still Alice, which is one of my all time favorites. I also really enjoyed her book Left Neglected. So I was eager to read her new novel.

The really great parts of the book explored what it's like to parent a child with autism, and what it's like to be an autistic child. The author did an outstanding job exploring these topics, and I enjoyed thos...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Lainy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Time taken to read - less than 1 day

Blurb From Goodreads

Two women, each cast adrift by unforseen events in their lives, meet by accident on a Nantucket beach and are drawn into a friendship.
Olivia is a young mother whose eight-year-old severely autistic son has recently died. Her marriage badly frayed by years of stress, she comes to the island in a trial separation to try and make sense of the tragedy of her Anthony’s short life.
Beth, a stay-at-home mother of three, is also recently separated a...more Time taken to read - less than 1 day

Blurb From Goodreads

Two women, each cast adrift by unforseen events in their lives, meet by accident on a Nantucket beach and are drawn into a friendship.
Olivia is a young mother whose eight-year-old severely autistic son has recently died. Her marriage badly frayed by years of stress, she comes to the island in a trial separation to try and make sense of the tragedy of her Anthony’s short life.
Beth, a stay-at-home mother of three, is also recently separated after discovering her husband’s long-term infidelity. In an attempt to recapture a sense of her pre-married life, she rekindles her passion for writing, determined to find her own voice again. But surprisingly, as she does so, Beth also find herself channeling the voice of an unknown boy, exuberant in his perceptions of the world around him if autistic in his expression—a voice she can share with Olivia—(is it Anthony?)—that brings comfort and meaning to them both.

My Review

The book starts off with a slow introduction to both Olivia, Anthony's mum and Beth and her family situation. After a small chance meeting at the beach that isn't revisited or the significance shown until later, the story begins at present day. Olivia has come to the island to pick her life up after losing her son and the breakdown of her marriage. Beth is just about to have her world and marriage turned upside down with the shock news of her husbands infidelity. Both women are struggling with their own demons and life changes, living close to each other but unaware of the other.

I was expecting this to be about friendship right from the start however the ladies don't actually properly cross paths until over half way through. Olivia visits the past through her journals and slowly we are introduced to her life with Anthony and her journey after his diagnosis and back to what she is doing now to get back to 'normal'. Beth's path is her journey trying to cope with everyday life after the revelations with her husband and picking up the pieces with her girls, rediscovering who she is. Both women are on journeys and eventually their paths cross and an unexpected link will bring them together.

I enjoyed this story so much that I stayed up until after 3am to finish it. I loved the glimpses of Anthony and think any story that will open peoples eyes and begin an understanding into autism is always a good thing. I liked and disliked Beth's story almost equally, it gives a fantastic insight into what it may be like for an autistic child through the childs's eyes. However the person in Beth's story is identical to someone she has never really met with no real explanation of why. This is just a small issue, the rest of the book I devoured and wanted to read faster than my eyes could manage. I do enjoyed Genova's writing style and her subjects always leave you thinking so 4/5 for me this time.

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Nov 09, 2012 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature-fiction

Story Description:

Gallery Books|September 25, 2012|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-4391-6486-6

I’m always hearing about how my brain doesn’t work right…But it doesn’t feel broken to me. Olivia Donatelli’s dream of a “normal” life shattered when her son, Anthony, was diagnosed with autism at age three. Understanding the world from his perspective felt bewildering, nearly impossible. He hated to be touched. He almost never made eye contact. And just as Olivia was starting to realize that happiness and autism...more Story Description:

Gallery Books|September 25, 2012|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-4391-6486-6

I’m always hearing about how my brain doesn’t work right…But it doesn’t feel broken to me. Olivia Donatelli’s dream of a “normal” life shattered when her son, Anthony, was diagnosed with autism at age three. Understanding the world from his perspective felt bewildering, nearly impossible. He hated to be touched. He almost never made eye contact. And just as Olivia was starting to realize that happiness and autism could coexist, Anthony died.

Now she’s alone in a cottage on Nantucket, separated from her husband, desperate to understand the meaning of her son’s short life, when a chance encounter with another woman facing her own loss brings Anthony alive for Olivia in a most unexpected way.

Beth Ellis’s entire life changed with a simple note: “I’m sleeping with Jimmy.” Fourteen years of marriage and three beautiful daughters, yet even before her husband’s affair, she had never felt so alone. Heartbroken, she finds the pieces of the vivacious, creative person she used to be packed away in a box in her attic. For the first time in years, she uncaps her pen, takes a deep breath, and begins to write. The young but exuberant voice that emerges onto the page is a balm to the turmoil within her, a new beginning, and an astonishing bridge back to herself.

In a piercing story about motherhood, autism, and love, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova offers us two unforgettable women on the verge of change and the irrepressible young boy whose unique wisdom helps them both find the courage to move on.

My Review:

I think I enjoyed this novel much better than Lisa’s “Still Alice”. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it as well but something about “Love Anthony” just resonated with me. I think it was due to the fact it was about children, autism, love, relationships, marriage and friendships. There is so much packed into this wonderful story. The way in which Beth and Olivia’s friendship materialized was enchanting and the story Beth writes is really Anthony’s story, unbeknownst to her of course. Talk about something being ‘coincidental’. It was almost as if Beth had lived through Olivia’s life, truly amazing that someone could create a story from within their mind that turns out to be the true story of someone’s life and mirrored it so, so closely.

Anyone who picks up this novel is going to enjoy it. I know I sure did and will be passing the message onto friends and family.

(less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really loved Lisa Genova's first two books, Still Alice and Left Neglected. I liked this one. Two women on Nantucket lead parallel lives as they negotiate some of life's stormier shoals. Olivia has recently lost her 10 year old autistic son, Anthony. She has come to the family's summer home on the island to work through not just the death of her beloved son, but that of her marriage, due to the stresses of Anthony's life and his death. Beth, an islander and mother of three daughters has discov...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Jeannie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Lisa Genova's first two books and would recommend them highly, (and like many other readers, they were our book club selections)... plus I heard Ms.Genova speak at a local library during the time she was writing this book. She was gracious, funny, intelligent and caring. I anxiously awaited the new release.

However this is not my favorite. I was impatient during the first third of the book: too many pages devoted to too many mundane activities in the daily lives of both Olivia and Beth...I...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Carla Hund rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Love, Anthony is the heart-breaking and life-affirming story of Olivia-who is dealing with the break-up of her marriage to David following the death of their son- and Beth, who is struggling with her husband's infidelity and wondering if she can forgive him-and how they are brought together thru the words of an 8 year old autistic boy named Anthony. The novel takes place on Nantucket Island, and the vivid descriptions of this beautiful place are part of the magic of the story. Olivia escapes to...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Northwestreader rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

On one level, this is an easy-to-read story that focuses on a group of friends who are “year rounders” on Nantucket. This group of women are mostly mothers and wives who lead busy lives and struggle with the usual bumps and grinds in their lives and relationships. They come together regularly for their book club meetings where they certainly discuss their books but additionally lend their support to each other. Parallel to this is another woman who moves to the island to escape her life that has...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a story about two women who connect through one little autistic boy. Beth is a mother of three girls. She is in her thirties and living full time on Natucket Island. One day she is walking on the beach and sees a young boy lining white rocks up in a long line. One day she gets a card saying her husband, Jimmy is having an affair with a waitress at the place where he is the bartender. She throws him out and tries to put her live together. She decides to take up writing again and is haunte...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Dr. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lisa Genova is a brilliant author. She is very educated and her education is displayed throughout her writing.
I first encountered Ms. Genova when I was asked to review STILL ALICE. That book tore at my heart because my dad has Alzheimer's. I sat and cried because I could relate with that novel. it made me stop and think about how my dad was the same man I always loved, he was just trapped inside his body and mind and frustrated by not being his self any longer.
So I was elated to discover Lisa Ge...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Yvann S rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"I'm always hearing about how my brain doesn't work right... But it doesn't feel broken to me"

Beth is left alone in her large house coping with three children after she evicts her philandering husband; Olivia arrives on Nantucket seeking solitude and refuge after her only child, the demanding and all-consuming focus of her life for eight years, dies young. Beth finds herself turning back to her writing amid a crisis of self, inspired by a unique boy in her dreams who struggles to move between ro...more "I'm always hearing about how my brain doesn't work right... But it doesn't feel broken to me"

Beth is left alone in her large house coping with three children after she evicts her philandering husband; Olivia arrives on Nantucket seeking solitude and refuge after her only child, the demanding and all-consuming focus of her life for eight years, dies young. Beth finds herself turning back to her writing amid a crisis of self, inspired by a unique boy in her dreams who struggles to move between rooms of his brain and loves Always Rules. Olivia discovers a talent for photography which forces her out of her sanctuary of a house. They will be each other's salvation.

Olivia and Beth are both strong, interesting women who are very normal - both of them sacrificed their identify for the sake of a more demanding section of the family unit. Both have an inherent creative gift which they only discover later in life, but they deal with personal tragedy in very different ways - Olivia's stoic silence and shut-off-ness from the rest of the island contrasts strongly with Beth and her support network of her children and her friends. As in When It Happens To You, the men in this book are generally negatively characterised - they're all a bit useless. Jimmy is lazy, smokes, is in an apparently dead-end job, and causes the crisis that takes over Beth's storyline. Olivia's husband David is also gone, although I was never really sure why - he seems like a nice guy and nothing seemed to happen to tear them apart other than Anthony's autism and death (I know is sounds odd to say that's nothing, but I don't see why they should have broken up because of it). Beth's book club friends' husbands are almost non-existent.

Genova interleaves the lives of the two women skilfully and neatly; it took a while to realise how they would meet and then a while longer before they did, but that their experiences of Nantucket are so different while they obviously visit the same places helps with the dual storyline idea.

I don't know anyone autistic, so I can't judge how valid the imagined perspective of Anthony is (although "if you've met one child with autism, you've met one child with autism", so maybe Genova could pick pretty much any interpretation and it would be true for at least one child...). But hers was consistent and understandable and rationalised Anthony's behaviour, so certainly better than I expected.

While Genova spends a fair amount of time with Olivia's frustrations as parent to an autistic child and then imagines her way into Anthony's mind, there is also a lot of other stuff going on - especially Beth's story, her marriage, her children, her friends - which, while well-written and I wasn't about to put the book down at any time, is a distraction from the autism line and will, I think, negatively impact the reception of the book. Genova has written about Alzheimer's and Left Neglect syndrome in the past - I've only read Left Neglected but it had a reasonable amount of science/imagined experience of a certain mental disability and stuck almost exclusively to that theme. I'm concerned that Love Anthony, while imaginative and looking at the parent's perspective too, will lose some credibility for its slightly chick-lit style (which is not really alluded to in the blurb); it is a well-written piece of women's fiction dealing with family issues, rather than a novel about living with autism, in a family context.

I did love the idea of therapeutic cooking though.(less)

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About Lisa Genova

I'm a Harvard-trained Neuroscientist, a Meisner-trained actress, and an entirely untrained writer!

My first novel, STILL ALICE, winner of the 2008 Bronte Prize, nominated for 2010 Indies Choice Debut Book of the Year by the American Booksellers Association, and winner of the 2011 Bexley Book of the Year Award spent over 40 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It has been translated into 25...more

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