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Inside the O'Briens

Lisa Genova (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 37,688 ratings · 5,123 reviews

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episode ...more

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Hardcover, 343 pages

Published April 7th 2015 by Gallery Books

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· 37,688 ratings · 5,123 reviews

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Feb 28, 2017 Petra Eggs rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017-100-reviews, 2017-read, fiction, reviewed, psycho-neurology-crime

To sum up in one word: Meh. In one sentence: stereotypical characters who have to face a single dilemma which can be solved in one of two ways and some choose one and some the other. The rest of this review is an elucidation of those two points.

First there was Still Alice which was a brilliant story of the devastation of early-onset Alzheimer's told by Alice herself. Then there was Left Neglected, about the disorder where the body does not recognise one half of the world, including itself. This To sum up in one word: Meh. In one sentence: stereotypical characters who have to face a single dilemma which can be solved in one of two ways and some choose one and some the other. The rest of this review is an elucidation of those two points.

First there was Still Alice which was a brilliant story of the devastation of early-onset Alzheimer's told by Alice herself. Then there was Left Neglected, about the disorder where the body does not recognise one half of the world, including itself. This could have been interesting but the protagonist was a self-obsessed, self-aggrandizing woman whose empathy extended only to the right side of her own world. Now, her latest book in the genre she invented, neurological fiction, 'neuro fiction', is this one, Inside the O'Briens.

All the characters without exception are stereotypical, the Irish cop who has a large family, the mother who might have died of the drink, the daughter who does yoga and is in touch with her inner self, the drifter boy who works in bars and may sleep around. They just weren't interesting. They have been written about so often you could predict the responses, at least I could.

So the book is about Huntingdon's. This is an always-fatal, devastating neurological disease with no treatment at all. If a parent has it, there is a 50% chance of the child having it. So the whole book rests on one premise only, would you get tested and know that at some point before middle-age you would show symptoms of the disease that will kill you or would you not get tested since there's nothing that can be done about it anyway?

That's it. It was all downhill from Still Alice. When I used to read Jodi Picoult and Alexander McCall Smith I had to get their new books but each one was written to the same formula and they had less and less to say. Probably, like in the music business, they had contracts to write x number of books and so even though they weren't buzzing with new ideas, plots and characters, they sat down and wrote for two hours a day and the editor shaped the literary effort into a saleable product. I feel like this about Lisa Genova now.

Two stars because I can't say I enjoyed this book, and if it hadn't been so light and easy to read and skim without missing anything crucial, I'd never have finished it. ...more

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Mar 27, 2015 Will M. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, netgalley, arc, 2015, medicine, favourites, best-of-2015

I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Huntington's Disease is a cruel disease. Once you're gene positive, there's no way out of it. The symptoms are terrible and will worsen over time. I can only feel sympathy toward people who have this merciless disease. As a future doctor, it only pains me to see how hopeless this disease is right now, but I have faith that one day there will be cure for this. It's only a matter of time.

While there are I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Huntington's Disease is a cruel disease. Once you're gene positive, there's no way out of it. The symptoms are terrible and will worsen over time. I can only feel sympathy toward people who have this merciless disease. As a future doctor, it only pains me to see how hopeless this disease is right now, but I have faith that one day there will be cure for this. It's only a matter of time.

While there are hundreds of books regarding romance with health resulting to death incorporated, I believe that this novel aims to inform. It's not supposed to make you feel light hearted, but rather to inform you how serious this condition is. There's a chapter in the end that provides a link wherein you can donate to help develop a cure. I honestly don't think that was meant to be a gimmick, because the author seems to exude genuine concern toward this matter. It can also be seen in the acknowledgments.

So enough with the disease awareness, I'm now going to talk about the novel itself. The perfect way for me to describe it would be that it was completely immersing. The plot was very interesting, and the characters are genuine and life-like. This novel is about a family with a father who has HD and a 50-50 chance of his children inheriting it. It was interesting to read about the family's way of coping with the disease. If the author was true to her word that she really did research on this (interviewing actual victims) then this novel is fantastic. I don't want to spoil anything but all I can say is that I hated and loved the ending. I want more of this book. It should've been longer. I didn't want to part ways with the characters. It feels like I still need time to read about their journey with HD. I'll surely remember them for a very long time. This is the only novel that truly made me feel like shit after reading. Anything medicine related is a plus point for me, in terms of enjoyment.

(view spoiler)

5/5 stars. I don't see anything wrong with the novel, other than it was shorter than it should've been. Completely indulging. One of my highest recommendations yet, but read this only if you can stomach a heart wrenching novel. ...more

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Dec 27, 2014 Debbie "DJ" rated it really liked it

Shelves: health, netgalley

I really liked Genova's book "Inside the O'Brians." She has a way of pulling me into the heart, soul, and life of so many different diseases. This story is about Huntington's Disease, and was told through the life of the O'Brian family. I enjoyed the Irish Catholic setting, a culture where family is highly valued. Of course this made it all the tougher, as the father is diagnosed leaving all four of his children with a 50/50 chance of inheriting the disease themselves. This is where the story le ...more

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Jan 16, 2015 Kelli rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Pass the tissues...this one is a tearjerker (pronounced here as teeya jahkah). Both tragic and triumphant, this moving story was very difficult for me to put down. I was invested and engaged from the first page. Once again the incomparable Lisa Genova gives a face to a rare but devastating disease and places us in the home, heart, and mind of a family left to live with a diagnosis that has leveled them at the knees and will change all of their lives forever. This is a diagnosis that makes one se ...more

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Dec 05, 2014 Debbie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-runner-ups, netgalley, family-drama

Man, what a good read! On the surface, this is simply the story of a close-knit working-class family that suddenly has to face the horrors of the fatal Huntington’s Disease (HD) when Joe, a cop, learns he has the disease and he gradually becomes more and more incapacitated.

But put this simple story into the hands of a writer such as Genova, and you have a masterpiece. The way she describes this family without drowning in sentimentality is an art. Genova’s pacing is spot on, her sentences pure, ...more

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Sep 12, 2014 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

3.5 Once again, Genova takes a regular family, a family that could be yours or mine, and touchingly portrays this family confronted with extraordinary events. In this case the family is Irish Catholic, living in Boston, Joe is a police officer, he and his wife have four grown children. They have the usual problems, not enough time, a grown son still trying to find his way, testing their patience, one son married, and two daughters both somewhat settled in their careers. Life is good but hectic u ...more

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Feb 25, 2015 Shaily rated it it was ok

Shelves: first-reads

*NetGalley ARC*

Because I enjoyed Still Alice so much, I had high hopes going into this book. Unfortunately, I didn't love reading Inside the O'Briens. Half the time, I felt like I was reading a textbook on Huntington's Disease with some examples of how a family is affected thrown in for good measure.

Although it was good to get more than just Joe's perspective, Katie was an annoying character. Her chapters were the same wishy-washy words of should I, should I not, yoga, I don't know HD HD HD. I ...more

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Dec 22, 2014 Maxine (Booklover Catlady) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: net-galley-reviewed, 2015-reading-challenge, books-that-made-me-think, could-not-put-down, family-dramas, tear-jerkers-read

Sometimes a book educates you on matters you were unaware of but should not have been - like Huntington's Disease and how it destroys a person in the most cruelest of ways. Reading this was like a slap in the face, how was I so in the dark about this disease? Then again I have a nephrostomy and 99% of people don't know what that is.

Lisa Genova did that with Inside the O'Briens, not only a brilliant novel but one that brings awareness to an illness that I would guess not many would know a whole ...more

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Feb 26, 2015 Sharon rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, arc, 2015-read

Inside the O'Briens had a great strong start, but I had trouble staying interested.

The first chapter showed us that Joe, the main character, was beginning to have symptoms of Huntington's Disease, though of course he doesn't realize it at the time. Then, the story jumps forward 7 years, only to keep taking us through several situations were he is having symptoms he doesn't understand or recognize. The author takes this time to introduce us to the family and get to know the characters, but it see ...more

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Mar 21, 2015 Carol rated it really liked it

Shelves: published-2015, medical, read-2015, ebook

Lisa Genova really knows how to set the scene of a story and draw you in......44 year old Boston Police Officer Joe O'Brien has been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease shocking him and his close-nit family who soon discover they may also carry the fatal inherited gene. With no treatment to slow the progression or hope of cure in sight, Joe's children struggle with the decision of being tested to uncover their fate.

Informative and heart-rending read depicting a devastating, debilitating and dead

...more

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Nov 24, 2014 Colleen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways

Lisa Genova does it again. Highly recommended for all sorts of readers. How she can take such heart wrenching medical topics and tell such important stories is such a gift. Thanks to Gallery Books for a free copy, and I am so glad to report this is one author I am keeping up with. And so well worth it. More research to cure this so importantly needed.

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Mar 24, 2015 Christine rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Christine by: Personally Kim liking it at 70%

Shelves: literary-fiction, net-galley

I wish to thank Net Galley, Simon and Schuster publishing, and Dr. Lisa Genova for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

Inside the O’Briens is an outstanding novel, possibly my favorite of all 20 books I have read so far this year. It is written by Dr. Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice. Joe O’Brien is a 44 year-old Irish Catholic police officer living in Charlestown, MA, the oldest neighborhood in Boston. Joe is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD), a rare, untreatable, n I wish to thank Net Galley, Simon and Schuster publishing, and Dr. Lisa Genova for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

Inside the O’Briens is an outstanding novel, possibly my favorite of all 20 books I have read so far this year. It is written by Dr. Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice. Joe O’Brien is a 44 year-old Irish Catholic police officer living in Charlestown, MA, the oldest neighborhood in Boston. Joe is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD), a rare, untreatable, neurodegenerative illness. The disease is inherited. A person with HD has a 50% chance of passing the gene on to each child. Everyone with the gene will develop HD; everyone with HD will die. Joe has 4 young adult children--JJ, Patrick, Meghan and Katie. Joe and Katie are the protagonists, and the story is told by both their points of view (3rd person narrative).

What I like best about this novel is how Dr. Genova really focuses onto the many facets of this illness. Being a physician, I am aware of this disease, though I have never seen a patient with HD. I dare say most of the population not in the medical field has never heard of it. The author gives us a very clear picture of what Huntington’s disease is all about. She explains in easy to understand terms what the genetics of HD are, what is involved in finding out if you are carrying the gene, and what it is like for not only the patient to live with HD, but what the ramifications are on the patient’s family, friends and coworkers.

It is not an easy disease to live with. How will you spend the rest of your days and what will be your attitude? How will you relate to your family? It is very difficult for offspring to decide whether or not to undergo genetic testing. Do you want to know that you will die early of this grotesque disease? Or do you decline testing in order to hold out hope even knowing that a negative test would set you free. But will you truly be free even with a negative test? If you test positive or if you decline testing, will you want to marry? Would that be fair? Would you want to have children? Will every stumble, loss of balance or dropped glass be a sign that the disease is beginning? The questions are endless. By opening a window to the O’Brien’s lives, these and other questions are examined in depth through the lives of Joe, his wife Rosie and his children, especially Katie.

It is evident that a tremendous amount of research went into the writing of this fictional account. Dr. Genova has earned a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University so she certainly has the background to write about Huntington’s disease. But it is the way she humanized this disease that moved me. The characters are so compelling, so realistic, and just so….human. To see their struggles in handling the entire situation and how they each came to terms with it was simply spellbinding. I thought about these people when I went to bed and when I woke up. I am still thinking about them after finishing the book. I will miss them.

In summary, Inside the O’Briens is both captivating and highly enlightening. I highly recommend it to all readers. This is my first Lisa Genova book. It will not be the last. 5 stars.
...more

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Apr 12, 2015 Mandy rated it it was ok

I very much enjoyed Genova’s earlier novel Still Alice about Alzheimer's and felt that she dealt sensitively and convincingly with the effects it has on all those involved when a diagnosis hits a family. Unfortunately she has not been so successful in her attempts to write the same book again, this time focussing on Huntington’s. I can’t help feeling she (or her publishers) decided it would be a good idea to cash in on her earlier success by choosing another devastating disease and finding a sto ...more

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Nov 24, 2014 Carmen Blankenship rated it it was amazing

First of all a huge thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are certain times that I get frustrated at being limited to giving a book 5 stars. This is one of those times. Before I review this specific book, I just want to touch on Lisa Genova's body of work. After I read Still Alice, by chance, I immediatley searched Amazon for her backlist. Much to my dismay and astonishment it was her debut. How can a book so flawless be h First of all a huge thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are certain times that I get frustrated at being limited to giving a book 5 stars. This is one of those times. Before I review this specific book, I just want to touch on Lisa Genova's body of work. After I read Still Alice, by chance, I immediatley searched Amazon for her backlist. Much to my dismay and astonishment it was her debut. How can a book so flawless be her first?!? Then I read her bio ... A degree in Biopsychology AND a PHD from Harvard? Then, I decide to email Genova about how much Still Alice impacted me. Guess what? She emailed right back and actually had a 'coversation' with me over email. So not only is she a gifted author, a doctor, and educator, but she is also very NICE! I would say it wasn't fair that one person had so much talent, but I have a feeling that while there is no doubt she has talent, I am pretty sure she has worked her arse off. OK, now on to Inside the O'Briens.

Inside the O'Briens introduces us to Joe, a proud Boston Police officer, his wife Rosie, and their four Children. Their whole family is rocked when Joe is diagnosed with Huntingtons Disease. A disease that is passed down genetically. Not only does the family have to struggle with the symptoms that Joe is presenting but the children (who are all adults) are agonizing over the decision to take the blood test that will tell them, with 100% accuracy, if they will suffer the same fate. While this is the premise of the book, it is so, so, so much more. I loved the O'Brien family. Their Irish pride and their closeness. I found myselft thinking of the O'Briens as I was curling my hair in the morning, driving to work, and just couldn't wait to get back to them.

What Genova is a genius at is educating you on diseases and also how they affect families. I loved Joe and loved how much he adored his "bride" and his children. I hate Huntington's Disease. It is a vicious disease that can go on for generations. I hope a cure is found soon. I make a very modest living but I will donate what I can as Lisa has so gracefully asked.

Honestly, this review could be 3 pages long if I wanted to describe how absorbed I was in this story. My Kindle has yellow highlighted pages in every chapter.

You don't need to even read the next review. Just click "BUY NOW' or however you purchase your books. Just purchase it. ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 Angela M rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

4.5 stars .

I felt as if I knew Joe O'Brien. At first I thought it was because I lived just outside Boston when this story takes place so I really felt like I was there and that I knew this family. More likely it's because Lisa Genova does such an amazing job of letting you know this could be any family , anywhere .

This is about a family not so perfect but real in their flaws and yet perfect in their love and support for each other as they face Joe's diagnosis of Huntington's disease . By reading ...more

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Nov 22, 2014 Elyse Walters rated it really liked it

"Huntington's disease is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure --commonly called a family disease.

The most important thing about Lisa Genova's new book, "Inside the O'Brians", is that she brings awareness to readers of Huntington's disease --and the many different ways it consumes a family.

As Lisa tells the story about The O'Brien family --the reader begins to understand this disease deeper --physically--psychologically--mentally--financially--spirituality--.

There are ...more

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Jan 01, 2015 ☮Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, kindle, read-in-2015, favorites

Imagine you've seemed jittery and moody lately, your speech is slurring occasionally, and man, those involuntary twitches in your face and leg are driving you and those around you batsh%! crazy. These are just some of the symptons of Huntington's Disease, a heritary affliction that lies dormant in you until you are approaching middle age and then gives you 10 years more after that. Ten torturous years, because you will be fully aware of your slide into hell. So by the time you find out you have ...more

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Mar 26, 2015 Carol Brill rated it really liked it

Get out the tissues. "INSIDE" The O'Brien's is the perfect title for this wonderful book because Lisa Genova so skillfully puts us inside each character's world to experience their fear, pain, joy, and hope. She has an amazing talent for creating characters that are familiar, palpable and real without being cliché. From the minute I met Joe O'Brien I felt like I knew him and his wife Rosie. I had heard of Huntington's Disease but had no idea of the course of the disease or that it's hereditary. ...more

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Aug 25, 2017 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read2017, npos

I only know of Lisa Genova through the film adaptation of Still Alice, and I would not have read another book by her unless it came to me through a book swap, which this one did. Still Alice gave my husband and I both the worst nightmares of our lives!

This author, who has a PhD in neuroscience, seems to prefer to write about diseases in novel form. This is no exception, and addresses Huntington's Disease. The book starts with Joe, a Boston cop who drops things for no reason and falls without tri ...more

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Mar 28, 2017 Ace rated it it was amazing

Every family has their battles and this particular family is dealing with Huntington's. I had to take a bit of a break about half way through but it drew me back as I kept thinking about what would happen and how they would cope. Anyone from the Boston area may love this even more than I did?

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Mar 23, 2015 Patrice Hoffman rated it really liked it

Shelves: provided-by-netgalley

Where do I start with Lisa Genova's Inside the O'Briens? I'm often faced with that decision when starting a review for a novel I believe brings so much to the table in terms of its insight, relatability, and the discussion it leaves in its wake. In an effort to not spoil anything I will be brief and only highlight the things that I still think about after reading this novel.

Joe O'Brien is an officer for the Boston Police Department, husband to Rosie, and father to four offspring when he finds ou Where do I start with Lisa Genova's Inside the O'Briens? I'm often faced with that decision when starting a review for a novel I believe brings so much to the table in terms of its insight, relatability, and the discussion it leaves in its wake. In an effort to not spoil anything I will be brief and only highlight the things that I still think about after reading this novel.

Joe O'Brien is an officer for the Boston Police Department, husband to Rosie, and father to four offspring when he finds out the most devastating news of his life. He's gene positive for Huntington's Disease. After a few too many mishaps, sporadic movements, and out of character rampages, he is convinced by his wife to seek help. She thinks he's gone crazy. After getting news of his true diagnosis, crazy seems like a lesser evil.

The novel progresses by telling the Joe's story by cleverly placing intricate details of the neurodegenitive disease and what it means for his future, and his family's future. He will become someone who is unable to control his movements, thinking, and behavior. His cognitive and motor skills will continue to decline until his untimely death. What's worse is that there is a 50% chance of passing this along to his children.

Inside the O'Briens explore how one Irish Catholic family tries to hold it all together while things seemingly fall apart. Joe can't help but feel the guilt of passing this along to his children while a few of his children battle wanting to know or not. This is where I was most intrigued.

We are given the most in depth story of Katie, who struggles between knowing and not knowing. Moving forward with life or allowing Huntington dictate how she would spend her life. Relating to her story is easiest and it constantly made me wonder: Would I want to know? Would I have the courage to find out what my future holds?

Overall, Inside the O'Briens is an interesting, sometimes heartbreaking look into the life of a family who deals with the cards they're dealt. I recommend this book to anyone who shows even a little interest in the subject and wants to get lost in a novel that will make you think, 'would I want to know'?

Copy provided by Simon and Schuster via Netgalley
...more

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Mar 26, 2015 Elaine rated it it was amazing

After finishing Still Alice by Lisa Genova, my next read, quite by chance, was her latest book “Inside The O’Briens”, the story of Joe a 44 year old Boston Cop who has been diagnosed with Huntingdon’s Disease, and the effect that it has on him and his family. I was a little bit dubious at first, thinking “different disease, same story” but as the read went on I really, really enjoyed it and soon got caught up in the lives of this large Boston Irish family. Whereas Still Alice is told entirely fr After finishing Still Alice by Lisa Genova, my next read, quite by chance, was her latest book “Inside The O’Briens”, the story of Joe a 44 year old Boston Cop who has been diagnosed with Huntingdon’s Disease, and the effect that it has on him and his family. I was a little bit dubious at first, thinking “different disease, same story” but as the read went on I really, really enjoyed it and soon got caught up in the lives of this large Boston Irish family. Whereas Still Alice is told entirely from Alice’s point of view, in this book we also see the effect it has on Joe’s family, most notably through the eyes of Katie, his youngest daughter.

It is a horrible disease; cruel, relentless and fatal and the diagnosis has far reaching effects not only for Joe in his family life, but also his career. He is not a high flying big earner, just a hard working policeman and the author really showed the problems he was about to face in his working life now and in the future with regards to his pension and the cost of future care.

The real heartbreak of the story though is the genetic element. If you have the disease then there is a 50/50 chance that your children will have the mutant gene that causes it and if they have that gene then they WILL get the disease. Once again, the author really portrayed the dilemmas faced by his children. Should they be tested or not? Is it better to live in ignorance or is it better to know what is ahead of you? This is really where Katie’s story comes to life as we watch her agonising over whether or not to take the test, especially as she watches her siblings taking the test and getting their results. Although Joe is suffering from a fatal disease, the book is not about dying. It is about living with the disease, or the prospect of it, and not wasting what time you have.

This is an absolutely fantastic story. If you read Still Alice and warmed to the theme of that book, then I really think you would like this book. I cannot finish the review though without mentioning the ending. In one way it is absolutely perfect, but in another way it is so flipping frustrating! Many thanks to the publishers for the review copy.
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Jan 11, 2017 Rebecca McNutt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, family, psychology, medical

Inside the O' Briens is one of the saddest books I've ever read. Not only does the main character have to live with the earth-shattering diagnosis of Huntington's disease, but he also realizes how it might end up affecting his family, especially his daughter, who finds herself unable to cope with the possibility that she might have the same illness. However, the family discovers that this tragic sentence might end up bringing them closer together. This book brings attention to a disease affectin ...more

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Nov 05, 2016 Linda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

What a wonderful book. We are introduced to an Irish Catholic family from Boston, the O'Briens. Joe and his wife Rosie have four young adult children, JJ, Meg, Patrick and Katie. Joe has served on the BPD for over 20 years when he begans having problems and is diagnosed with a rare movement disorder, Huntington's Diease. It's a progressive condition with no cure and there's a 50/50 chance of his children having the gene to develop HD. I loved the O'Brien family, well developed characters that I ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Linda rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

If you have ever read a book by Lisa Genova, then you know you will be treading into a lush field of the informative, the emotional, and the totally involved. You will never quite be the same. This book was no exception.

The story surrounds the O'Brien family who now must open the door and step through to the other side of Huntington's Disease. The knock was one that no one wishes to answer. Joe, the main character, has been recently diagnosed with the disease. He is the father of adult children, ...more

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Dec 22, 2014 Dale Harcombe rated it liked it

Three and a half stars.
This is a story of how one family reacts when the father, Joe O’Brien, a Boston policeman, is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. That is a bad enough blow to deal with, but there is a 50-50 chance that his four adult children have inherited the gene that will see them fall prey to Huntington’s. JJ is married while Meaghan, Patrick and Katie are all single. They have to decide whether to take the test to find out whether they each have the gene or not.
It is obvious there ...more

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Apr 16, 2015 Shannon (leaninglights) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-read-favorites

Actual rating 4.5 stars

Well, I finally read it. I'm so happy that this book was good! I have personal ties to Huntington's Disease so it set the bar quite high with this story. I felt, for the most part, the author did a great job accurately portraying HD and the families it affects. I loved the O'Brien clan and their life in Boston. The story felt real and the characters relatable. And while the ending made me frustrated in one breath, it also made perfect sense and I loved it. This book was ab ...more

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Jan 11, 2016 G.H. Eckel rated it really liked it

Lisa Genova takes us inside a family, the O'Briens, and forces us to look at what is literally inside them: Huntington's Disease, which is a fatal genetic condition, like ALS, that affects roughly 37,000 people. The novel takes us through a tortuous series of losses over the course of a year for Joe O'Brien. He loses his physique, his ability to speak, his job, his control of his body, the health of his children, his religion, his self respect--one crushing blow after another. Yet, he never lose Lisa Genova takes us inside a family, the O'Briens, and forces us to look at what is literally inside them: Huntington's Disease, which is a fatal genetic condition, like ALS, that affects roughly 37,000 people. The novel takes us through a tortuous series of losses over the course of a year for Joe O'Brien. He loses his physique, his ability to speak, his job, his control of his body, the health of his children, his religion, his self respect--one crushing blow after another. Yet, he never loses hope and he learns that life is really about what you pay attention to. If you pay attention to all of the negative things in your life, HD being the worst, then your life is a negative experience. But if you have the wherewithal to look at everything in your life, particularly those things that are in the here and now, you discover that not everything is terrible, you're not already dead, and you can appreciate and enjoy yourself. Joe discovers that living life now, not putting off things, matters. The love of his wife and family matter and he sees them more clearly after a year of HD than he's ever seen them before.

Joe and Katie's revelation is also the reader's. HD is mentioned repeatedly, mercilessly throughout the entire novel. The author holds the reader's feet to the fire to unflinchingly look at one unimaginable loss after another in these people's lives. So, as reader, we focus only on these peoples' disease, just like Joe and Katie do. At the end, we, like Joe and Katie, realize that's all we focused on and there's so much more to these peoples' lives. At the end, we see the love of the family, the promise of dancing in London, the promise of a relationship in Portland, and the love of simple things, like baseball games. So, the author brilliantly catches us in the same conundrum the characters are in, and liberates us at the end of the novel just as the characters are liberated to live their lives regardless of the future.

The author uses Joe's daughter, Katie, as the audience's entrance to the story. She has a 50/50 chance of having HD and we walk in her shoes as she decides if she really wants to know her prognosis. Not knowing, ironically, doesn't free her from the burden of HD, just the opposite. She sits under the weight of the fear of the unknown watching her dad getting crushed by HD, knowing her brother and sister are fated to die of HD. Lisa answers the question, should we want to know in the final chapters. (spoiler alert) The answer is yes. Even if she is positive, she'll be able to see everything in her life that is in addition to HD. She'll be able to travel to Portland with the man she loves because she can live with her love of him, rather than the fear of him loving someone with HD. Katie walks the Freedom Trail in Boston, literally walking away from her home where HD figuratively resides so that she can see everything else beyond HD. This is a triumph of the spirit.

While this story is about HD, the author universalizes the theme by reminding us that we will all die. If our focus is only on that, we will have that life, where death lives in every moment of our lives. If, instead, we pay attention to family and love, adventure and hope, we can have a life that is far richer.

The author uses a poem by Emily Dickinson that says that hope is that feathery thing that perches in the soul that never quits. This is a story of people who never quit and find freedom by enjoying everything in their lives in the here and now.

The novel also puts a face on a disease few of us know. The author uses the metaphor of the Red Sox baseball stadium, which can hold the same number of people that have HD. Joe looks around the stadium and can't see well, but knows that everyone in the stadium has something: 1 is a murderer, others will have cancer, some will lose children, etc. The point is that even though everyone has problems in their lives, they can focus on something else, like a great baseball game, and enjoy themselves. People with HD are not freaks; they're people dealing with something just like all of us deal with things. But hope never quits. Joe is asked by his kids to not commit suicide but instead to set an example for his children of how to live with HD. He does. In the process, he and his daughter, Katie, show all of us how to live, taking the good with the bad without focusing solely on the bad. Reality is what you pay attention to. Pay attention to what you pay attention to! ...more

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Jan 09, 2015 Nancy rated it liked it

I know. Three stars. Before I get into the meat of the book, let me explain because Lisa Genova is one of my very favorite authors. I've always enjoyed her eloquent, intelligent writing. The woman is brilliant and gifted in both the medical field and creative writing. So my real issue with the book was the language. I was distracted by the sheer number of F bombs. It cheapened the eloquent writing style I've come to expect. I buy into the idea that the use of profanity demonstrates a lack of voc I know. Three stars. Before I get into the meat of the book, let me explain because Lisa Genova is one of my very favorite authors. I've always enjoyed her eloquent, intelligent writing. The woman is brilliant and gifted in both the medical field and creative writing. So my real issue with the book was the language. I was distracted by the sheer number of F bombs. It cheapened the eloquent writing style I've come to expect. I buy into the idea that the use of profanity demonstrates a lack of vocabulary. Lisa Genova does not lack vocabulary. But the book is not written from her own POV. The protagonists are blue collar Bostonians - Irish American. So I get it. I get that the characters were rough around the edges. Joe is a veteran cop. That's how he talks and that's how he thinks. I'm just saying that it was distracting, particularly from an author I've loved. That said, had I known ahead of time, I still would have read the book.

The story is a raw, real look at Huntington's Disease, a genetic anomaly in the DNA that is not a respecter of persons. The book begins with Joe, a Boston cop, in his mid thirties, he demonstrate an inkling of the disease. The reader moves from Joe as he progresses in the disease, becoming more clumsy, exhibiting chorea, getting stuck in thinking errors to Katie, his daughter as she becomes paralyzed with fear of the disease. Who has it? There are 4 grown children in various stages of life. Each child has a 50% shot at carrying the gene. If you carry the gene, you develop the disease eventually. Do you get the genetic testing and find out?

Everything about Genova's story is grittingly raw and real. I have a friend who was dating a man when the genetic sequence was identified and subsequently offered to relatives of identified sufferers of Huntington Disease. I didn't know at the time why he put their relationship into a screeching halt for weeks. I didn't know the drama that was playing out in their families until later. His mother was at the point that she could no longer care for her husband and put him into assisted care. His sister, a woman I met a year earlier, was a mother of five children ranging from 11 to 2 years old. She was showing signs of the disease. She chose to be tested. She was HD positive. At the time, the children could also be tested. Yet if they tested positive, would the diagnosis preclude them from quality health insurance? Pre-existing conditions were always the loophole insurance companies used at the time. The mother of the young children deteriorated quickly and her care was pushing the young father to the brink of bankruptcy.

So basically, I read the book but I caught a preview 20 years in advance. I can't tell you what happened to the real people I described in the previous paragraph because, minus the F bombs and the geography, this book tells their story. Those who carry the gene develop the disease and it is horrible. Those who don't carry the gene never get it and don't pass it on to the next generation but they care for their loved ones and suffer with them.

So it all sounds pretty hopeless and a real downer yet I must remind you that this is an author who somehow instills hope and love of life into her characters. The book is an excellent educational vehicle for Huntington's Disease but it also provides they greatest gift an author can give. Hope.

http://amusingreviews.blogspot.com/20... ...more

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Mar 29, 2017 Trey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So heart-sick over this tale.
"Inside the O'Briens" is a humble, yet shining banner that raises awareness for Huntington's Disease. This is a powerhouse of a story; an intimate portrait about a family facing an epic issue. The strength of this story is Genova's expert ability to provide an instant familiarity with all the characters and what's inside their heads, especially 'Joe' - the old-school cop (and head of the family) who toughs everything out instead of going to doctors or counselors. 'K ...more

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About Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova

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Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University.

Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa has captured a special place in contemporary fiction, writing stories that are equally inspired by neuroscience and the human spirit. She is author of t ...more