Every Note Played in Around the World in 80 Books

May 13, 2018 Diane rated it it was amazing

I just finished this book. I am blubbering, and this is not what I do.

I found Lisa Genova’s Inside the O’Brien’s first and was so enthralled by the educational aspects and the facets of treating this neurological disorder - from the symptoms, the prognosis, the family history, the financial and legal ramifications, to the genetic implications and the moral quandary that faces each person in their family (do you get tested?). I developed a real knowledge about Huntington’s, and how it affects th I just finished this book. I am blubbering, and this is not what I do.

I found Lisa Genova’s Inside the O’Brien’s first and was so enthralled by the educational aspects and the facets of treating this neurological disorder - from the symptoms, the prognosis, the family history, the financial and legal ramifications, to the genetic implications and the moral quandary that faces each person in their family (do you get tested?). I developed a real knowledge about Huntington’s, and how it affects the entire family.

Lisa’s characters are believable, the locations and characters are well-researched, and her plots suck me in. I cared about these people. So, then I read and saw Still Alice. It didn’t grip me as much as the first, but when this novel came out, I immediately got it through Audible. I had a false start and finished the whole thing today.

Oh, my.

This is the story of a 46 year old world class pianist who loses the use of his right arm and receives a diagnosis of ALS, an insidious and fast-moving disease that paralyzes its victims part by part until it kills them. You don’t know what the progression will be or when it will happen. Richard, the pianist, had a stellar career, partly because he chose the piano over his (ex-)wife and daughter, and now, as he faces an early demise, he begins to regret his choices. As he loses his ability to speak, he finds he has so much to say. Does he have the courage to say it? And will he summon the courage in time? And how soon is ‘too late’?

All I can say was this felt so...real. I feel like I have gone through their journey with them, and I’m blubbering to my husband as I relate what happened to the characters as though they are real people I have known. Yes, Lisa Genova writes to instruct. You learn about treatments, costs, prognoses, etc, but there is also enough of a story and realistic characters to draw you in on a personal level.

Therefore, I highly recommend this novel, but with the caveat that this does feel so real. It may be too much for some, so just make sure you are prepared to handle this before you proceed. I am the richer for it.

...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 10, 2018 Alisa rated it really liked it

ALS, what an incredibly cruel disease. This book is unflinching in its details of how it progressively destroys the body, in this case that of a famous concert pianist. Genova does a masterful job of interlacing the medical facts of ALS into the story of the failed marriage of Richard and his ex-wife Karina, who is now thrust into the thankless and exhausting role of his caregiver.
Second book in a row that has left me in tears.

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2018 Tanya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like · see review

Feb 28, 2018 Lisa of Hopewell rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, read-in-2018

You can read my full review here: https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpr...

I learned of this book thru this blog post: https://novelsandnonfiction.com/2018/... ...more

Like · see review