Genova, Lisa - Still Alice ; Informal Buddy Read ; Start Date December 16 2014

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

                    

Alice Howland—Harvard professor, gifted researcher, and lecturer, wife, and mother of three grown children—sets out for a run and soon realizes she has no idea how to find her way home. She has taken the route for years, but nothing looks familiar. She is utterly lost. Medical consults reveal early-onset Alzheimer's.

Alice slowly but inevitably loses memory and connection with reality, as told from her perspective. She gradually loses the ability to follow a conversational thread, the story line of a book, or to recall information she heard just moments before. Genova's debut shows the disease progression through the reactions of others, as Alice does, so readers feel what she feels: a slowly building terror

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★


What is a buddy read?

An “Informal Buddy Read” doesn’t have a discussion leader and participants are asked to consider some generic questions when making comments about the book


EXPECT SPOILERS!

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

reserved

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

This book is currently available for approved Australian readers via netgalley here: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho...

[Kristie]

I'm going to try to join this one, but I'll have to see how busy December turns out to be.

[Renee]

There is a movie based on this book due to be released in the cinema January 16, 2015.


I'm in for a reread. I read it last year and loved it.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

:) I'm keen to read before the movie. I love doing comparisons!

[Rebecca]

Ooh I really want to read this! I had no idea it was being made into a movie.

[Michelle]

Bugger. I'm already halfway through reading this one for my real life bookclub.
I'm definitely interested to see what everyone here has to say about it though when you all start.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Michelle wrote: "Bugger. I'm already halfway through reading this one for my real life bookclub.
I'm definitely interested to see what everyone here has to say about it though when you all start."

:) How are you enjoying it so far?

[Sarah]

I don't know what is going on right now with me and books with characters suffering from Alzheimer's disease but I have recently finished and - both I thought did a wonderful job of portraying this illness... And now this one.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

I find that happens sometimes, you just get a run of certain books. It happened with one of my RL bookclubs... every book seemed to contain incest... it got a bit ridiculous so we made people research the book to ensure no incest before choosing it... lol

[Sarah]

Incest - oooh, gross. That happened to me once when my brother was living with me and I somehow kept renting movies with incest - I was like WTF is going on here, this is not my intention bro - I swear to God. Awkward.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

BAHAHAHAHA

ok, I read that and really did 'laugh out loud'. My son gave me a weird look
:)

[Missy]

I LOVED this book! Would love to pop in for the discussion after you all read it!

[Laura]

One of my favorite books! Hope you all enjoy as much as I did.

[Michelle]

Karen wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Bugger. I'm already halfway through reading this one for my real life bookclub.
I'm definitely interested to see what everyone here has to say about it though when you all start."
..."

It's ok I guess :-) It's not really the kind of book I normally read but I can see how it affects other people so much.

[Renee]

Michelle wrote: "Bugger. I'm already halfway through reading this one for my real life bookclub.
I'm definitely interested to see what everyone here has to say about it though when you all start."
If you don't finish reading this until after the 8th November, then you could still get points for joining the discussion.

[Andrea]

Count me in as well! I've been meaning to read this for a while.

[Cynthia]

I picked up this book when my Gran was in the last stages, and never could bring myself to start reading it. Maybe it's time?

It looks like such a good book. I'm in!

[Margaret]

I think I have this one....count me in! I have been wanting to read it for a while and yet at the same time dreading it because of the subject matter....I need to brace up and do it. :)

[Rebecca]

@Margaret - Those are my thoughts exactly. I put it on my TBR list thinking maybe I would get to it eventually... But never really wanting to start it because of the subject. I think this buddy read is exactly what I need to push my way through it.

[Shinjini]

I'm in for this.

[~Melissa~]

This book is fabulous - I hope you all enjoy this!!

[[deleted user]]

I want to participate too!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Great, welcome!

[Lára]

Ok, I'd love to (and probably will) join this one.
I'd just like to know (more like an bonus) whether it'll count for Team Reads Challenge?

I'm confused with all the relaxed/informal buddy reads. Does only BOM counts? Last year it wasn't so complicated :(

[Rebecca]

Yaa it's a buddy read so you get extra 30 extra points! (on top of the page points)

[Renee]

Lára wrote: "Ok, I'd love to (and probably will) join this one.
I'd just like to know (more like an bonus) whether it'll count for Team Reads Challenge?

I'm confused with all the relaxed/informal buddy reads. ..."

Yep, this one will count for Tower Teams III points. All of the types of buddy read, series read and book of the month will give you 30 points for discussion on top of the points for page count.

[Allison Ann]

I started reading this last night and I couldn't stop. Finished way past my bedtime and now work is going to be rough today. :D Good book, looking forward to discussing it. Come on December 16th.

[Margaret]

I just finished one of my books and thought about starting on this one early. I might do that since I will have a discussion buddy. :)

[Allison Ann]

I'll be here when you're reading. I have many thoughts and feelings. :)

[Margaret]

I will start it today :)

[Margaret]

oh man, this is starting so good, I think that my other BR book will have to wait for most of the day. I have a headache but can manage to read and this book will nurse it quite nicely.

[Margaret]

I am half way through the book and boy is it good. I rarely will take on a book about Alzheimer's because of my own family history. I had three aunts on my father's side who had early on-set Alzheimer's (out of 12 children). I actually need to check with my sister who is into genealogy and who should have the correct number of aunts, or uncles, for that matter. I know there were as many as three. My father never acquired it but this has always been a sore spot with me. Reading this book has been a bit of an emotional chore.

So, there aren't any chapter numbers rather dates for a beginning of a Chapter. So, I am up to July 2004 (view spoiler)[ I can't imagine how hard it will be for John and her children once Alice's symptoms worsens, when she will not be able to remember their faces or names. I really think the author has done a superb job in building the story so far, bringing us slowly into the disease. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison Ann]

I was concerned about reading a book about Alzheimer's also. Both my grandmothers had the disease and my mother has never had a good memory to begin with, sometimes her forgetfulness makes me panic a little (and her name is Alice, damn book). :)

In any case, I think I was okay with this book because (view spoiler)[ the writing was almost clinical to begin with. The emotions were there but they weren't too over the top, too sad. Alice was mainly methodical about her illness and it made me comfortable. The husband stressed me out though. I didn't lose it and turn into a sobbing mess until her speech. I was so sure that the author was going to make the success of the speech a figment of the Alzheimer's, so I was so thankful and happy that Alice had that (possibly last) triumph. (hide spoiler)]

[Margaret]

ah....so I am not the only one reading this book with family members that have had Alzheimer's. (view spoiler)[I think that the writing was clinical but served a purpose in presenting the disease and story in a way that wasn't over the top emotional and we were educated in the process. I agree the husband got under my nerves as well. Either he was in total denial or not in tune with Alice, I think he used his job and being perhaps a bit too hopeful, in an ignorant way. I really liked how the children were trying to help establish routine and a way for Alice to keep her bearings. Oh and that ending! simply beautiful! (hide spoiler)]

[Cynthia]

I've read through January 2004 (view spoiler)[

I feel like I made a big connection with Alice when she was arguing with her daughter. I think I've had that exact conversation with mine. It made it so much harder to see her losing her memory.

I can also understand why she would consider killing herself. She must feel like the part of her that is her is dying. I'm glad she finally told John. (hide spoiler)]

I didn't go visit my Grandmother in the last year of her life. My last visit with her was awful. She was still verbal and mobile, but she didn't know who we were. She knew she should know, because we were there and smiling at her. She look terrified.

My mother had posterboards with labeled photos, and scrapbooks with pictures and labels. She spent hours going over things with Granny, and both of them were miserable, frustrated and angry, throughout. I never could make mother stop that. Never.

[Margaret]

Cynthia....It really is eye opening hearing about your own experience with this horrible disease and I can imagine how tough it was so hard for you to watch your Grandmother decline. And your poor mother! Interesting how our connection and love with our family is so memory based, and of course if a loved one doesn't even remember who you are, well, that takes the cake. Ugh....so sad. :(

(view spoiler)[I was surprised about the plan that Alice had in place to kill herself and I wonder if those few instances where she was looking for something was because she had gone to the computer and was trying to follow out the plan? (hide spoiler)]

[Cynthia]

April 2004 (view spoiler)[ I'm surprised that the family told Alice that Anna had the gene. I wouldn't have told my mother, and by the time I had any symptoms she would either be dead or too far gone to understand.

As much as Alice is suffering re her own dx, the pain of passing the gene along to Anna must be hell. So much worse than her own diagnosis. (hide spoiler)]

[Margaret]

Cynthia (view spoiler)[I think that the family should have kept that to themselves as well, too devastating for Alice and talk about the overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison Ann]

I wouldn't have told either. There's enough guilt involved in this disease as is.

[Cynthia]

I'm finished. What a wrenching story. (view spoiler)[

I was so pleased, and surprised, to see that the child who understood Alice the most was Lydia. And grateful that she still found ways for Alice to make contributions to her life in the end stages of her disease.

John was such a disappointment, so selfish. He couldn't be bothered to stay with Alice in the days of dwindling self, but he couldn't respect her wishes to end her life before her life ended her. I didn't like him at all. But I've seen a lot of people like him. Won't let go, but they aren't really there, either.

I think that Genova straddled the fence a bit on the suicide issue, but in real life the fence is right where it sits. She did a good job showing both sides of it. The fact that John didn't reveal Alice's plan to her children may be his only redeeming quality. And I think he was tempted, if only to make himself look better.

(hide spoiler)]

And I'm now ready to read something totally frivolous.

[Margaret]

Cynthia....I think you summed it up quite nicely, I especially liked what you said about John. I need to find something totally frivolous. I just finished a book about a woman that battled breast cancer and now reading about Bob Dylan. I need something to read totally for fun.

[Renee]

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "This book is currently available for approved Australian readers via netgalley here: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/sho..."

It's been archived now, but my review made it to the advance praise section :)

[Renee]

I've just started my reread. So far it is just scene setting. Alice has noticed something isn't right and has gone to her GP. I was impressed with how thorough the GP was and that Alice looked for help as soon as she realised something wasn't right. So many people put off going to the doctor as they are in denial. The more clinical writing style suits Alices personality.

**Checking tissue box stock, know emotionally draining reading is ahead**

[Renee]

I'm about a third through now.
(view spoiler)[ Alice and John have just told their kids. Two of them want to get screened but one doesn't. I'm not sure if I would get screened or not. I can see the benefits of both. I think I would get screened, just so I know. I think the knowing I had a 50% chance would hang over me and worry me more than knowing either wway. If I screened negative, a burden would be lifted. If I screened positive, then I would have time to plan and make the most of the lucid time I had instead of putting things off for later. (hide spoiler)]

[Margaret]

Renee...how is it being it is your second time around to read it? I would like to eventually re-read it.
(view spoiler)[I think I would like to know as well, better to know and do everything I can than not know. Knowledge is power even with an incurable disease. (hide spoiler)]

[Renee]

I'm really enjoying it second time around. It really hit me the first time, so i feel better prepared this time. It was a 5 star read and I think it will keep that rating. I used to reread more than I do now. There are so many books and so little time..... I plan to watch the movie early next year, which I expect to make me cry. Sometimes that's just what you need.

[Margaret]

I can't wait to see the movie, it will be a tear-jerker for sure :)

[Sarah]

I hope to start tomorrow night, after I get home from my 12 hour shift.