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Still Alice
- Narrated by: Lisa Genova
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
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Still Alice
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Editorial reviews
The heart-wrenching tale of 50-year-old Alice Howland and her early onset Alzheimer's diagnosis is narrated eloquently by author Lisa Genova. Alice, a successful linguistics professor at Harvard, is married to John, an equally esteemed Harvard professor, and together they have three grown children. Her biggest worry in life is her youngest daughter's move to L.A. to pursue acting until Alice starts forgetting things. It begins innocuously enough: misplacing her BlackBerry, missing unimportant appointments on her to-do list, searching her mind for tip-of-the-tongue phrases. But when she goes on her familiar daily run through Cambridge, and becomes disoriented just one mile from home, Alice knows something is terribly wrong.
A battery of tests and multiple doctor visits later, her worst nightmare is confirmed she is in the first stages of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Told from Alice's perspective, it's a frighteningly keen insight to the slow deterioration of a debilitating disease. Every nuance of pain, frustration, fear, and sorrow is captured in Genova's voice and she expertly utilizes the pregnant pause, and short, choppy sentences to convey the confusion and pain of Howland's thoughts during testing and diagnosis.
Genova's slight Boston accent lends authenticity to the story, and she doesn't oversell the emotion behind the words. Her transitions between character dialogue are smooth and subtle, but she so embodies the main character Alice, it's hard to remember that it is Genova, and not Howland herself, telling her story. Knowing its being read exactly as it was intended by the author creates an even stronger connection to the work. Equally present is the devastating effect this illness has on Alice's husband, children, and coworkers. And while there's obviously no happy ending in sight, Genova still manages to paint a story of hope, reminding listeners that even in the midst of great loss and suffering, love remains. Colleen Oakley
Publisher's Summary
Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At 50 years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she begins to grow disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life - and her relationship with her family and the world - forever.
At once beautiful and terrifying, this extraordinary debut novel by Lisa Genova is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Ordinary People.
Critic Reviews
"With grace and compassion, Lisa Genova writes about the enormous white emptiness created by Alzheimer's." ( The Improper Bostonian)
"A masterpiece that will touch lives in ways none of us can even imagine." ( Alzheimer's Daily News)
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What listeners say about Still Alice
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Maree Tindale
- 06-03-2015
Still Alice
Great story, well read, very moving, enjoyed every minute. Great to listen to while driving.
Would recommend it to anyone.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-04-2022
enlightened
excellent book for an insight into the life of living with dementia and altzheimer
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Philip
- 17-07-2015
Still Alice promotes understanding and not pity.
I'm not a person with dementia but have met people with dementia including people with Early Onset Dementia—what is known as Younger Onset Dementia (YOD) here in Australia. Lisa Genova's writing of Alice's experience rings so true to me as a mere observer. Brilliantly crafted and honed, this book seems not a fiction but a memoir; it made me think throughout of a friend of mine with YOD and the journey she travels with her husband and family. Genova's novel incites understanding and not pity. It is a must read for everyone who seeks to understand the beautifully complex world around them. Lisa's reading brought a real sense of what she wanted to say to the story, great stuff!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 23-10-2018
I enjoyed every moment
the book is giving me a sense of empathy towards dementia and alzheimers. I really felt moved during parts of the book.it was very easy to listen to and I loved having the author of the book read it to me.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Josie
- 17-03-2015
Loved this book
Now I can't wait to see the movie. It's wonderful how the author lets you Ito inside the mind and share the joys, fears and grief.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kylie
- 15-06-2015
Heart wrenching
I enjoyed this book however the narration was flat and slow. The story was unique in that it is written from the sufferers point of view which I loved and at time brought me to tears.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Foster
- 13-03-2015
First audio book
This was my first audio book and I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved that the author read it to me.
I really believed the story and came to wonder if I or someone I knew could one day live Alice's story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jazmin Jade
- 12-07-2017
Great and honest
I really enjoyed thus story. I felt it was an honest representation of the disease, and because of this at certain parts I had to put it down and stop listening for awhile because it made me cringe. the only negatives I can give is I would have like different character voices even though I didn't get the characters mixed up once with them a ll having the same voice, and at times the story moved very slow. I suggest it to people who enjoyed the book Wild.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-11-2019
Beautifully told, poignant and moving
Still Alice tracks the progression of Alzheimer's disease in the mind and life of a brilliant Harvard professor, whose passion and work revolved around language. In a cruel twist of fate, the story follows Alice from early diagnosis to the point where she is cradling her grandchild and referring to her daughters as "the actress" and "the mother." Narrating this story from Alice's perspective as she struggles to describe and make sense of the world around her, offers a valuable insight into the world of anyone suffering progressive cognitive impairment, and will hopefully create greater understanding and compassion towards them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Janie
- 11-06-2021
Very insightful book
Loved this book very much. So insightful into the world of someone losing their lives to such a dreadful disease of the mind
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