What Alice Forgot
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- Create Date：2021-05-07 00:31:11
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Liane Moriarty
- ISBN：0425247449
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Summary
Alice Love is twenty-nine， crazy about her husband， and pregnant with her first child。 So imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym （a gym！ She HATES the gym） and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over — she’s getting divorced， she has three kids， and she’s actually 39 years old。 Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade， and find out whether it’s possible to reconstruct her life at the same time。 She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her， and how is it that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes。 Ultimately， Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse， and whether it’s possible to start over…
*Kirkus Reviews
*Kirkus Reviews
Reviews
Martha Carter
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I really liked this book！ Listened to the audio version and the narrator has an Australian accent which is appropriate since the setting is in Sydney。。。 loved the main characters and the real life struggles of busy families。 This book seems so real and honest。 Couples going through divorce and some others through fertility issues。。。。 would recommend for sure。
Rio
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Different pace for Liane Moriarty。 Raised so many important questions about life， marriage， family。 I loved this
Cecilia Chavez
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Too many unnecessary words。 And the random letters by Libby and Frannie served almost no purpose。
Eilonwy
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4 stars for the idea2 stars for the execution On May 2， 2008， Alice Love falls off her spin bike and whacks her head a good one — hard enough to knock her out， and to knock out 10 years of memories as well， because when she wakes up， she thinks it’s 1998， when she was 29， relatively newly wed， and expecting her first baby。 But of course a lot has changed in the past decade。 Most of all， Alice herself。 I have mixed feelings about this book。 The idea behind it is scary and but also beautiful: W 4 stars for the idea2 stars for the execution On May 2， 2008， Alice Love falls off her spin bike and whacks her head a good one — hard enough to knock her out， and to knock out 10 years of memories as well， because when she wakes up， she thinks it’s 1998， when she was 29， relatively newly wed， and expecting her first baby。 But of course a lot has changed in the past decade。 Most of all， Alice herself。 I have mixed feelings about this book。 The idea behind it is scary and but also beautiful: What if you woke up in the middle of your current life， and were able to view it objectively， as if you were learning about someone else， and as if your children were strangers you’re just meeting and getting to know？ What if the person you keep hearing about now isn’t anyone you could imagine becoming？ How did you get from your fuzzy youth to your sharp-edged middle age？ I really wanted to read that book。 But sadly， this book isn’t the one I wanted to read。 It was enjoyable enough that I finished it。 But it was also just too frustrating for me。 And also at least 100， and possibly 200， pages too long。 I would have preferred a leaner story with more direct emotional punch and less meandering。 I normally enjoy the way Liane Moriarty presents her characters’ thought processes and foibles， but in this book， the comic aspect of Alice’s experiences and reactions just fell flat for me。 My biggest complaints were: * First， the math in this book is off。 I thought Alice’s first baby was supposed to be born in 1998 （“we’ll have a toddler at the turn of the millennium！” her husband， Nick， crows in one flashback）， but then it’s firmly stated that the baby’s due date was 8-8-99 — definitely not a toddler by January 1， 2000， and not 9 going on 10 in 2008 as the story insists。 Alice’s 30th and 40th birthdays are of course similarly messed up。 * Alice’s post head-whack care is appalling。 The hospital keeps her one night and lets her out when she merely states that her memory is back and that she knows the correct date， which seems mighty careless of the hospital staff。 How bad is her concussion supposed to be？ She doesn’t have many symptoms other than memory loss， but that seems like a biggie。 The adult members of her family — older sister， mother， honorary grandmother — are also disturbingly casual， just leaving Alice alone at her house， and then with her children who she doesn’t know and can’t remember taking care of。 Yes， I realize they have their own lives and homes to attend to， but this struck me as dangerously derelict and I couldn’t get past it。 * This book wouldn’t exist at all if any of those family members had just sat down and told Alice what was going on in the present， and I never satisfactorily understood why none of them did。 Instead， they treated her memory loss as something to be vaguely embarrassed about and therefore to avoid discussing。 * And yes， it was entertaining and somewhat gripping to discover what had happened to Alice over that lost decade and especially the most recent year or so， but at the same time， each reveal left me muttering “That was all？ But that’s so boring in comparison to the build-up！ Why is everyone acting like it’s a deep dark secret they couldn’t just tell her？！” * For 99% of the book， the reader sees 29-year-old Alice as sweet， good-natured， and a bit fluffy， and 39-year-old Alice as the complete opposite: bitter， cynical， hard， and tough-minded， and not very likable at all。 It was hard for me to believe that someone’s basic personality could do such a turnaround。 To be fair， the last few pages do a beautiful job of filling both Alice and the reader in on what Alice forgot， and her 39-year-old self is redeemed and made empathetic and much more admirable， but for me， it was far too little far too late。 （（view spoiler）[I also found that the reason for her and Nick’s divorce was a bit too simplistic: I’m supposed to believe that Alice’s 20-something self had no taste， and that she and Nick never really liked each other。 That definitely happens， except Nick’s 20-something self was presented as a thoughtful， insightful， warm， kind， very decent guy， and that was just ripped away from him。 A more pointed， less comically-angled narrative might have made this work better for me。 （hide spoiler）]） * Last， Alice's sister Elizabeth's story bothered me personally （view spoiler）[because sometimes women don't end up with babies， and sometimes that's actually okay， and I wish more authors felt comfortable acknowledging that。 But that's just my own quibble， and I'm happy for the character （hide spoiler）]。 I was really looking forward to reading this book， but it really fell flat for me。 I still plan to read everything else Liane Moriarty has written， but she’s definitely moved into the “hit or miss” column for me rather than “can’t miss。” 。。。more
Jennifer Leo
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Really intriguing premise。 If you woke up and lost 10 years you might view your life and your family with more forgiveness and grace。
Lacey
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Not a fan
Joy Donley
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Wow。 This book was SO riveting！ I've really enjoyed Liane Moriarty's work， especially "Big， Little Lies" and "Nine Perfect Strangers。" But this one now is my favorite！ I was so taken in by the situation Alice was in， namely， waking up from a head injury and forgetting the past 10 years of her life。 As she discovers how much the world has changed， and how much SHE has changed （at least according to her friends/family/neighbors）， I couldn't help but feel her pain deep in my gut。 Not being able to Wow。 This book was SO riveting！ I've really enjoyed Liane Moriarty's work， especially "Big， Little Lies" and "Nine Perfect Strangers。" But this one now is my favorite！ I was so taken in by the situation Alice was in， namely， waking up from a head injury and forgetting the past 10 years of her life。 As she discovers how much the world has changed， and how much SHE has changed （at least according to her friends/family/neighbors）， I couldn't help but feel her pain deep in my gut。 Not being able to remember her children。 Not understanding why her husband hates her， or why everyone keeps talking about a woman named Gina。 What a riveting "what if" story！ It really made me think: what kind of person would I be if I couldn't remember the past 10 years？ How would that change me？ 。。。more
Shana
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I didn’t like the letters to Elisabeth to Jeremy and Dr。 Hodges at all， really。 I felt like they interrupted the story and were more confusing than helpful， and not very thoughtful - or Frannie’s letters to Phil （which I felt were really predictable and done in so many books including the last book I read）。 Neither to me contributed much to the plot。 I feel like maybe they could have been done some other way， if they were necessary to the author。 Neither were necessary to me。However， I thought t I didn’t like the letters to Elisabeth to Jeremy and Dr。 Hodges at all， really。 I felt like they interrupted the story and were more confusing than helpful， and not very thoughtful - or Frannie’s letters to Phil （which I felt were really predictable and done in so many books including the last book I read）。 Neither to me contributed much to the plot。 I feel like maybe they could have been done some other way， if they were necessary to the author。 Neither were necessary to me。However， I thought the story itself was thought provoking and interesting。 It really made me think about I was myself from 10 years ago， what would I think of my life now - would I be surprised， would I like the person I am now？ I really liked Alice and her journey to figure out why she became the person she is now。 It was a fun read！ 。。。more
Kelli Karau
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Love how this book makes you think about how much you've changed in the last 10 years （for the good and for the bad）。 I think it can help give you a new perspective on things。 I really enjoyed this read！ Love how this book makes you think about how much you've changed in the last 10 years （for the good and for the bad）。 I think it can help give you a new perspective on things。 I really enjoyed this read！ 。。。more
Jenny
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4。5/5 stars - Probably my favorite Liane Moriarty book， though I probably would not have appreciated it as much five years ago when I read all of her other books。 She definitely nailed the feelings and struggles with the infertility story line。 And I just really appreciated the theme of valuing and appreciating family - even those moments that feel insignificant。 So good。
Felisa
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Loved this book！ I laughed and cried and could relate to so much in it。
Ryan
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Fun story but thinking about what it would be like to be missing ten years is quite fascinating。 Interesting book。
Angelina
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4。5 starsThe end was… all over the place。 Why。
Claudia
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4。5⭐️I enjoyed this book。 Loved the Australian accent on the audiobook。 It was a good story and I really liked Alice。 Elizabeth was a little of a downer。
♫Angielee♫
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Meh。 It was okay。
Amanders
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Definitely not what I was expecting at all！！ Was expecting a fun page turner about a woman who loses her memory and perhaps learns something。 But instead the entire book was， sorry to say， a worse version of the TV show “Samantha， Who？”。 Alice painfully bumbles along with no one filling her in on the basics of her life。 Her family and friends are no help。 I know I had to suspend reality while reading but jeez。 The only redeeming part is the end， when finally everything clicks for her， and like a Definitely not what I was expecting at all！！ Was expecting a fun page turner about a woman who loses her memory and perhaps learns something。 But instead the entire book was， sorry to say， a worse version of the TV show “Samantha， Who？”。 Alice painfully bumbles along with no one filling her in on the basics of her life。 Her family and friends are no help。 I know I had to suspend reality while reading but jeez。 The only redeeming part is the end， when finally everything clicks for her， and like any good chick lit， everything is wrapped up perfectly。 At least there’s that。 Way too long， and just not fun enough to make the last couple pages worth it。 。。。more
Charlotte Mckee
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Really enjoyed this one！
Hannah
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Thought provoking。 Though as someone who has had family lose memory， I was shocked that the family was just like， ok！ Let's leave you alone！ With all these kids！ That you don't know！！ What？！？！？！ That was odd。 Thought provoking。 Though as someone who has had family lose memory， I was shocked that the family was just like， ok！ Let's leave you alone！ With all these kids！ That you don't know！！ What？！？！？！ That was odd。 。。。more
Kelly
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This book was pleasantly surprising and not at all what I expected。 It sucked me in from the beginning and while it wasn’t completely enthralling， it was a reflective read。 The perspective of the sister and grandma were confusing at first， but I enjoyed them as the book went on。 Was surprised at how it ended。 Overall， it was an enjoyable， easy read to get out of a slump。
Dschmidt0405aol。Com
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4。5 Good audio
Alissa Hansen
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This book took me a while to get through。 While the story was intriguing， I found it a bit slow in the middle。 The narrator did a great job of making the kids whining very “nails on the chalkboard ish” and that was hard to get through in a couple parts。 I thought I didn’t like the end until I finished the epilogue。 That made all the difference for me。 The overall message of the book was wonderful and really makes me want to step back， look at my life and appreciate what I have。
Rebecca
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was essentially a relationship-problems book。 The main character， Alice forgets that she is in the middle of a divorce when she hits her head and forgets the last 10 years of her life。 But she also struggles with who she has become in the last 10 years compared to who she was before。 She turns into a demanding， headstrong woman。 Where she was soft before， after 1o years passes， she is hard and confident。 She becomes estranged from her sister， her best friend from 10 years ago， makes new fri This was essentially a relationship-problems book。 The main character， Alice forgets that she is in the middle of a divorce when she hits her head and forgets the last 10 years of her life。 But she also struggles with who she has become in the last 10 years compared to who she was before。 She turns into a demanding， headstrong woman。 Where she was soft before， after 1o years passes， she is hard and confident。 She becomes estranged from her sister， her best friend from 10 years ago， makes new friends that she probably wouldn't have been friends with in the past， she basically becomes a completely different person。 Alice essentially grows up， matures into someone new。 I just thought of this。。。is there any significance to Olivia's butterfly dance she performs at the talent show at Frannie's Nursing home？ About shedding your old self and becoming someone new （especially when Alice tries to get back together with Nick， works on her relationship with her daughter， Madison and her sister， Elisabeth， breaks off the superficial friendship with Kate Harper， etc？I read this back-to-back with another of Moriarty's books， The Husband's Secret。 I don't know if they were written back-to-back， but there are a lot of similarities。 The main characters in both books end up dating a guy that works at their kids' school before going back to their husbands。 Both have socializing fears， although Alice seems to grow out of it throughout the 10 year timeframe this book spans。 She uses the name Felicity in both books。 Although， the Felicity in What Alice Forgot is not as important a character as the Felicity in The Husband's Secret。 Moriarty likes to use the phrase "liquid amber" frequently in both books to describe Fall colors。 Most moms in both books are involved heavily in school functions and usually heads a school committee。 This is actually a commonality is most of the books I have read by Morairty。 Most of the main characters are moms （mums） that are heavily involved in school functions。 The older Alice heads a school committee as well as volunteers in the school library every third Thursday while also deeply involved in her kids' school lives。 Actually， it's a little funny。 In this book， as well as in The Husband's Secret， she writes like volunteering at your kid's school is the most horrendous thing。 Well， maybe not the actual volunteering， but the moms she writes about are overbearing， obsessive moms who volunteer just to flaunt it like they are better than moms who don't volunteer。 They get a self-satisfied pat on the back and use it like a social status hierarchy。 I'm not sure if she is making fun of moms like this， or just stating an observation。 In either case it's pretty spot-on。 The only thing I had a problem with is the epilogue。 I didn't understand why she went back and forth with who Alice ends up with。 Throughout the book the younger-minded Alice tries to get back together with Nick， her husband。 But in the epilogue Morairty first reveals that she ends up with Dominick， her boyfriend （and also the school principal）， using reasons like her and Nick's marriage was too far damaged at that point for reconciliation。 But a few pages later she writes that her and Nick DO actually end up together。 Like it's a second twist which doesn't really fit in the epilogue。 I guess they put their differences aside and make up？ I'll admit the back and forth was giving me whiplash。 Well anyway， I was always rooting for Nick， so I am happy they eventually do end up together and live happily ever after。。。or so it's implied。I gave this book a high rating because I felt like the characters were real and raw。 Morairty tells it like it is through her characters and doesn't offer any fluff or fake happy endings even though this book has a "happily ever after"。 Not everything is perfect in the end， and some things don't work out， but that is how real life is。 That's what I appreciate about her novels。 She writes real characters with hard， raw emotion。 She writes believable dialogue， and the characters have real issues that some readers may be able to identify with。 The comedy is light and truly funny。 I'll look forward to reading more of her books。 。。。more
Hillary Young
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I really liked following Alice’s story and it kept me wanting to read， which is always a good sign。 I was invested in what happened to the characters。 I don’t really know a lot about memory loss， but I would guess the way it was depicted here is not very real？ There was obvious buildup to a dramatic climax， which I don’t see happening in real life。 I was happy with the ending， although it wrapped up a little too quickly and skipped details I would have liked to have。
Linda
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Excellent！！
Amina
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A good read， but nothing spectacular。
Kimberlyedavis
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Loved this book。 Quick。 Light hearted but enough meaning to make it compelling and interesting。
Tina Culp
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Fantastic！It's an intriguing story that brings back your own personal memories。 The author writes a thought provoking story that reminds you to Treasure the people in your life！ Fantastic！It's an intriguing story that brings back your own personal memories。 The author writes a thought provoking story that reminds you to Treasure the people in your life！ 。。。more
Betty Morrissey
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She got it right。
Sara
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This is my favourite Liane Moriarty so far （and I think the fourth book of hers that I've read）。 This is my favourite Liane Moriarty so far （and I think the fourth book of hers that I've read）。 。。。more
Callie Hornbuckle
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This was my first Moriarty book， and I enjoyed it。 Not lofty literature， but it was a page-turner and the characters were believable and interesting。 I related to the subjects of parenthood and marriage， and was moved by the portrayal of the pain of infertility。 Recommended if you like books about the complexities of relationships。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=What Alice Forgot
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=What Alice Forgot&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,What Alice Forgot&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0