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Still Alice

Still Alice

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-23 05:51:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lisa Genova
  • ISBN：1501107739
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Summary

Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease， written by first-time author Lisa Genova， who holds a Ph。 D in neuroscience from Harvard University。

Alice Howland， happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape， is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life。 As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her， she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease。 Fiercely independent， Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment， even as her sense of self is being stripped away。 In turns heartbreaking， inspiring and terrifying， Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind。。。

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Reviews

Marlene ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This novel is told from the perspective of Alice， a 50-year old cognitive psychology professor at Harvard， who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's。 She notices her lapses in memory and seeks medical help and an actual diagnosis before she tells her family。 Her husband is also a Harvard professor。 She is able to carry out her responsibilities until the next school year。 Her family is rather an ideal family in terms of love and support as she declines。 I liked reading the perspective of Alic This novel is told from the perspective of Alice， a 50-year old cognitive psychology professor at Harvard， who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's。 She notices her lapses in memory and seeks medical help and an actual diagnosis before she tells her family。 Her husband is also a Harvard professor。 She is able to carry out her responsibilities until the next school year。 Her family is rather an ideal family in terms of love and support as she declines。 I liked reading the perspective of Alice in this book。 She sets up a daily test for herself， four questions she must answer about herself， like her address and how many children she has。 The computer file instructs her to open a butterfly file which informs her that she has Alzheimer's and was loved and happy in her former life and that she needs to swallow a bottle of pills in a bedroom drawer。 She never sees this， because she stops being able to type and make sense of the computer。 Her family takes care of her， even her husband who must give up a much desired job in NYC。The book did an OK job of describing Alice's downfall， but in a kind of sugar-coated way。 The entire family is highly supportive and all live in the area and spend time with her。 Alice goes along with what they tell her she needs to do， without any real resistance。 I'm thinking this is not really how it goes。 It was an easy read。 。。。more

Sepideh ，

You experience different levels of feelings。。。نمی دونم رو بقیه ی گروه های سنی چه تاثیری میذاره این کتاب。。。البته که شرایط و همزاد پنداری با هر کدوم از شخصیت ها هم جای خودش و داره。‌。。。‌。به هر حال، حال منو دگرگون کرد هر بار。。。😔بعضی جمله ها。。。。نابود کننده بود。。。ولی به نظرم یکی از بهترین کتابهاست و به شدت احساسی و آگاهی دهنده。

Veselina Bakalova-Mihaylovska ，

Тежичка книга си беше。 Хареса ми подхода на авторката към повествованието - нямаше излишно разтягане на действието и всичко се случи бързо。 Искрено съчувствах на Алис и разбрах доста за болестта и проявите ѝ。 Надявам се， че в близко бъдеще ще има препарати， които да забавят максимално развитието и да дарят на хората достоен живот！

Silvia Maria ，

4。5 stars。 HIGHLY RECOMMEND！！！ This book really hit home and made me reflect on a lot。 A tear-jerker for sure！！

saru✨ ，

This book reads so easily， but damn it’s tearing at my heart。 I work in the cognitive unit of a nursing home and it always breaks my heart when a resident has a moment of lucidity and is suddenly aware of their dementia and everything that’s wrong with them， and reading it in this character’s perspective was just as heartbreaking。 I’m not sure how I feel about the ending but it’s definitely worth the read， especially if you don’t know much about Alzheimer’s disease， it can be very insightful

Jen ，

This book hit close to home after watching two grandmothers suffer from Alzheimer’s disease。 It dredged up a lot of my own fears of the future。 It is well written and captures my attention and heart from the beginning。

Utkarsh More ，

The storyline feels realistic without exaggerating the behaviours of people suffering from dementia。 I was deeply immersed in particular instances of the book and loved it more because of these scenes。 I would definitely recommend this book to understand the thought process of people having Alzhimers and how we can help them struggle less and get involved more in our conversations。

Rachel Little ，

（4。75 stars because that ending was not quite enough for me）wowowow。 i finally read this book as part of my challenge to clear out the books that have been on my TBR the longest。 at 10 years， i was long past overdue to read this one。 i listened on audio and it was amazing。 honestly， the narrator （who is also the author） had a bit of a monotone voice， but as someone who also has a monotone voice， it made me feel right at home :） But really - I read this book mainly while driving this week and eve （4。75 stars because that ending was not quite enough for me）wowowow。 i finally read this book as part of my challenge to clear out the books that have been on my TBR the longest。 at 10 years， i was long past overdue to read this one。 i listened on audio and it was amazing。 honestly， the narrator （who is also the author） had a bit of a monotone voice， but as someone who also has a monotone voice， it made me feel right at home :） But really - I read this book mainly while driving this week and every time i left my car i found myself having to consciously remind myself that i am not a patient of Alzheimer's。 this book really drew me in。 I can't wait to watch the movie and see how that makes me feel。 。。。more

Laura ★☮☯ ，

A moving novel showing how a family responds to a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease。 A heartbreaking story line。 4 stars A moving novel showing how a family responds to a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease。 A heartbreaking story line。 4 stars 。。。more

Teri ，

A very readable way to learn a bit more about Alzheimer’s from the perspective of the person experiencing it first hand。 Worth reading。

Alicia ，

This is an excellent resource for those of us that get frustrated with others when they forget or repeat。 Watching someone going through dementia is painful。 Going through it …especially in the beginning when you know…must be hell。

Elizabeth ，

Excellent writing style and excellent story。 This author never disappoints！ Highly recommend it。

R。L。 ，

Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω。。。4+/5 I think this book gets very positive feedback because it deals with a moving theme and one that most people can connect with one way or another。Lisa Genova achieved to depict quite accurately the course one Alzheimer Desease's sufferer would have to follow， from the time the first symptoms get noticed till the latter stages of the desease。The main focus here is Alice， the Alzheimer's patient， but the author tries to describe the reactions of the other people Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω。。。4+/5 I think this book gets very positive feedback because it deals with a moving theme and one that most people can connect with one way or another。Lisa Genova achieved to depict quite accurately the course one Alzheimer Desease's sufferer would have to follow， from the time the first symptoms get noticed till the latter stages of the desease。The main focus here is Alice， the Alzheimer's patient， but the author tries to describe the reactions of the other people around her， from the awkwardness and petty of her colleagues to the refusal of accepting the situation from her family till their acceptance and disagreements on what is the appropriate path to take。 The author tries to add some positive tones on her narration， but as everyone can imagine， this is a story without a happy end。。。 This is a book that one can read in one go if they have the time， it's interesting， informative and often heartbreaking。But there are some flaws too。 Sometimes it gets too poignant and the voice of the author seems to be stronger than the voice of the characters。 The way examinations， tests， options for medecine， the biology behing the desease etc are mentioned is too clinical （pun intented）。 Most characters are quite one dimentional actually， one daughter is simply a mother， the other one simply an actress， the son is a doctor and there isn't much depth on the conversations among them and Alice。 Her husband feels a somehow better sketched， but not that much。 Alice her self sometimes appears too composed and self-aware on stages of the desease where she seems to be far gone too。 Of course Alzheimer's is not a sraight line， there are up and downs， each person is different， there are moments of epiphanies and twists and turns。。。 But I'm not very convienced that a woman that appears to be very disoriented， forgets basic things about herself and her family and who is who， forgets words and their context， gets wrong the spatial proportions of her surroundings， have difficulties to phrase her thoughts etc， might be able to deliver a speach infront of an audience without a glitch， even if she just reads it from a paper It's hard to believe that they would often leave Alice alone when her abilities have deteriorate fast already。 I also felt that among this tragic situation Lisa Genova "prtotected" her characters from even worse situations and issues that are saddly not rare in the reral world。 Alice never has a really bad accident till the end of the book， Alzheimer's Disease its self and luck saves her from suicide， we don't get so much of aggressive behavior or anger that many patients experience at some stages of the desease。。。Furthermore， maybe poignantly so， the author chose to make Alice a Harvard professor， an educated and relatively well-off woman， with her health insurance and access to good doctors and a supportive system， a stable environment， many options and alternatives on the help she might have， even if not everything is perfect。 There are even experimental medication programs under research of the best universities and medicinal schools where Alice have the choice to enroll， there is DNA analysis and of course the author points to the ethical dilemmas and questions surrounding those。。。 Of course Geonva makes it somehow easy here too， one of Alice's children have the genetic mutations that might lead to Alzheimer's latter in her life，but she'll have her own kids with IVF so she might control and chose the embryos that don't have the wrong genes。。。How would an equivalent book be， featuring an Alzheimer's sufferer who had serious financial and family problems， a lesser education， living in a country where there isn't much specialisation or information on the disease， no special treatments and not many options or choices to make？ I believe this wou;d be a very different book。。。All that said， as I mentioned earlier， Still Alice is a very good book。 Not flawless， but very interesting， informative， heart breaking。 It definately worths to be read。 Thank you very much for sharing everyone！ A book not flawless， but definately very good， informative and often heartbreaking。。。 4+/5Νομίζω ότι το βιβλίο αυτό παίρνει τόσο καλές κριτικές γιατί ο περισσότερος κόσμος αισθάνεται πολύ κοντά στο θέμα του。 Όλοι έχουμε κάποια στιγμή στη ζωή μας κάποιον κοντινό άνθρωπο που υποφέρει από Αλτσχάιμερ ή φροντίζει κάποιον με Αλτσχάιμερ και όλοι έχουμε το φόβο αυτής της ασθένειας συγκεκριμένα ή άλλων ασθενειών που μπορεί να μας κάνουν να χάνουμε τον έλεγχο του εαυτού μας και του μυαλού μας。Η συγγραφέας έχει κάνει πολύ καλή δουλειά στην περιγραφή της πορείας ενός ασθενούς από τη στιγμή που εμφανίζει τα πρώτα συμπτώματα μέχρι τη στιγμή που αρχίζει πλέον και μπαίνει στα τελευταία στάδια της νόσου。 Το επίκεντρο είναι η οπτική του ασθενούς， αλλά προσπαθεί να περιγράψει και τις αντιδράσεις των γύρω της， από την αμηχανία ή τον οίκτο των συναδέλφων， μέχρι της αρχική άρνηση και μετέπειτα αποδοχή των οικείων της για την κατάσταση και τις διαφωνίες για τον τρόπο αντιμετώπισης。 Όπως καταλαβαίνει εύκολα ο καθένας η ιστορία αυτή δεν έχει καλό τέλος， παρόλο που η Lisa Genova προσπαθεί να δώσει μία αισιόδοξη νότα ως ένα βαθμό。 Το βιβλίο διαβάζεται με αμείωτο ενδιαφέρον， ακόμα και σε ένα απόγευμα αν έχετε το χρόνο， είναι ενδιαφέρον， ενημερωτικό και σπαραξικάρδιο。Τα αρνητικά σημεία είναι ότι κάποιες στιγμές γίνεται πολύ δεικτικό και η φωνή της συγγραφέα είναι πιο δυνατή από τη φωνή των χαρακτήρων。 Περιγράφει με κλινικό τρόπο τα φάρμακα， τις εξετάσεις， τις επιλογές που υπάρχουν， την ιατρική/βιολογική πλευρά της ασθένειας και τι ξέρουμε για αυτή， ενώ οι χαρακτήρες πέρα από την Alice είναι σχεδόν χάρτινοι， ειδικά τα παιδιά της。 Οι διάλογοι μεταξύ τους δεν έχουν το βάθος που θα είχαν αν ήταν πιο καλά σκιαγραφημένοι。 Η ίδια η Alice κάποιες φορές εμφανίζεται αρκετά συγκροτημένη και συνειδητοποιημένη και σκεπτόμενη σε προχωρημένα στάδια της αρρώστιας。 Είναι γνωστό ότι το Αλτσχάιμερ δεν είναι ευθεία γραμμή， κάθε περίπτωση είναι διαφορετική， υπάρχουν αναλαμπές και μεταπτώσεις， ωστόσο μου είναι δύσκολο π。χ。 να πιστέψω ότι μία γυναίκα που εμφανίζεται εντελώς αποπρασανατολισμένη， ξεχνάει βασικά πράγματα και λέξεις， δεν έχει καλή ισορροπία και αίσθηση του χώρου， δυσκολεύεται να εκφράσει βασικές έννοιες κτλ μπορεί να δώσει λόγο μπροστά σε κοινό， έστω και διαβάζοντάς τον。 Δύσκολο να δεχτεί κανείς και ότι αφήνουν την Alice μόνη της σε ήδη προχωρημένο στάδιο της αρρώστιας， ενώ μέσα στην τραγική αυτή κατάσταση η συγγραφέας φροντίζει να την προστατεύει από κακοτοπιές。 Δεν έχει ως το τέλος του βιβλίου σοβαρό ατύχημα， το ίδιο το Αλτσχάιμερ και η τύχη την σώζουν από αυτοκτονία， δεν βλέπουμε ιδιαίτερες εκρήξεις οργής και επιθετικότητα που εμφανίζουν αρκετοί ασθενείς σε κάποια στάδια της νόσου。。。Ακόμα το βιβλίο δίνει οπτική γωνία μίας ασθενούς ανώτερου μορφωτικού επιπέδου， σχετικά άνετη οικονομικά， με την ασφάλεια υγείας της， τους καλούς γιατρούς， ένα σχετικά σταθερό και υποστηρικτικό περιβάλλον， επιλογές ως προς τις δομές και υπηρεσίες και βοήθειες που μπορεί να έχει， ακόμα κι αν τα πράγματα δεν είναι τέλεια。 Μέχρι και γονιδιακή ανάλυση γίνεται και η συγγραφέας θέτει το ηθικό δίλλημα αν κάποιος ξέρει ότι τα παιδιά του θα έχουν 50% πιθανότητες να κληρονομήσουν την ασθένεια， θα έκανε παιδιά; Θα ήθελε να το ξέρει ο ίδιος; Και πάλι ξεφεύγει εύκολα στα δύσκολα ερωτήματα βέβαια η Genova， αφού η κόρη της Alice θα κάνει παιδιά με τεχνητή γονιμοποίηση οπότε έχει την επιλογή να κρατήσει τα έμβρυα που δεν θα έχουν το πρόβλημα μελλοντικά。Πως θα ήταν ένα αντίστοιχο βιβλίο με μία ασθενή με σοβαρά οικονομικά και οικογενειακά προβλήματα， χαμηλό μορφωτικό επίπεδο， σε μία χώρα με ελάχιστη εξειδίκευση ή ενημέρωση ή επιλογές; Πολύ διαφορετικό πιστεύω。。。Όπως είπα και στην αρχή， είναι ένα βιβλίο καλό παρά τις αδυναμίες του。 Αρκετά ρεαλιστικό ως ένα βαθμό， ανθρώπινο， συχνά σπαραξικάρδιο。 4 και κάτι στα 5， το και κάτι πάντα πάει υπερ του συγγραφέα。。。 。。。more

William Freeman ，

It took me quite a while to finally pick this book up and read it。 I had seen the movie years ago with the wonderful Julianne Moore as Alice。 Why this book became important but difficult for me to read was my partner was diagnosised with Alzheimer's approximately three years ago and it's not been until now that i've been able to pick it up and read it。 Greg my partner did not have the early onset as with Alice he was 70 when diagnosised and that still felt far too young。 The book is honestly wri It took me quite a while to finally pick this book up and read it。 I had seen the movie years ago with the wonderful Julianne Moore as Alice。 Why this book became important but difficult for me to read was my partner was diagnosised with Alzheimer's approximately three years ago and it's not been until now that i've been able to pick it up and read it。 Greg my partner did not have the early onset as with Alice he was 70 when diagnosised and that still felt far too young。 The book is honestly written and many time I had to put it down and regroup。 It also gave me more insight into why so many friends seemed to abandon us in our hour of need it frightened to see someone they knew like that orworried what if that happens to me。 Those who had all ready dealt wth or were dealing with someone with dementia coped much better。 To me this is an essential read whether you know someone with dementia or just as a learning experience because unfortunately it is a disease that will touch most people。 Thank you Lisa Genova you made me sad and I often cried but I feel more atunede now than before reading your book。 。。。more

Marisa ，

Ok， DO NOT listen to the audiobook 。。。。 The author narrates it， and sounds like a bored teenager。 At one point， Alice says "F*ck" in frustration， but she may as well have been saying "cheese" or "car" for the lack of emotion in her voice。 I wish she'd left it to a professional！Besides that， I absolutely LOVED this novel。 It's a simple and straightforward story， written without fluff。 Alice's diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's I imagine would touch the coldest heart。 She was a capable Harvard p Ok， DO NOT listen to the audiobook 。。。。 The author narrates it， and sounds like a bored teenager。 At one point， Alice says "F*ck" in frustration， but she may as well have been saying "cheese" or "car" for the lack of emotion in her voice。 I wish she'd left it to a professional！Besides that， I absolutely LOVED this novel。 It's a simple and straightforward story， written without fluff。 Alice's diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's I imagine would touch the coldest heart。 She was a capable Harvard professor who slowly observes her ability to function， and be valued in the world， diminish over time。 The story is frightening in its reality （although it is fictional） as I couldn't help imagining myself in her shoes， wondering how I'd cope if that was me。 The novel revolves around her experiences of the disease， and her family's reactions to it。 It's sweet and deeply heartwarming to see the way the children rally together to protect their mum's agency and dignity。 The husband， John， I struggled a little with。 He was pretty dislikable， was painted out to be mostly a cold character， and there were very few warm moments between the two of them。I definitely recommend。。。 It's always valuable to be enlightened to others' struggles， to help us become more understanding and compassionate。 。。。more

Marianne ，

Wow- I've never seen the movie， and I'm glad I read the book first。 You really feel the main character and her family。 Just incredible。 Wow- I've never seen the movie， and I'm glad I read the book first。 You really feel the main character and her family。 Just incredible。 。。。more

ランス ，

It's a light read。 It's a light read。 。。。more

Selina Dodhia ，

4。5 stars

Mandy Pinoteau ，

Thought provoking， heart breaking， emotional and the end is absolute garbage。

Sierra ，

Beautiful book。 Gives you insight on how your patients or family members with dementia think and feel。 Helps you react and help them better and form better responses in conversations。 so so sad

Joseph Smith ，

The best book I really hated to read。 It’s a difficult read due to the diagnosis But it definitely gave me a better sense of what these people and their families go thru。 Alzheimer’s robs the person of who they are。 Lisa Genova explained me this very well。

Cassandra Splittgerber ，

Beautifully told。 Heartbreaking， hopeful， honest， hard。

McKayla Doney ，

Very well written book about living with early onset Alzheimers Disease。 Lisa Genova interviewed many actual patients and paid a beautiful tribute to those who have this diagnosis。 I cried。 I am so grateful for the perspective this book gave me。

Elin Stenmark Olsson ，

Boken var ok。 Det var inte min favorit。 Den är bra skriven med detaljerad om hjärnan och sjukdomen i sig。 Författare är väldigt kunnig。

Katie Kuhn ，

Disturbingly touching。

Katrece ，

I've been familiar with this book for several years， and finally read it。 Genova's story makes the reader think "what if my family were in this situation？" I've been familiar with this book for several years， and finally read it。 Genova's story makes the reader think "what if my family were in this situation？" 。。。more

Jill Rosenberg ，

This is a review of the audiobook version: This was a heartbreaking beautiful book。 It was told with such care and depth of the character Alice。 You truly felt like you were there with what Alice was experiencing。 You felt her memory fading and the frustration she had with knowing she had early onset Alzheimer’s。 I cried throughout it， feeling the pain they were all facing My one complaint is that the author read it。 She had a very flat affectation。 There was no difference between the characters This is a review of the audiobook version: This was a heartbreaking beautiful book。 It was told with such care and depth of the character Alice。 You truly felt like you were there with what Alice was experiencing。 You felt her memory fading and the frustration she had with knowing she had early onset Alzheimer’s。 I cried throughout it， feeling the pain they were all facing My one complaint is that the author read it。 She had a very flat affectation。 There was no difference between the characters when they spoke。 The conversations lacked feeling。 。。。more

Sara ，

Lisa Genova conseguiu colocar o leitor como doente de Alzheimer através de Alice de uma forma simples e brilhante。 É perturbador e claustrofóbico perceber a rapidez com que Alice perde as capacidades básicas que a memória faculta。 É um livro comovedor， realista e bastante importante。Uma leitura que vale muito a pena， um livro curto， fluído， intenso e impactante。

Helin Puksand ，

Kui räägitakse inimeste eluea pikendamisest， siis mõeldakse ikka pikast elueast， kus inimene on 100aastaselt terve ja kõbus， ütleme nagu 50aastane。 Siiski tähendab pikk eluiga ikka enamasti mitmeid haigusi ja füüsise nõrgenemist， kuid õnn on see， kui vaim on erk。 Üks tõsine haigus， mis ei luba oma eluõhtut nautida， on Alzheimeri tõbi。 Enamasti seostataksegi seda haigust vanemaealistega， kuid Alzheimeri tõbi võib tabada inimest ka nooremas eas。 Alice on 50ndates Harvardi ülikooli psühholoogiaprof Kui räägitakse inimeste eluea pikendamisest， siis mõeldakse ikka pikast elueast， kus inimene on 100aastaselt terve ja kõbus， ütleme nagu 50aastane。 Siiski tähendab pikk eluiga ikka enamasti mitmeid haigusi ja füüsise nõrgenemist， kuid õnn on see， kui vaim on erk。 Üks tõsine haigus， mis ei luba oma eluõhtut nautida， on Alzheimeri tõbi。 Enamasti seostataksegi seda haigust vanemaealistega， kuid Alzheimeri tõbi võib tabada inimest ka nooremas eas。 Alice on 50ndates Harvardi ülikooli psühholoogiaprofessor， kes arvab， et tema mäluhäired on seotud üleminekueaga。 Arsti juures selgub aga tõde: Alice põeb varajast Alzheimeri tõbe。 Diagnoos on muidugi šokk nii intelligentsele naisele endale kui ka tema lähedastele。 Raamat toobki välja haiguse kulu: kui algul ununevad vaid mõned sõnad või tundub mõni tuttav paik hetkeks võõrana， siis haiguse süvenedes läheb hakkama saaamine järjest keerulisemaks， sest ununevad ka eluks olulised asjad。Soovitan raamatut lugeda kõigil， aga eelkõige neil， kes puutuvad kokku oma lähedase inimese dementsusega， et natuke paremini mõista， mis toimub nende inimeste peas。 Raamatust on tehtud ka film。 。。。more

Ciara Skala ，

Finished it in one day。 It was great。 Interesting perspective of Alzheimer’s。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Still Alice

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Still Alice&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Still Alice&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0