Rating:★★★☆ ☆
This one of those books that reads quickly and is engaging and compelling but in the end you just wonder why you put yourself through it. Well, at least that's what I felt. Because, this is a sad sad story. The story of a youngish person (because I know this for a fact, 50 is still young) who gets Alzheimer's. This is the story of how she watches herself slowly slowly slowly get worse and worse and worse. It's the story of how her family deals with it, each in their own way.
You know how we sometimes say about nonfiction books, that they read like a novel? Well, this is a novel that feels like a nonfiction book. It feels like this is a real person that this really happened to. It's not, but it is. As many people end up dealing with this very situation.
Which brings me to wonder, why do we enjoy reading (and authors enjoy writing ) these types of stories. It made me wonder if I'm supposed to walk away feeling scared to death every time I forget something. Or feel foggy. Or can't quite think of the word I want.
Or am I supposed to walk away feeling all depressed about a disease that there really is nothing that can be done about. It's such a helpless feeling.
Or, and I suppose this is what we decided at book club, do we read these books just to be aware that there are people who are dealing with this and that when we come across them in our lives (both the youngish people and the many oldish people that we know who deal with it) we feel more compassionate and understanding then we otherwise would. Yes, I suppose this is what we should take away from it. Because I for one, hate walking away from a book that makes me feel helpless, scared and depressed. You know?
Bottom Line: Quick and compelling. You should read it and become more compassionate!
Other Reviews:
Lisa did a great job in telling the story from Alice's perspective. This is the kind of book that makes you appreciate those who have the disease better. From Reading on a Rainy Day
I felt that the author also does an excellent job of describing what is going on in Alice's head as the dementia increases. In fact, she does such a good job that I sometimes forgot the book was fiction and not about a real person. From Always With a Book
I loved Still Alice and can’t recommend it highly enough. It offers such insight and would make a wonderful gift for anyone touched by this devastating, incurable disease in some way. From Books on the Brain
I thought the author really understood the experience of a person who is diagnosed and then lives with the disease of Alzheimer’s. From Semicolon
Yeah, I know what you mean. It was a very sad book. I don't think authors necessarily enjoy writing them, but I think they want to educate people about this stuff. It's hard to do it in a positive way, especially when it's hard to see the positive. I just know that I'll try to be more compassionate toward people I know who have Alzheimer's/dimentia and their families. Hopefully, I can be less awkward around them too.
ReplyDeleteI had planned to read this one of these days, but the guy watched the movie and I ended up watching it, too... So I probably will never read the book.
ReplyDeleteI read this and liked it despite the fact that it was quite sad.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting this today, and I was excited cause I saw how much everyone liked it, but now I'm kinda scared. I haven't been doing well with sad books lately.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I definitely think the author just wanted to enlighten people. And it was sad but that last page where she still understands what love is said so much. I thought it lightened the ending very well. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteDid you know that you can shorten your links with AdFocus and get dollars from every visitor to your short urls.
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel as though books like this help me be more empathetic. I also think that even though I find the situation described in this book terrifying, I find it fascinating too. I'm curious what it would be like, even if I'm sure the answer is some variation of completely horrible.
ReplyDelete