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markalkman's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking. The only way to describe this book. ALS is a horrible, unstoppable disease that affects the patients and the people around them in an irreversible way. One of our family friends died of ALS two years back, and I have to say that it's been described very accurate in this novel. Lisa Genova is a neuroscientist and you can tell that she's done so much research before even thinking about writing a book like this. I applaud her for her bravery, and for writing about a horrific disease that's still uncurable.
There are three main characters in this novel: Richard Evans, a piano virtuoso who's been diagnosed with ALS; his ex-wife Karina who eventually has to take him back into her house to care for him; and ALS. The disease itself. Every chapter is about the disease and what it does. To the people that suffer from it, but about what it does to their loved ones as well.
Richard isn't very likable in the beginning. He's selfish and only cares about his piano career. He doesn't talk to his ex-wife or his daughter. He lives from performance to performance and changes girlfriends frequently. He lives for the piano. Until he's diagnosed with ALS and everything starts to change. At first he's in denial, until the symptoms start to appear. He loses his arm and the panic sets in. Throughout the book he starts to grow on you. You get to know him and you can almost feel his panic, the paralyzing fear of losing important parts of yourself, of being eventually locked inside your body. It's horrifying and depressing and so very sad. Even though he starts out as a selfish character, you can't help but feel incredibly sorry for him. ALS is a bitch and no one deserves to suffer from it.
Karina, his ex-wife, isn't a ray of sunshine either. She's bitter because of what Richard put her through, or what she believes he put her through. She missed out on a piano career because of him, because of the daughter he gave her. She hates Richard and she doesn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Until one of their mutual friends tell her about his disease and she has to see it with her own eyes. At first she doesn't believe it, because he's acting perfectly normal. He just can't open a bottle of wine. But as Richard starts to get worse, Karina has to accept the fact that her ex-husband is dying.
Their fragile relationship is maddening at times, because they're both sorry for how they acted, but they can't seem to talk to each other. But as time goes by and they are forced to spend more and more time together, they seem to get to understand each other. It's a very sad story, but it's not all depressing. The handful of moments Richard has with his daughter Grace are heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It's an important story and it's beautifully written. I can't say I enjoyed it, because there's not a 'nice' aspect to this story, but I am glad that I've read it.
There are three main characters in this novel: Richard Evans, a piano virtuoso who's been diagnosed with ALS; his ex-wife Karina who eventually has to take him back into her house to care for him; and ALS. The disease itself. Every chapter is about the disease and what it does. To the people that suffer from it, but about what it does to their loved ones as well.
Richard isn't very likable in the beginning. He's selfish and only cares about his piano career. He doesn't talk to his ex-wife or his daughter. He lives from performance to performance and changes girlfriends frequently. He lives for the piano. Until he's diagnosed with ALS and everything starts to change. At first he's in denial, until the symptoms start to appear. He loses his arm and the panic sets in. Throughout the book he starts to grow on you. You get to know him and you can almost feel his panic, the paralyzing fear of losing important parts of yourself, of being eventually locked inside your body. It's horrifying and depressing and so very sad. Even though he starts out as a selfish character, you can't help but feel incredibly sorry for him. ALS is a bitch and no one deserves to suffer from it.
Karina, his ex-wife, isn't a ray of sunshine either. She's bitter because of what Richard put her through, or what she believes he put her through. She missed out on a piano career because of him, because of the daughter he gave her. She hates Richard and she doesn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Until one of their mutual friends tell her about his disease and she has to see it with her own eyes. At first she doesn't believe it, because he's acting perfectly normal. He just can't open a bottle of wine. But as Richard starts to get worse, Karina has to accept the fact that her ex-husband is dying.
Their fragile relationship is maddening at times, because they're both sorry for how they acted, but they can't seem to talk to each other. But as time goes by and they are forced to spend more and more time together, they seem to get to understand each other. It's a very sad story, but it's not all depressing. The handful of moments Richard has with his daughter Grace are heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It's an important story and it's beautifully written. I can't say I enjoyed it, because there's not a 'nice' aspect to this story, but I am glad that I've read it.
magis1105's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
andrearbooks's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
jgraydee's review against another edition
3.0
Not enough focus/development of characters. Author implied relational issues and resolution between characters, but the book was very focused on disease progression and end-of-life. The balance was off.
chelseatm's review against another edition
4.0
I always feel like I finish reading Lisa Genova's books a better and more empathetic person. I really valued the perspective I gained of what it's like to live with ALS. I thought the characters were interesting the story and it's progression natural.
However, I did find that the characters' interactions with one another were limited and that it was more a story of two people living alongside each other going through their own secular journeys. I would have liked more interaction between them to bring more depth to the story.They seemed more like each other's refrigerator women even though they both had deep and complicated stories unto themselves.
A last note, there was a comparison made that this book is similar to Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Only in the most superficial ways of a woman caring for a sick man is it similar to that. I would say to not get caught up in that comparison as it will colour your interpretation of the story.
I enjoyed this book immensely and was sad to finish it. I highly recommend it.
However, I did find that the characters' interactions with one another were limited and that it was more a story of two people living alongside each other going through their own secular journeys. I would have liked more interaction between them to bring more depth to the story.They seemed more like each other's refrigerator women even though they both had deep and complicated stories unto themselves.
A last note, there was a comparison made that this book is similar to Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Only in the most superficial ways of a woman caring for a sick man is it similar to that. I would say to not get caught up in that comparison as it will colour your interpretation of the story.
I enjoyed this book immensely and was sad to finish it. I highly recommend it.
rylee_the_captain_krane's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Another emotional through-the-wringer story, full of information but also an awful lot of humanity.
In the same vein as Still Alice, Genova gives another dehumanising condition a human face, and takes the reader on a journey from the early days when disbelief won't allow the reality to be accepted, to the full-on nightmare of a person becoming crushed and taken away a piece at a time.
You may not like Richard very much as a person - a world-famous pianist, divorced from his wife and estranged from his daughter, but as you see him being slowly debilitated by motor neurone disease, losing first his fingers... it's hard not to see our common ground rather than what marks us all as different.
In a slightly inexplicable move, Richard's ex-wife Karina, comes back into his life after she hears the news. Karina is the more sympathetic of the two initially, but Genova allows the two to tell us the story of Richard's degeneration.
I had trouble pausing and putting the book down. I felt totally engrossed and caught up in Richard's life, and the marriage of Karina and the pianist who favoured his instrument and career over his family.
Hard-hitting, upsetting but impossible to forget. It takes you every step of the way, with a few scenes and doesn't skimp on the indignities of Richard's condition.
Very moving, well worth reading.
In the same vein as Still Alice, Genova gives another dehumanising condition a human face, and takes the reader on a journey from the early days when disbelief won't allow the reality to be accepted, to the full-on nightmare of a person becoming crushed and taken away a piece at a time.
You may not like Richard very much as a person - a world-famous pianist, divorced from his wife and estranged from his daughter, but as you see him being slowly debilitated by motor neurone disease, losing first his fingers... it's hard not to see our common ground rather than what marks us all as different.
In a slightly inexplicable move, Richard's ex-wife Karina, comes back into his life after she hears the news. Karina is the more sympathetic of the two initially, but Genova allows the two to tell us the story of Richard's degeneration.
I had trouble pausing and putting the book down. I felt totally engrossed and caught up in Richard's life, and the marriage of Karina and the pianist who favoured his instrument and career over his family.
Hard-hitting, upsetting but impossible to forget. It takes you every step of the way, with a few scenes and doesn't skimp on the indignities of Richard's condition.
Very moving, well worth reading.
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
5.0
As soon as I saw Every Note Played, I knew I had to read it. The author's writing style lends itself perfectly for capturing the heartbreak and devastation involved when dealing with quickly progressing, degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and ALS. She lets the reader get to know the characters involved slowly and without pulling so hard on our heartstrings that we end up a big sobbing mess and having missed the changes in the individuals and their relationships.
I honestly don't know how this book could have been better. The two narrators also did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life.
I highly recommend this book, as well as Still Alice.
I honestly don't know how this book could have been better. The two narrators also did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life.
I highly recommend this book, as well as Still Alice.
pam2375's review against another edition
5.0
I love love love Lisa Genova! This is the story of a very successful concert pianist that has been diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and his slow and painful deterioration.
This is a book that I was not able to put down. It is wonderfully written and painfully real. Have your tissues ready, because you are going to need them.
My thanks to netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this advanced readers copy.
This is a book that I was not able to put down. It is wonderfully written and painfully real. Have your tissues ready, because you are going to need them.
My thanks to netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this advanced readers copy.