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salgalruns's review against another edition
5.0
Lisa Genova continues to amaze me! I have already recommended her other books to everyone I can think of, and now this one will go in my "most frequently suggested" list as well. It is always the mark of a great book for me when I finish with the story to then continue to devour the pages that come afterwards - the acknowledgements, notes about the author - and still want more!
The story rotates POV between two main characters. Olivia has moved into the family vacation home in Nantucket, having been recently separated from her husband after the death of their son. She struggles with memories of Anthony, and is on deep search for answers. Beth is in a marriage with its own share of challenges, along with raising three girls. She is searching for the younger version of herself - the one that had hopes and dreams and yearned to write.
The other main character, in a way, is Anthony. Anthony is Olivia's young son who happens to have autism. Genova gives him such an eloquent voice in this story, it almost takes your breath away with the perceived accuracy. It doesn't take long for you to understand the frustration of dealing with a child with autism, but also the love that takes over every bit of your being as a result.
This book is touching beyond all measure. It is a book of discovery, of forgiveness, but most importantly, of love. It has undoubtedly earned a spot on my favorites shelf.
The story rotates POV between two main characters. Olivia has moved into the family vacation home in Nantucket, having been recently separated from her husband after the death of their son. She struggles with memories of Anthony, and is on deep search for answers. Beth is in a marriage with its own share of challenges, along with raising three girls. She is searching for the younger version of herself - the one that had hopes and dreams and yearned to write.
The other main character, in a way, is Anthony. Anthony is Olivia's young son who happens to have autism. Genova gives him such an eloquent voice in this story, it almost takes your breath away with the perceived accuracy. It doesn't take long for you to understand the frustration of dealing with a child with autism, but also the love that takes over every bit of your being as a result.
This book is touching beyond all measure. It is a book of discovery, of forgiveness, but most importantly, of love. It has undoubtedly earned a spot on my favorites shelf.
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
4.0
Couldn't put this one down - I love Genova's writing. Autism is absolutely heartbreaking and I cannot imagine the pain of not being able to communicate with your child. Well written and powerfully emotional - definitely made me cry!
kyliea32's review against another edition
4.0
This book was another interesting piece by the author of Still Alice. Having read Still Alice and thoroughly enjoyed her style and the way she put you right in the characters perspective I was looking forward to reading Love Anthony the same way. A bit different style of writing, and different topic it took me a while to come around and get hooked on the book but as with Still Alice I managed to finish it in no time. It painted an accurate picture of a child with Autism and how not only children struggle with it but parents as well in knowing how to help their child. As hard as it may be though the book shows us the power of love and how to always have hope.
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
I feel mixed about this one. I liked the story - just not the way it was developed. I don't want to give spoilers so I'll just leave it at that. I will add that overall I like Ms Genova's novels. She does a great job of knowing her subject and presenting it in a way that helps the reader understand.
chelseatm's review against another edition
4.0
This book was good but I found Genova's other book, Inside the O'Briens, to be far superior. This was a lovely book that I felt never reached its full potential. I also didn't like the subtle paranormal or spiritual storyline that infiltrated the plot. I found it took away from the actual story of connection through autism. Overall it's not a bad read if you're a fan of Genova but I don't know if I can full heartedly recommend it (which pains me!).
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. I found this so unmemorable that I forgot to enter it last week.
alidottie's review against another edition
4.0
The blurb I read about this book did not make me want to read it--one woman is getting messages from another woman's dead autistic son? At least that's how I understood it. Sounded hoakie and too-psychic for me. I only overcame my doubts because Lisa Genova is the author and her other two books (Still Alice and Left Neglected) are amazing and insightful books. So I took a chance.
It paid off! This isn't better than the first two, but it is a very good book. It gives insights into life with a severely autistic child while also giving you insights into what is going on in the child's mind/world. This book is also about two women facing difficult times in their lives.
It paid off! This isn't better than the first two, but it is a very good book. It gives insights into life with a severely autistic child while also giving you insights into what is going on in the child's mind/world. This book is also about two women facing difficult times in their lives.
categj's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book very much. This is the second book by Lisa Genova that I have read and like Still Alice, I think it is very well written and it, too, has a sense of authenticity. I also liked that this book was quite different from Still Alice.
Ms. Genova's characters in Love Anthony were spot on and I could relate to the emotions they felt and situations they encountered. It seemed as if I knew those women well, and I could have easily been any one of them.
The story itself had a little air of fantasy about it, but I liked that, too. I think it is a cool idea that someone could actually communicate through an author's written work, even though, I did have to let go of my beliefs a little as I was reading.
I love that Anthony's story and his thoughts and feelings were written by Beth through an otherwordly bond between them (I like to think it was a result of Beth participating in Anthony's pebble train one summer at the beach). I liked how Anthony's voice came through Beth's words, it was comforting and seemed very real.
The author's depiction of a woman coping with the loss of her child, a child who was diagnosed with autism rang so true.
I will definitely read more of Lisa Genova's novels - next on my list is Left Neglected
Ms. Genova's characters in Love Anthony were spot on and I could relate to the emotions they felt and situations they encountered. It seemed as if I knew those women well, and I could have easily been any one of them.
The story itself had a little air of fantasy about it, but I liked that, too. I think it is a cool idea that someone could actually communicate through an author's written work, even though, I did have to let go of my beliefs a little as I was reading.
I love that Anthony's story and his thoughts and feelings were written by Beth through an otherwordly bond between them (I like to think it was a result of Beth participating in Anthony's pebble train one summer at the beach). I liked how Anthony's voice came through Beth's words, it was comforting and seemed very real.
The author's depiction of a woman coping with the loss of her child, a child who was diagnosed with autism rang so true.
I will definitely read more of Lisa Genova's novels - next on my list is Left Neglected
ovenbird_reads's review against another edition
3.0
This was a page turner, and parts of this book were really beautiful. I also found it emotionally wrenching, but I think that was because I kept imagining losing my own son. The story had some merit, but I was thrown by the supernatural element of a writer channeling the voice of a dead autistic boy. That aspect came across as too far-fetched for me. While the view into the life of an autistic child and into the life of his grief stricken mother was powerful, I just wasn't keen on the voices from the afterlife construction of narrative. Regardless, I gobbled up this novel in just over a day, flawed or not.