Synopsis from goodreads.com
Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When She becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life - and her relationship with her family and world - forever.
What did I think?
This is the story of 50 year old neuroscience professor, Alice Howland, that is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease.
The book is written from Alice's perspective which I think makes a world of difference.
We follow Alice from her earliest symptoms to her diagnosis, and through the disease's progression. We see the changes in her behaviour, as well as the changes in her relationships with loved ones from her point of view.
I absolutely loved Alice. Isn't it ironic that she is a neuroscientist?
Reading this book truly was an amazing journey for me. As someone that has worked with Alzheimer's patients, I found it VERY realistic. Alice's symptoms and behaviours reminded me of many of the men and women I worked with.
As a busy mom of two, it is not often that I can read over 300 pages in less than 24 hours. In this case, I DID! I could not put it down!
If you know and love someone with Alzheimer's disease this is a MUST READ!
I have only heard about this book, never read it. The whole book in 24 hours...wow! I am thankful not to know anyone with Alzheimer's now, but it seems like a disease that touches most people at some point in their lives -- either them, or someone they love. It sounds like this novel teaches at the same time as it entertains. I will have to add it to my list.
ReplyDeleteHi Lu! You won my Sophia Kinsella 'Remember Me' giveaway! It is octber 23, you ahve 48 hours to confirm. To confirm please e-mail me at crazybookworm@live.ca or you can comment on this post http://crazy-bookworm.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-winner.html
ReplyDeleteCongrats!!
My father-in-law has Alzheimer's. It's been a hard journey. I'd never heard of this book, but I'm definitely interested to pick it up now. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI've never really spent much time with someone with Alzheimer's but the story felt true to me. I'm glad to see that you have some experience with the disease and felt the same way.
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