Still Alice (novel)

Last updated
Still Alice
Still Alice (Genova novel).jpg
Author Lisa Genova
Audio read byLisa Genova
Cover artistMary Austin Speaker
LanguageEnglish
Publisher iUniverse, Pocket Books
Publication date
2007 [lower-alpha 1]
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint, e-book, audio
Pages292
ISBN 1-59722-939-3
OCLC 732649658
813/.6
LC Class
  • PS3607.E55 S75 2008
  • PS3607.E55 S75 2009

Still Alice is a 2007 novel by Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist and author. The novel is about a woman who suffers early-onset Alzheimer's disease. It is Genova's first novel. [1]

Contents

Genova self-published the book in 2007 with iUniverse. Beverly Beckham of The Boston Globe wrote, "After I read Still Alice I wanted to stand up and tell a train full of strangers, 'You have to get this book.'" [2] Beckham notes that the story is told from the inside: "This is Alice Howland's story, for as long as she can tell it." [2]

The book was later acquired by Simon & Schuster and published in January 2009 by Pocket Books (now Gallery Books). It was on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than 40 weeks. It has been sold in 30 countries and translated into more than 20 languages. [3]

Synopsis

Alice Howland, a 50-year-old woman, is a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard University and a world-renowned linguistics expert. She is married to an equally successful husband, and they have three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life and her relationship with her family and the world.

Writing style

The book presents the story through Alice's point of view, and the thoughts of other characters are not stated. Alexis Gordon of the University of Toronto Medical Journal wrote that Still Alice uses a "plain, unornamented, and sometimes even clinical style, which belies the strong emotions the book brings forth." [4]

Reception

The book won the 2008 Bronte Prize. Alexis Gordon stated that general readers and patients had a positive reception to the book. [4] Sue Ransohoff of the Christian Science Monitor wrote that Genova "writes with authority that makes her subject come alive, and somehow, become less terrifying than one might anticipate." [5] The book was placed on the publication's "reader recommendation" list. [5]

Publishers Weekly wrote that there was "heavy-handed" dialogue and "clumsy" prose, and that "beyond the heartbreaking record of illness there's little here to remember." [6] PW wrote that "it's impossible not to feel for Alice and her loved ones" and "This novel will appeal to those dealing with the disease and may prove helpful". [6] Kirkus Reviews wrote that the book was "Worthy, benign and readable, but not always lifelike." [7]

Adaptations

The book was adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford for the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois. The play was produced from April 10 – May 19, 2013. [8]

Memento Films and Killer Films produced a film adaptation of the book, starring Julianne Moore in her Academy Award-winning role as Alice Howland, and co-starring Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, and Kate Bosworth. [9] The film made many changes in its interpretation, the biggest being the change of setting to New York, where Alice teaches at Columbia University. Subsequently, the film also changes John's job offer from chairman of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at Sloan-Kettering in New York to a job offer at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Related Research Articles

<i>Through the Looking-Glass</i> 1871 novel by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a novel published on 27 December 1871 by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church, University of Oxford, and the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Alice again enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a mirror into the world that she can see beyond it. There she finds that, just like a reflection, everything is reversed, including logic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Munro</span> Canadian short story writer (1931–2024)

Alice Ann Munro was a Canadian short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Her work is said to have revolutionized the architecture of the short story, especially in its tendency to move forward and backward in time, and with integrated short fiction cycles.

John Fante was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his semi-autobiographical novel Ask the Dust (1939) about the life of Arturo Bandini, a struggling writer in Depression-era Los Angeles. It is widely considered the great Los Angeles novel, and is one in a series of four, published between 1938 and 1985, that are now collectively called "The Bandini Quartet". Ask the Dust was adapted into a 2006 film starring Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek. Fante's published works while he lived included five novels, one novella, and a short story collection. Additional works, including two novels, two novellas, and two short story collections, were published posthumously. His screenwriting credits include, most notably, Full of Life, Jeanne Eagels (1957), and the 1962 films Walk on the Wild Side and The Reluctant Saint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Carter</span> English novelist (1940–1992)

Angela Olive Pearce, who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picaresque works. She is mainly known for her book The Bloody Chamber (1979). In 1984, her short story "The Company of Wolves" was adapted into a film of the same name. In 2008, The Times ranked Carter tenth in their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". In 2012, Nights at the Circus was selected as the best ever winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

<i>Bridge to Terabithia</i> (novel) 1977 childrens novel by Katherine Paterson

Bridge to Terabithia is a children's novel written by Katherine Paterson, about two children named Leslie and Jesse who create a magical forest kingdom in their imaginations. The book was originally published in 1977 by Thomas Crowell, and in 1978, it won the Newbery Medal. Paterson drew inspiration for the novel from a real event that occurred in August 1974 when her son's friend was struck and killed by lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Allison</span> American writer (born 1949)

Dorothy Allison is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of awards for her writing, including several Lambda Literary Awards. In 2014, Allison was elected to membership in the Fellowship of Southern Writers.

Sally Gardner is a British children's literature writer and illustrator. She won both the Costa Book Award for Children's Book and the Carnegie Medal for Maggot Moon. Under her pseudonym Wray Delaney she has also written adult novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wash Westmoreland</span> British film director

Paul "Wash" Westmoreland, previously known professionally as Wash West, is a British director who has worked in television, documentaries, and independent films. He frequently collaborated with his husband, writer-director Richard Glatzer. Together, they wrote and directed the 2014 film Still Alice, based on Lisa Genova's NYT best-selling book and starred Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, and Alec Baldwin. The film won many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress for Julianne Moore and Humanitas Prize for feature film for the duo. Their 2006 coming-of-age feature film, Quinceañera, won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

This article provides a list of media documents portraying Alzheimer's disease as a critical feature of the main plot:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Rice</span> American author (1941–2021)

Anne Rice was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and bible fiction. She is best known for writing The Vampire Chronicles. She later adapted the first novel of the series into a commercially successful eponymous film, Interview with the Vampire (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Lutz</span> American author (born 1970)

Lisa Lutz is an American author. She began her career writing screenplays for Hollywood. One of her rejected screenplays became the basis for a popular series of novels about a family of private investigators, the Spellmans. She is a 2020 recipient of an Alex Award.

Lookingglass Theatre Company is a non-profit theater company located in Chicago, Illinois.

Lisa Genova is an American neuroscientist and author. She self-published her debut novel, Still Alice (2007), about a Harvard University professor who suffers early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The book gained popularity and was acquired by Simon & Schuster; it was published in January 2009 by Pocket Books. There are over 2.6 million copies in print, and it has been translated into 37 languages. It was chosen as one of the thirty titles for World Book Night 2013. The book was adapted into a 2014 film, which won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Julianne Moore's highly acclaimed performance as Alice Howland.

<i>Love Anthony</i> 2012 novel by Lisa Genova

Love Anthony is a novel by American writer Lisa Genova. The hardcover was released in September 2012 and the paperback was released in April 2013 to coincide with Autism Awareness Month. Set in Nantucket, Massachusetts, Love Anthony is a story about a mother dealing with the death of her son, who was diagnosed with autism at age three, and ultimately, finding the courage to start over.

<i>Still Alice</i> 2014 film by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland

Still Alice is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland and based on the 2007 novel by Lisa Genova. It stars Julianne Moore as Alice Howland, a linguistics professor diagnosed with familial Alzheimer's disease shortly after her 50th birthday. Alec Baldwin plays her husband, John, and Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, and Hunter Parrish play her children.

Richard Glatzer was an American writer and director.

<i>Left Neglected</i> 2011 novel by Lisa Genova

Left Neglected is a 2011 novel by Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist. It is the author's second novel.

<i>El Deafo</i> 2014 graphic novel by Cece Bell

El Deafo is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Cece Bell. The book is a loose autobiographical account of Bell's childhood and life with her deafness. The characters in the book are all anthropomorphic bunnies. Cece Bell, in an interview with the Horn Book Magazine, states "What are bunnies known for? Big ears; excellent hearing," rendering her choice of characters and their deafness ironic.

<i>The Knife and the Butterfly</i> 2011 novel by Ashley Hope Pérez

The Knife and the Butterfly is a young adult novel by Ashley Hope Pérez, published in 2011 by Carolrhoda Books. The novel, which explores the lives of two teenage gang members in Houston, a Hispanic boy named Azael and a White girl named Lexi, is based on a 2006 gang-related death in that city.

<i>Trouble</i> (novel) Book by Kate Christensen

Trouble is a 2009 novel by Kate Christensen. It is about two 40-something friends, Josie from New York and Raquel from Los Angeles, and their adventures in Mexico City.

References

Notes

  1. "Still Alice". Lisa Genova Official Site. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  2. 1 2 Beverly Beckham, "Despite monster, she is 'Still Alice'" (Archived 2015-02-21 at the Wayback Machine ), Boston Globe , 16 March 2008, accessed 1 June 2014
  3. "Total Transformation" (Archived 2015-02-26 at the Wayback Machine ), Cape Cod Magazine, March 2011, accessed 1 June 2014
  4. 1 2 Gordon, p. 55.
  5. 1 2 Ransohoff, Sue. "Reader recommendation: Still Alice" (Archived 2015-02-21 at the Wayback Machine ). The Christian Science Monitor , September 4, 2014. Retrieved on May 27, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Still Alice" (Archived 2015-02-21 at the Wayback Machine ). Publishers Weekly , October 20, 2008, Vol.255(42), p. 31(1). Retrieved on May 27, 2015.
  7. "Genova, Lisa: STILL ALICE" (Archived 2015-02-21 at the Wayback Machine ). Kirkus Reviews , November 1, 2008. Posted online on May 20, 2010. Retrieved on May 27, 2015.
  8. "'Still Alice' at the Lookinglass Theatre". Lookingglass Theatre. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  9. "Kristen Stewart confirmed for Still Alice Movie". Movie That Matters.

Further reading

Notes

  1. Genova initially self-published Still Alice through iUniverse. The novel was later acquired by Simon & Schuster and published through its Pocket Books division on January 6, 2009.