I enjoyed this book too, i just finished left neglected by lisa genova same author and it was. This study guide consists of approximately 48 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of still alice. Feb 23, 2015 alices husband spends a lot of that time away from alice. And what ultimately makes author lisa genovas debut bestselling novel so personal, yet so universal and. Terrifying, yes, but not depressing, and surprisingly beautiful. Lisa genova, the author, is a trained neuroscientist who understands the science behind alzheimers from a clinical point of view, but she also comprehends the personal tragedy that accompanies one losing a loved one who is standing. Still alice is the kind of movie that exists solely to facilitate a great. As i told a fellow book clubber, this one has a surprisingly happy ending. This story was amazing due to the accuracy and the support alice recieved from her daughters.
Movie still alice october 14, 2016 july 6, 2019 last year i watched the movie still alice and was drawn into the heartbreak of alzheimers and last month i finally read the book. Alice requests see a neurologist on her second doctors appointment. The book highlights the struggle of living with alzheimers and the rapid progression of the disease. The literary agents who said genovas book wouldnt sell are wrong. Alice is always loveable, and remains still alice, but towards the end of the novel, she is a very different version of the alice we first meet. Differences between still alice book vs movie page 1. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the still alice, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. He also wants to know what her father was like toward the end of his illness. In fact, the way its filmed beautifully parallels the way the book is written. Alec baldwin plays her husband, john, and kristen stewart, kate. Sixteen questions for the book club reading still alice by lisa genova.
The movie still alice does not stray far from the book. The authors main character wasnt very likeable she seemed too focused on how smart she was and how important and prestigious her job was, but i was quickly won over. Im not a person with dementia but have met people with dementia including people with early onset dementiawhat is known as younger onset dementia yod here in australia. Ending spoiler for still alice 2014, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Alice howland is a psychology linguistics professor at harvard. A scenebyscene breakdown of the script for the movie still alice. Still alice is about a womens journey coming to an abrupt end. The message seems to be, shes lost her memory and no longer recognizes her husband or her children, but shes somehow still alice, so its not so bad after all. I found this novel to be utterly convincing and absorbing. After a first pass, its time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scenebyscene breakdown.
Today, the alice books are probably more popular with adult readers who can appreciate all the subtle sarcasm, wordplay, and details of carrolls clever writing than with young readers. Every 72 seconds another american develops alzheimers disease. The book is written by first time author lisa genova, who holds a ph. He receives correspondence from a 19yearold girl who plans to seduce a 12yearold neighborhood boy. Still alice is written not from the outside looking in, but from the inside looking out. How did your impressions change after reading the book. Summary still alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50yearold womans sudden descent into early onset alzheimers disease, written by firsttime author lisa genova, who holds a ph. Our final images of alice are that, although the disease has taken its toll, and her decline is inevitable, at the end of the book she is still herself, still alice. The writers were clever enough to offer an ending that on the surface panders to what some viewers would want to see a happy if unrealistic endingwhile also preserving the integrity of the film. Still alice has an authentic voice and a pitchperfect tone even as alice loses control of her own words.
Alice becomes forgetful but is reassured by her physician that as a 50 yr old woman under a lot of stress and most probably going through menopause. After i read still alice, i wanted to stand up and tell a train full of strangers, you have to get this book. On medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage with no ads in sight. The writers were clever enough to offer an ending that on the surface panders to what some viewers would want to see a happy if unrealistic ending while also preserving the integrity of the film. The story begins with the book s path to publication. My first thought was that i read the whole book expecting to see it through and it just ended. Still alice is a 2007 novel by lisa genova, set in boston. A literary analysis of still alice still alice genova, 2009 is a captivating debut novel about a 50yearold womans sudden decline into early onset alzheimers disease. Lisa genova did such a fabulous job of making me feel the way alice felt. Im also facinated with alzheimers and hated to have still alice end. Having loved them both, which will come out on top. Some prefer the original ending with john sitting in the coffee shop, tears. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. How each of these women finds love and redemption becomes fairly obvious as you move through the book, but still makes for a heartwarming trip.
But theres controversy surrounding that hopeful ending. Still alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50yearold womans sudden descent into early onset alzheimers disease, written by firsttime author lisa genova, who holds a ph. The story begins with the books path to publication. I added lisa genovas still alice to my tbr list last year, but didnt read it. Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts how to read a screenplay. Jul 29, 2012 i thought the ending was perfect we see alice being loved and cared for in the bosom of her family, despite the fact that ambitious john is just a weekend husband. Book club questions for still alice book club babble. The author has done her research, and really knows her subject. Piles it on, not to cleanse or beautify, but to erase. Alice howland, a 50yearold woman, is a cognitive psychology professor at harvard and is a worldrenowned linguistics expert. Feb 26, 2015 still alice, directed by ricard glatzer and wash westmoreland, was adapted by the pair from a novel of the same name by lisa genova. I mostly listened to the audio read by the author and would highly recommend it. It will be impossible to forget what a nice read this is. A literary analysis of still alice 3068 words pages.
What were your thoughts and impressions of alzheimers disease before reading this book, especially as it would affect a younger person. Still alice is a 2014 american independent drama film written and directed by richard glatzer and wash westmoreland and based on lisa genovas bestselling 2007 novel of the same name. Her youngest daughter is the one that uses this time to get to know her mother, especially since their relationship has always been somewhat strained. The novel is about a woman who suffers earlyonset alzheimers disease. Alice s younger daughter lydia, an aspiring actress, decides not to be tested. I am a 53 year old female who completely relates with the original alice. It begins with small hiccups affecting alice s memory or her sense of place then chugs right along into the more severe aspects of the diseasedisorientation, total shortterm memory loss, etc. The paper gives a synopsis and definite investigation of the story still alice, composed by lisa genova. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. It begins with small hiccups affecting alices memory or her sense of place then chugs right along into the more severe aspects of the diseasedisorientation, total shortterm memory loss, etc. Alice howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the cape, is a celebrated harvard professor at the height of her career when she. I knew i needed to see it the topic, alzheimers disease ad and cognitive decline, are. I thought the ending was perfect we see alice being loved and cared for in the bosom of her family, despite the fact that ambitious john is just a weekend husband. It additionally investigates the contrasts between the book and the film that was made dependent on the equivalent name fabulous story of the 50years of age woman.
Its about alice, a woman beloved by her family and respected by her colleagues, who in the end, is still. Alice howland is a 50yearold professor of psychology at harvard university. Still alice book to movie still alice comes out january 16, 2015. Its about alice, a woman beloved by her family and. Lisa genovas writing of alices experience rings so true to me as a mere observer. For readers of atul gawande, siddhartha mukherjee, and henry marsh, a riveting, gorgeously written biography of one of historys most fascinating and confounding diseases alzheimers from its discovery more than 100 years ago to todays race towards a cure. Still alice is the story of the unraveling of alices life as her disease progresses. Jan 16, 2015 still alice is a good film, but it feels as if there was a great film somewhere within, waiting for a better screenplay to find it. There are several items in the film that just dont seem to fit. She is married to john, a scientist at harvard and they have three healthy successful grown children. It took me a long time but i finally saw the movie still alice featuring julianne moore and alec baldwin. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Jan 01, 2009 first novel efficiently showcases the experience of developing earlyonset alzheimers. Still alice is a 2014 american independent drama film written and directed by richard glatzer and wash westmoreland and based on lisa genovas bestselling 2007 novel of.
So, does still alice contradict the essence of the film and compromise its accuracy with an inappropriately optimistic ending. Down the rabbithole alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Theres a moment in still alice when julianne moore, looking at herself in the mirror, slathers her face with cream. Apr 10, 2015 t he most intrepid scene in the gorgeous, piercing still alice is between julianne moore and herself the heroine of lisa genovas 2007 novel is a linguistics professor, dr alice howland, who. It is rated pg and is an adapted screenplay written by the directors richard glatzer and wash westmoreland from the book still alice by lisa genova. Alices adventures in wonderland and through the looking. Julianne moore kristen stewart still alice final scene. Aug 06, 2018 still alice is the story of alice howland, a fifty year old harvard professor who is diagnosed with early onset alzheimers. John asks why she is still in cambridge because she was supposed to attend a conference in chicago.
You may download the script for still alice 2014 here. Adapted from the novel by neuroscientist lisa genova, still alice casts moore as a. Still alice is about how she reacts to her own deteriorationhow she constantly reassesses it and figures out how to cope. Still, the various film adaptations, picturebook versions, toys, games, and other tieins keep the classic story alive for even the youngest children. Alice howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the cape, is a celebrated harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a. Alice has a son named tom hunter parrish, but hes barely a character.
On this front, still alice actually provides reassurance. The still alice community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. The question and answer section for still alice is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The book ends with alice still living a happy life, surrounded by her family, bathed in the warmth of their love, cuddling a grandbaby in her lap. Last year i watched the movie still alice and was drawn into the heartbreak of alzheimers and last month i finally read the book. The subject matter may be tough, and the endpoint inevitable, but the. On a positive note, the success of the book and film has brought the subject of early onset dementia out into. Dec 02, 2014 still alice by lisa genova alice howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the cape, is a celebrated harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. Alice s eldest daughter, anna, and son, tom, take a genetic test to find out if they will develop the disease.
The foundation data on the story still alice still. December 2003 alice and john go to the eric wellmans vacation party, an occasion to which she looks forward each year, as she believes her partners to be family. Still alice has sold over a million copies worldwide and was made into an academy awardwinning film starring julianne moore. The end of alice is a 1996 novel by american writer a. When alice speaks to lydia for the last time about postsecondary, she is able to explain herself well and lydia considers what alice has to say. To us it still looks beautiful, but to this woman whos a professor and celebrated linguist, losing words and hence her identity to alzheimers, its the face of a stranger, or perhaps a face shes no longer able. In 24 months, 49yearold harvard psychology professor alice howland exchanges the role of highachieving teacher, wife and mother of three for that of a disoriented, inarticulate, forgetful shell of her former self. Whats the difference between still alice the book and still alice the movie. She doesnt always do it with quiet dignity, which is refreshing. As alice s memory begins to fade, she daydreams of her mother and sister, who died in a car crash when she was a teenager. The film stars julianne moore as alice howland, a linguistics professor diagnosed with familial alzheimers disease shortly after her 50th birthday. It was published in the united states by scribner and in the united kingdom by anchor books the story is narrated mostly by a middleaged pedophile and child killer who is serving a life sentence.