I need to quit starting books, or I'm never going to get anything done!! I had ordered this book on Kindle a few months ago - and it's publication date came - but I had forgotten about it!!
A nice surprise. One I didn't want to waste - so after taking my daily walk, working out at Curves, and making the beds, I started reading - and stayed up late last night to finish.
I need to stop doing this or my to do list will just grow!
Lisa Genova writes about neurological diseases and their impact on families. In one sense, they are quite educational - the author is a neuroscientist turned novelist - so the lesson is very palatable.
But the human aspect - and the effect that disease has on families - is the most compelling part of the stories she tells.
This one is about Huntington's Disease - and I confess I didn't know much about it. But it's been described as the "cruelest disease." I especially enjoyed the setting - Boston's neighborhood Charlestown - and the marathon references. The family is Irish, and she draws a very vivid portrait of a modern-day family steeped in tradition but facing many challenges to those beloved traditions.
A friend said, "Sounds depressing to me" when I told her what I was reading. And that's what I've heard from others about Ms. Genova's other novels - especially Still Alice. But one of the gifts this writer has is the ability to show families uniting and fighting what life has handed to them.
There is not the usual happy ending, but the ending is positive and uplifting. I don't think you can ask for more than that. Otherwise you are reading a fairy tale!
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