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kategallo's review against another edition
5.0
Lisa Genova has broken my heart yet again. Every Note Played is a powerful look into another degenerative illness, and the way it destroys lives. But this book isn't Just about ALS. It's about two deeply flawed people, and how they come to terms with the fact that both of them have greatly wronged each other, hidden behind a veil of excuses. The purpose of this book is not to give them an opportunity for forgiveness just because Richard has ALS, but to provide them both a sense of freedom from each other's, and their own, mistakes that led them to a broken marriage and futile dreams. It is chipped away at, piece by piece, as we watch them attempt to deal with the reality of the situation around them, and how time is slowly slipping away. While I was, at first, hesitant that there were two main characters, I love how Karina slowly broke away from her tough facade and allowed us to understand her actions, her cold-heartedness and resigned nature. She struggles deeply with responsibility, guilt, and anger throughout this book, while surrounded with memories of what could have been and what could be, and I found her viewpoint to add a lot of meaning to Richard's own.
Genova's talent for writing in the perspective of people living with illness is incomparable. She uses deeply sensitive language, creating intimacy - familiarity - within the first few chapters. Genova can build a whole world around a single person; from the intricacies of their fears and choices, to the breadth of their impact on the people around them. She provides an undeniably human view of something that can feel so dehumanising - debilitating illness. In some ways, she allows a modicum of dignity for Richard's character even when he is stripped of every primal human freedom; as his body betrays him and his neural pathways die, he is still thinking and learning and understanding. Genova's depth of research is very evident in how she details the medical side of the illness with clarity, allows the reader to understand how it feels to no longer be independent. Yet this is not to incite pity in the audience, but to deepen our connection to the story and its complexities.
In all the ways that this book is heartbreaking and confronting, it is also interspersed with humour and lightness, and it's so beautiful to read. I wholeheartedly believe Genova's writing is life-changing, not just for the average reader, but for those living with ALS (or the caregivers or someone with ALS), and other degenerative illnesses. She doesn't detract from the horrors of the reality that is ALS. But she humanises it, in ways that can't even be explained.
Genova's talent for writing in the perspective of people living with illness is incomparable. She uses deeply sensitive language, creating intimacy - familiarity - within the first few chapters. Genova can build a whole world around a single person; from the intricacies of their fears and choices, to the breadth of their impact on the people around them. She provides an undeniably human view of something that can feel so dehumanising - debilitating illness. In some ways, she allows a modicum of dignity for Richard's character even when he is stripped of every primal human freedom; as his body betrays him and his neural pathways die, he is still thinking and learning and understanding. Genova's depth of research is very evident in how she details the medical side of the illness with clarity, allows the reader to understand how it feels to no longer be independent. Yet this is not to incite pity in the audience, but to deepen our connection to the story and its complexities.
In all the ways that this book is heartbreaking and confronting, it is also interspersed with humour and lightness, and it's so beautiful to read. I wholeheartedly believe Genova's writing is life-changing, not just for the average reader, but for those living with ALS (or the caregivers or someone with ALS), and other degenerative illnesses. She doesn't detract from the horrors of the reality that is ALS. But she humanises it, in ways that can't even be explained.
sheeprustler's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Medical content
pandash94's review against another edition
4.0
This is more like 3.5 stars. I found it actually quite a slow read initially but the last quarter completely changed my opinion. I've read a fair amount of sad stories, but I was truly fighting back tears with this. The writer has included such amazing detail about ALS, and I think this book does a fantastic job of teaching people what it's truly like.
viegreifen's review against another edition
4.0
Very nicely written and takes the reader into the perspective of an ALS patient as close as possible. I liked how she described how having ALS was really like for the person rather than from a strictly medical view. In the acknowledgements, it is clear Genova did a lot of research. I also liked how there was more going on between the characters than just Richard's ALS which does add depth to each one.
One thing that irked me was how Genova decided how to describe the millennial generation using Karina's 17 year old piano student yet he is not technically a millennial but a Gen Z as the book takes place this year or at least in this decade.
One thing that irked me was how Genova decided how to describe the millennial generation using Karina's 17 year old piano student yet he is not technically a millennial but a Gen Z as the book takes place this year or at least in this decade.
thesistersread1's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
akira0513's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emleemay's review against another edition
4.0
His neurons are dying, and the muscles they feed are literally starving for input. Every twitch is a muscle stammering, gasping, begging to be saved. They can't be saved.
I don't know what it is that makes these, um... medical dramas(?) of Genova's so damn compelling. Some writers just seem to have that certain way with words that draws you into the story and the characters' lives. It doesn't matter that her books aren't action-packed; they are pageturners anyway.
[b:Every Note Played|36082326|Every Note Played|Lisa Genova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1521364066s/36082326.jpg|57639412] sees a famous and extremely talented pianist developing ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease). Richard has dedicated his entire life to the piano and music. It is who he is on a deep, cellular level. In fact, he has sacrificed many other areas of his life to focus on his career playing with various orchestras around the world. When his precious hands start to fail him, he is forced to look at what's left of his life.
It is obvious that the author is a neuroscientist. She knows the details of the disease and takes us through the grueling daily challenges of living with ALS that most of us probably never thought about. She dispels myths surrounding the disease - such as that ALS sufferers tend to live a long time, like Stephen Hawking. Hawking has lived an abnormally long time with the disease, and most people die within a few years of diagnosis. There is one pitiful treatment option available. There is no cure.
Genova also creates some really interesting character dynamics. There's no pity party for Richard. In fact, the perspective of the novel moves between Richard and that of his ex-wife Karina, and we discover that Richard has kinda been an asshole for a lot of his life. Arrogant. Self-absorbed. And yet this works really well and feels less manipulative than if Richard had been a saint.
You might think we would have less sympathy for a man like this, and yet there is something deeply sad about it. To see this proud, arrogant man dress up in his tux, alone in his apartment, and play left-handed until he can play no more is hard to witness. In both this book and [b:Still Alice|2153405|Still Alice|Lisa Genova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1236089972s/2153405.jpg|2158906], Genova explores what it means to experience an ultimate loss of self - an intelligent woman losing her memories, a pianist losing use of his hands - and how a person must live with this.
Her books are often sad books, but they feel refreshingly free of manipulation. They are not tear-jerkers that set out to make us cry. She simply creates interesting characters in terrible situations and explores how they deal with them. I like this. I equally like that she chose to focus on an unusual dynamic - that between a divorced middle-aged couple who really dislike each other. The relationship between Richard and Karina is as fascinating as everything else.
Also, I was surprised how the author pulled me into the music part of the story. I’m not a musical person, to be honest. I love listening to all kinds of music, but I often feel cold when authors describe the feeling of being extremely passionate about playing an instrument and getting lost in the notes. That’s not something I’ve ever really understood and if you played me a note I couldn't even hazard a guess if it was ABCDEF or G, so books about music are usually boring to me. But the passion for music here really worked. The intoxicating feeling of the music as Richard uses it to escape reality is a good source of relief between the progressions of the disease.
In short, [b:Every Note Played|36082326|Every Note Played|Lisa Genova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1521364066s/36082326.jpg|57639412] is an unputdownable character portrait that informs about ALS on a painfully human level.
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mjb1013's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5