Left Neglected

By: Lisa Genova

Narrated by: Sarah Paulson

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children—Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.

Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.

A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.

A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.

Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny—her new, true life—may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

©2011 Lisa Genova (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Imagine your too busy, over scheduled, Type A life coming to a screeching halt. That is what happens in Lisa Genova's timely new novel, Left Neglected. As her protagonist, Sarah Nickerson, works her way through a devastating brain injury and back into that hectic life, she is forced to re-evaluate what really matters. I dare any reader to not do the same in their own lives after reading this book." (Ann Hood)

"Devastating and hopeful, haunting and familiar, Left Neglected is a triumph of insight and empathy." (Stefan Merrill Block, international best-selling author of The Story of Forgetting and The Storm at the Door)

“Once again, Lisa Genova goes where few authors dare, and mines a compelling and beautifully written story about finding peace, wisdom and human connection. While Sarah Nickerson’s condition is rare, her journey is universal. “ (Lynn Kiele Bonasia, author of Summer Shift)

Moving, Well-Written, Spectacular Narration

The story itself is moving, and Lisa Genova's writing is so eloquent and vivid. To top it off, Sarah Paulson's narration was spectacular; it really gave life to the story!

Good story, even though I sruggled to get into it!

Starts slow, but before long I was completely engrossed in the main character and her family.
Easy read, no major drama.

educational, enlightening and enjoyable

I love how Genova brings these conditions of the human body and spirit home so that I might participate in a what if that I think of for quite a while after completion of the book!

one of my most recommended books

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Anytime somebody asks me for a book recommendation, this one's top of list. Surface level, it's just a well done piece of fiction. Beyond that, the neurological syndrome the main character is facing is FASCINATING. The story and characters are interesting and there's a lot of heart.

Another home run by Ms. Genova. Wow oh wow.

OMG, this is the third book I have read by this author and each one just gets better and better. Her descriptions make you laugh, ugly cry, even downright actually sob, chuckle and care so much. I would have given Helen a hug so many times. How she gets into the story with the dressing, the walking, granny cane, black elestic waist pants, button front shirts, chia pet, I could go on and on. I will remember this one for a long, long time. Best book I have read in the past 6 months and I read a lot! The narrator is pitch perfect. AWESOME!!! Even bought a hardcopy for my BFF. Loved this book.

Inspiring &Informative

Listened to this book with my wife on a recent trip. The character development was captivating and heart warming. Learning about Left Neglect with a back story of love, family, friendship and determination was entertaining and educational. Genova is masterful at drawing the reader in, making you feel like a first hand witness to the story as it unfolds. Highly recommend this book

Meaningful and Educational and Funny, Too

This book is well worth reading for any of us who live with or will encounter or dearly love persons who bravely face physical disabilities. That eventually will include all of us. I grew to love and respect these characters.

Pharma is everywhere.

I was disappointed with the mentions of pharma drugs. There are other solutions for ADD and mental health. Pharma really has a hold on every aspect of our lives…

Interesting.

I thought the story was interesting because I had never heard of this happening to anyone before. With that said ... it was a bit of a snooze fest. I didn't find myself caring about the characters. In fact I found them dull.

Mind Tricks

I have a brain disease also so I was drawn in immediately. I completely understand how frustrating it is to know that what you are seeing is not correct. I wanted to listen to it in one sitting and I was able to get a lot of house cleaning accomplished and the time flew by. I also enjoyed the fact that this is a family of love. The kids were high priority and the husband stuck with her.