Sample
  • Still Alice

  • By: Lisa Genova
  • Narrated by: Lisa Genova
  • Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (7,082 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Still Alice

By: Lisa Genova
Narrated by: Lisa Genova
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.74

Buy for $18.74

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

The heart-wrenching tale of 50-year-old Alice Howland and her early onset Alzheimer's diagnosis is narrated eloquently by author Lisa Genova. Alice, a successful linguistics professor at Harvard, is married to John, an equally esteemed Harvard professor, and together they have three grown children. Her biggest worry in life is her youngest daughter's move to L.A. to pursue acting until Alice starts forgetting things. It begins innocuously enough: misplacing her BlackBerry, missing unimportant appointments on her to-do list, searching her mind for tip-of-the-tongue phrases. But when she goes on her familiar daily run through Cambridge, and becomes disoriented just one mile from home, Alice knows something is terribly wrong.

A battery of tests and multiple doctor visits later, her worst nightmare is confirmed she is in the first stages of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Told from Alice's perspective, it's a frighteningly keen insight to the slow deterioration of a debilitating disease. Every nuance of pain, frustration, fear, and sorrow is captured in Genova's voice and she expertly utilizes the pregnant pause, and short, choppy sentences to convey the confusion and pain of Howland's thoughts during testing and diagnosis.

Genova's slight Boston accent lends authenticity to the story, and she doesn't oversell the emotion behind the words. Her transitions between character dialogue are smooth and subtle, but she so embodies the main character Alice, it's hard to remember that it is Genova, and not Howland herself, telling her story. Knowing its being read exactly as it was intended by the author creates an even stronger connection to the work. Equally present is the devastating effect this illness has on Alice's husband, children, and coworkers. And while there's obviously no happy ending in sight, Genova still manages to paint a story of hope, reminding listeners that even in the midst of great loss and suffering, love remains. Colleen Oakley

Publisher's summary

What if every memory you've ever had will be erased from your mind, and you have no choice but to carry on...powerless to stop it?

Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At 50 years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she begins to grow disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life - and her relationship with her family and the world - forever.

At once beautiful and terrifying, this extraordinary debut novel by Lisa Genova is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Ordinary People.

©2009 Lisa Genova (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"After I read Still Alice, I wanted to stand up and tell a train full of strangers, 'You have to get this book.'" ( Boston Globe)
"With grace and compassion, Lisa Genova writes about the enormous white emptiness created by Alzheimer's." ( The Improper Bostonian)
"A masterpiece that will touch lives in ways none of us can even imagine." ( Alzheimer's Daily News)

What listeners say about Still Alice

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,469
  • 4 Stars
    1,983
  • 3 Stars
    507
  • 2 Stars
    80
  • 1 Stars
    43
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,068
  • 4 Stars
    1,484
  • 3 Stars
    807
  • 2 Stars
    357
  • 1 Stars
    246
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,238
  • 4 Stars
    1,342
  • 3 Stars
    308
  • 2 Stars
    48
  • 1 Stars
    28

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the book. Disliked the narration.

Loved the book, but struggled with the author's own narration of the book. Her enunciations of certain words wore on me and distracted me from the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good

I agree with. The other reviews concerning the narration. It did not have the emotional depth in the narration. She seemed to have a younger tone than the character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book for dementia patients and caregivers

An amazing story that makes you think about the patients journey and less about the caregivers journey. A great perspective.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wish the Author Had Hired a Professional Narrator

Would you listen to Still Alice again? Why?

The story was engrossing. The narration, however, was not as good as most audible books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Read this book-Do Not Listen!

The author should not have recorded the reading of her novel. Her voice was often monotone and lacked appropriate enthusiasm and emotion. It was like a zombie was reading the book. What a disservice to her own creation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Storyline is compelling, narration is awful

The book and storyline are so well written and should, emotionally, draw me in but due to the narrator’s voice (she sounds like a teenager) and lack of fluctuation, it is so hard to listen and really become a part of the story. I was SHOCKED to find that it was the author who narrates because I would expect the author to read the story with much more (any) passion.



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

VERY REALISTIC

I struggle with Dementia every day. This book accurately portrays what it feels like. I would definitely recommend this book and the movie.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Fantastic Insight

This book hit home as I have been looking after my mother and although she was older than Alice, it gave me an insight into what Mom was feeling as this illness took over her mind. Now as I age , I may be more aware of what is happening to me and so will my daughter. I have read 3 of Lisa's book and each one gave me insight. They are worth reading more than one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't stop listening, tears streaming at times

I'd like everyone dealing with my mother's dementia to listen, to understand from her perspective.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My perception

Loved the book. Did not enjoy narrator. Needed more emotion. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story. Well written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!