Please pay for a professional Reader

Would you try another book from Lisa Genova and/or Lisa Genova?

yes

What didn’t you like about Lisa Genova’s performance?

Monotone. The author is a good writer but a horrible reader. I don't understand why a professional reader was not used. The flat and emotionless voice made the book unbearable to listen to at times. I wish that I had purchased this book in book form and not audio. It's a struggle to stay with that flat voice reading this compelling story.

102 people found this helpful

Very poor narrator, I returned it

What would have made Still Alice better?

A different narrator, ie: Caroline Lee

What could Lisa Genova have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Have it read by somebody else

What didn’t you like about Lisa Genova’s performance?

Her voice is very monotone and she sounds much younger than the character's age

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I have not finished reading it yet but it seems very interesting so far

Any additional comments?

Thanks Audible for allowing us to return a book!

47 people found this helpful

Painfully flat narration

Imagine a court reporter reading back testimony with no emotion or emphasis. I WISH the author had been able to narrate Still Alice that well. l have had this title for a while. I am currently spending a lot of time in the car, so I decided to listen to it again, having forgotten how painful Lisa Genova's performance was the first time I slogged through it. It hasn't improved with time. In fact, it might be worse this time, because I know all the basic plot points and am focusing more on the details. I came back to Audible to see if, given the success of the book and the fact that it was made into a movie, they re-recorded the book with someone (anyone!) better suited to the task. They didn't, and so I'm here to warn you that this is a good book about an emotional subject that sounds like it's narrated by a robot.

10 people found this helpful

An author, NOT a narrator

The story was pretty good, but she is simply not a narrator. This would have been exponentially better if it had been read by an actual professional narrator or actor. The content was good, and I found myself distracted by the poor narration.

9 people found this helpful

Authors-please stop narrating your own books!

Would you consider the audio edition of Still Alice to be better than the print version?

No-This might be the third book that I am having a problem finishing because the actual author is narrating. Please, unless you're Amy Poehler or an actual entertainer, please allow Audible to hire a trained reader.

What did you like best about this story?

This horrible disease runs in my family and I am always interested to read about different experiences.

Any additional comments?

I have been listening to books from Audible for over 12 years and have rarely been disappointed with the readers. This is actually the first time I have written a review because I am compelled to beg Audible to stop having the author narrate their own books. When you are used to exceptional readers, these narrators fall short and almost always ruin the experience!

47 people found this helpful

Made for TV Movie ..

I'm ambivalent about this book. The author did a pretty good job of capturing 'key' points about what folks experience with Early Onset Alzheimers - so if you prefer a narrative over dry descriptions of what faces Alzheimer sufferers and their families - this book is for you. Yet the book misses the true challenges that face the rest of us. I titled my review "Made for TV Movie" because that's what it appears to be. Well written but superficial.

My complaint is that the author apparently had a 'check list' of points she wanted to cover, so one-by-one she checked them off. Most problems popped up long enough for the author to tell us about them - and then she moved on. The problem rarely occurred in a significant way again. For someone who supposedly suffered from significant language problems, Alice always managed to be fully articulate when necessary. Yeah, right.

Despite Alice's dark plans at one point (another check mark), she didn't really seem to mind having Alzheimer's. Sure it got in the way - but she was not upset for long about anything. There was no fear, no distrust, no chronic anxiety ... it was just a frustrating experience that could be handled and planned for.

I speak from some experience, since my own wife, Barbara has early onset Alzheimer's, although not the fast-acting genetic variety. Comparing Alice to Barbara: Barbara is three years older than Alice. She had symptoms that go back at least six years before diagnosis. Her first mention to her physician about the problems were passed over the first time she made them. It was only a year later that they took us seriously when I accompanied her to a visit, and nearly a year after that before she was diagnosed; ironically the same week as Alice.

Alice has such a perfect life. Professionally successful. Great doctors. Lightening fast diagnosis. Apparently no financial issues. No crazy legal issues. Grown children. (Barbara's were in high school). Everything was manageable except for that pesky disease and her ambitious husband. Good grief, she even got to see and know her first grandchild.

Like Alice, Barbara is loved and cared for. Unlike Alice, Barbara stays in her original home. Her husband is her full-time caregiver, while still working full time.

So nice try, Lisa. I hope you get your TV movie deal.

77 people found this helpful

A Disappointing Look at Early Onset Alzheimer's

Flat and monotone narration by an inappropriately juvenile, flip, teenage sounding voice. Really wish the author had not done the narration. The story is technical and told from a cold observing distance. It is a perfect example of being talked at about the story rather than seeing it unfold and develop through plot and character driven detail. The frequent use of the word "she" (almost every sentence starts with she) nearly drove me over the edge. To me the book just did not ring true. I know great numbers of listeners loved the book, I am not one of them. A much better look at the experience of Alzheimer's Disease through fiction is the book Elizabeth is Missing.

75 people found this helpful

Incredibly stimulating and thought-provoking

This is my first review after 7 years of membership listening to over 200 books. I am 64 and in good health, but this book raised profound questions for me about mortality, how to leave your family and friends when the time comes, and what to do when the time comes. I laughed and cried throughout, but now I have to figure out what I do when (if) something like this happens to me. I can't remember when a book affected me so profoundly. There are not enought stars in the rating -- it deserves 7.

99 people found this helpful

Poor narration!!!

The book itself was interesting enough although a little technical in places but the narration was so bad that I was tempted to give up on the book altogether. The author's narration was flat and stilted making the reading of her dialogue especially jarring. Her voice was also too young sounding to be believable as a 50 year old woman. Some authors should simply not narrate their own work.

85 people found this helpful

Please have professional reader perform this!

i returned this book. Decent story but I found that Genova, like many authors, doesn't have the gift that brings audible books to the next level. Makes me wish I could have read the paper copy so that the inflection and "voice" of characters would have been more appropriate and rounded. Genova is fast, flat and grates on the ear. This character is a bit hard to like because of her sense of superior intelligence and self importance. Her husband is a one dimensional selfish brat and there seems to be no real relationship between her and any of her family members so she loses little when she starts to forget. She claims her co-workers are family but when she isn't proving herself superior to all of them and their wives, she is again singing the praises of Brahmin elite in Harvard Yard. No real connection except to booster her prestige. Also, you don't need to put the word Harvard on every page. We get it! She is elite among elite, top of the ladder, world class- it gets beat to DEATH! The mere fact that it takes a progressive, terminal disease to make the reader care about her, confirms how objectionable her ego makes this character. While I have little doubt these people exist IRL, I don't want to read about them.

4 people found this helpful