Thursday, June 10, 2010

First Meeting!

Tonight we met at Christine's house for our discussion on the novel "The Help". In attendance were Christine, Kristi, Julie, Annette, Susan and Michelle.

We all enjoyed the book and gave it an overall score of 4 out of 5 possible stars!

Our novel for our next group which will meet in five to six weeks is "Still Alice". It is available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle versions. Julie will be our next host so watch for details from her in the near future.

Still Alice Synopsis:
Neuroscientist and debut novelist Genova mines years of experience in her field to craft a realistic portrait of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Alice Howland has a career not unlike Genova's—she's an esteemed psychology professor at Harvard, living a comfortable life in Cambridge with her husband, John, arguing about the usual (making quality time together, their daughter's move to L.A.) when the first symptoms of Alzheimer's begin to emerge. First, Alice can't find her Blackberry, then she becomes hopelessly disoriented in her own town. Alice is shocked to be diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's (she had suspected a brain tumor or menopause), after which her life begins steadily to unravel. She loses track of rooms in her home, resigns from Harvard and eventually cannot recognize her own children. The brutal facts of Alzheimer's are heartbreaking, and it's impossible not to feel for Alice and her loved ones, but Genova's prose style is clumsy and her dialogue heavy-handed. This novel will appeal to those dealing with the disease and may prove helpful, but beyond the heartbreaking record of illness there's little here to remember. (Jan.)

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