This was such an educational look at life with ALS.  What an absolutely awful disease.  My heart aches for the individuals that are living with ALS.

I loved that Lisa Genova used a pianist as the focus of this book.  To use so much of your body for your career and then to have it ripped from you.  To slowly lose the ability to do the thing you love most in life.  Gut wrenching.  

Richard and Karina's story is beautiful and heart breaking.  Both if them feel so wronged by the other.  To spend so much of your life blaming someone else for your unhappiness is disease in itself.  It was clear to me that both Richard and Karina still had strong feelings for each other. Karina taking Richard in when he had no where else to go, giving up her life essentially to care for him.  In living together again it was easy to see that they would each come to realize their own responsibility in their unhappiness.  

My heart broke at the end of this book. It had me weeping and wiping away tears to finish and not blur the words.  I love Lisa's books.  I have read all of her books and always feel I have learned something in addition to reading a wonderfully written novel.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Threshold, Pocket Books

Karina finds out just by chance that her estranged ex-husband and famous concert pianist (Richard) has ALS. When she sees how quickly he's deteriorating, she ends up taking care of him. Like in Still Alice with Alzheimer's, Genova writes in a way that let's the reader feel the pain, indignity and hopelessness of what it's like for someone suffering from these terrible diseases. 

Not only does Genova do such a good job illuminating all the different aspects of the disease, she is a great fiction writer as well. Her characters seem so real and their flaws make them believable and empathetic. Richard was a pretty much a jerk, but to watch him go become helpless and paralyzed by ALS was painful and heartbreaking to read. Karina wasn't perfect either. I wanted to shake her out of her lethargy and martyrdom. While the subject matter is hard to take at times, especially if you know someone who has suffered or is suffering from ALS, I commend Genova for not sugarcoating anything. This is a powerful and engrossing story.

I love this author. I think she takes inside of diseases we wouldn’t normally delve into. She makes them real and relatable. Every time I read one of her books I think she will never top this but... of course she does. This book is nothing short of brilliant. Can’t wait for the next one. I can only give 5 stars but it deserves so many more!

Whoa.  I couldn't sleep last night, so I picked this up and finished it at 3:30am.  As I put my iPad down, I continued to sob as quietly as I could to not wake my husband.  Blah.  I don't remember the last time I cried when reading a book.  This book touched me.  BUT, I didn't like how it touched me.  

I love, love, love Lisa's writing.  Love it.  However, even within that, I didn't think this one had enough build up.  It felt like it went immediately into doom and gloom.  Then, it just got deeper and deeper in Richard's failures -- body, mind and soul.  I understand that this was about just that.  That's what ALS does.  It's beyond miserable.  I can't think of any pleasant diseases, though, can you?  

So, ultimately, I learned an incredible amount about ALS and respect Lisa's diligence in getting it out into our hands.  This is not a joyful story, but a very plausible one.  Sometimes those are the most difficult to read.

I always enjoy reading a Lisa Genova novel,  Both heartbreaking and informative, this novel takes on the topic of a concert pianist who develops ALS.  I always feel so much more informed after reading one of Genova's books.  This book made me feel I was living with Richard, Katrina and Grace.  I had tears in my eyes during the ending but it w as worth it,. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book definitely lived up to previous books by Lisa Genova. While it is the heartbreaking story of a concert pianist gradually losing his ability to play, as well as to perform even basic activities of daily living, it was also the story of a family managing to come back together and forgive the past under very difficult circumstances. I hated to see the story conclude, and wished that there could be a different ending for Richard.

Lisa Genova always manages to teach us so much — about illness, about life, and about relationships. This time, she tackled ALS, which I've know of, of course, but didn't know how quickly and how debilitating it could be. 
This story is sad, yes, but this is also a novel of love, courage, second chances, responsibility and family.  I liked getting a look into the hardships of caregivers, the fear of failing, and the amazing people who make this their career. It is humbling, scary, and emotionally engages the reader.  Genova is an author who does her research and brings to us things that need to be seen, that aren't always. And by doing so, both informatively and personally, she has created another unforgettable story.

This was a sad book that brought out so many emotions for me.  It was bursting at the seams with regret, and ultimately, forgiveness. 
 This man. This sad, hardened, arrogant, talented man made my heart break.  I can't begin to imagine how it feels to know that you're dying. And to know that the death is going to be miserable. To know what is coming next, to wait for it and then check it off the list, just to wait for the next terrible thing.  The characters in this book were easy to fall in love with, to root for, and to mourn. Thank you for this.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery/Scout  Books for an ARC of Every Note Played. Lisa Genova writes with so much respect and compassion, that even a book about living with ALS is beautiful. I learned a lot from reading this book and I would recommend it to everyone.

Richard and Karina are the main characters of this new book. Newly divorced, they are both pianists who met at school and quickly married. At first Richard, the more famous of the two, thinks he just has tendinitis. He is then diagnosed with ALS and instead of telling anyone he goes into denial. By the time he loses both of his arms Karina has discovered and accepts the fact that he must come back and live at their family home. What follows is his quick decline and their changing relationship with each other and their 18 year old daughter. I didn't know much about ALS, I'm not sure many do past the ice bucket challenge, and I learned so much. I highly recommend this poignant story.

Once again, I learned a great deal reading this novel. It was heart-wrenching and beautiful. Lisa Genova is an athor I often recommend. The feedback from patrons is always heartfelt gratitude.

Gripping and tender and real. Gritty and passionate and honest. There are so many words to describe all the emotions this book evokes. Most of all, though, it draws back the curtain on an experience most of us could never imagine. Yes, it's a tough read, but oh so worth it.

Every Note Played is another masterpiece by Lisa Genova.  It is the heartbreaking story of Richard, a world reknown pianist, who is diagnosed with ALS at the height of his career.  As the disease progresses, Karina, his ex-wife is the only real choice to be a care giver for him.  Their relationship is at the forefront in this story...both with each other and with their daughter.  Will they be able to reconcile before Richard draws his last breath? A compelling novel, which grips you from the first page to the last.

Beautifully written, this book left me a sobbing mess. I fell in love with each of the main characters, and my heart broke as their story was unveiled. ALS is a horrific disease. This book will be one that will stay with me forever.

The more I read, the more I truly loved this powerful, emotional novel about a man with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. I was so absorbed that I read it within a day, reading all through the night as well.  I’ve read all of Lisa Genova’s novels and adored them all, but this novel is my new favourite.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Richard and Karina are divorced. He is a serial adulterer whose love for his wife was tainted by secrets. He is a confident, dominant man and some might say he is totally obnoxious. He is also a world renowned virtuoso concert pianist, passionate about classical music. He is driven, workaholic and dedicated to further his own career and fame. His ex-wife, a Polish immigrant called Karina, stayed at home raising their daughter and teaching piano in her own front room. Truth be told, she sacrificed her ambitions so that her husband could receive the accolade he craved, even though her talent shone through brightly.
Living separately now and shunned by his daughter, Richard is struck down by ALS. The use of his arms is taken one at a time as the disease wreaks havoc with his life. He employs carers but gradually and progressively he cannot manage without full time care. Locked in a useless body he re-evaluates his life and is staggered when Karina offers to take him in and be there for him. He moves back home. They both still hurt, their betrayals a ghost from their past, but this story is about learning to forgive, the relief of apology, acceptance and the healing brought by moving on in life and being selfless.
Lisa Genova was inspired to write ‘Every Note Played’ by the people she met and loved who were cruelly struck by this degenerative and fast moving disease. She undertook exhaustive research into ALS, interviewing caregivers, physicians, therapists, ALS sufferers, musical geniuses and more experts in their fields. With a Ph.D. in Neuroscience to help inform her writing, Lisa has written a masterful, incredibly detailed and totally fascinating medical drama. Her wonderfully crafted characters compliment this richly evocative story as does her fluid, lyrical and authoritative storyline.
I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Allen & Unwin for my copy of this novel, sent to me in return for an honest review. This is a superb stand out novel within this genre with a very well deserved all round 5* review from me.

Every Note Played is an amazing read.


Richard, a world renowned classical pianist, is devastated when he is diagnosed with ALS. and this tells the story of his illness and how it effects him and those around him.

This is an emotional read and at times I felt quite sad and at times drained.  The author does not leave anything out and every aspect of being ill is covered. 

I would recommend this book to all readers,  if only for the fact that its so beautifully written

Every Note Played is a meticulously crafted unputdownable novel. This is a story about love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and the devastating effects of ALS. I loved every page of this brilliant book. Every Note Played is about a concert pianist, Richard, who suffers from ALS. The reader will experience as I did, along with Richard, the horrendous overwhelming grief, and sadness, that comes from losing control of each and every part of your body. It’s also a story about Karina, Richard’s ex-wife and the extraordinary sacrifice that she makes on a daily basis, for the man who emotionally crushed her. And, lastly, it’s a story about love, true, unconditional love, and what that really means.  

I’ve read every one of Lisa Genova’s books and have loved them all. Every Note Played is a five-star quality book. Lisa Genova is a neuroscientist and has the extraordinary ability to break down the facts about complex disorders into bite-size, fascinating, and comprehensible pieces. I had a fair knowledge about ALS before reading this book; but after reading, Every Note Played, I have a whole new understanding of exactly what happens physically, mentally and emotionally to a person who is stricken with this hideous disease.

The story itself is heart-wrenching as well as heartwarming. The characters are fully developed, realistic and life-like. I found this book, unforgettable and impossible to put down. If you haven’t discovered Lisa Genova yet, you are in for a treat. She is a magnificent writer, and one, that once you start reading her books, you’ll want to go back and read every single book she has written. Lisa Genova is one of my favorite authors. I plan on reading everything she writes.  

Thank you, Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy. I absolutely loved it!

Lisa Genova never fails to produce well written, well researched, though provoking books.  Every Note Played is no exception.  Highly recommend.

I have gone hot and cold with Lisa Genova's books in the past.  Every Note Played, however, hits a nice sweet spot between the story and the disease that has been missing for me during some of the other books I have read by this author.  My heart broke a little bit reading about the classically trained pianist who was struggling with his ALS diagnosis and the slow atrophy that occurs as a part of this awful disease.  Anyone who has suffered from this disease and the choices you must make as a result knows about the devastation that it causes.  Genova's choice to make the sufferer fully dependent on the use and mastery of his muscles to fulfill his passion and his career was especially poignant.

The loss of a star only comes from the sudden turn that happened between Karina and Richard.  The turn in their relationship seemed sudden and extreme and wholly unrealistic.  Fortunately, this flaw didn't detract from the remainder of the story and even my stoic heart got emotional in the ending scenes.

Thank you to Ms. Genova, Gallery/Scout Press and Netgalley for allowing me to access this novel in exchange for an honest review.