Author of Still Alice has a new book out this month called Every Note Played. I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. This review is spoiler-free 🙂 Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

After thoroughly enjoying Still Alice (about early onset Alzheimer’s disease) and Left Neglected (about traumatic brain injury), I was extremely excited to receive a complimentary copy of Lisa Genova’s new novel Every Note Played. This is a heart-breaking drama about Richard’s struggle with ALS, told from both his perspective and that of his ex-wife Karina. When we meet Richard he is at the top of his game, preparing for yet another big concert where he gets to flaunt his fantastic piano playing. He’s a narcissistic, sexist jerk, and I thought there was no way I could ever care about him. Flash forward to me, crying many tears many times while reading this touching story.

Richard and Karina have a daughter, Grace, who is attending University. After the divorce Grace distanced herself from her father because while growing up it seemed like he was never home. Richard is lucky enough to have an amazing care worker named Bill, a strong, professional, compassionate, homosexual man who made me chuckle and weep.

I didn’t know a lot about ALS going into this, and feel grateful to read a novel that gives a description in a clear way that the average reader could understand. Although this is a somber story about disappointment, resentment, and betrayal, it’s also about love, forgiveness, and hope. I am left in awe of the ALS warriors and the champion care-givers.

I've read previous Genova novels, so I'm a huge fan of them. My first one was Still Alice which became a movie starring Julianne Moore. It was completely spectacular.

Every Note Played is about a man who is diagnosed with ALS. As a teenager, I didn't really know what ALS was, but I have heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge going around. I feel that many people participated in it, not knowing exactly what they are doing it for. It's very important to know what ALS exactly is, before participating in such a thing.

Genova's novels are always very descriptive, and do not shy away anything at all. It is one of the reasons I enjoy reading her novels. She has a special way of making the readers connect with the character as if we are there, suffering through the illness with them. She describes every single aspect of ALS; what it is and how it affects and changes the lives of not only the person suffering from the ALS, but also the people around them

I started reading this novel three days after Stephen Hawking passed away (may he rest in peace). It was very interesting to know more about this disease and to understand exactly how it affects a person's life. It's tough to read about something so sad, knowing that it is happening to people all around the world.

Genova takes her readers deep into the lives of Richard and Karina, a divorced couple, who end up living together after her ex-husband becomes diagnosed with ALS. It really is a profound and emotional novel and I think that everyone should read it.

Every time I read a Genova novel, I have a box tissues prepared with me, knowing already that I will cry. If you are interested in learning about ALS, then this is the book for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!  EVERY NOTE PLAYED was an absolutely phenomenal book and it was quickly placed into my 2018 favourite reads shelf!

EVERY NOTE PLAYED by LISA GENOVA is a deeply moving, sad, and an absolutely fantastic novel that had me totally emotionally engaged and interested throughout the entire book.  I was totally immersed in this story making it extremely hard for me to put down.

LISA GENOVA delivers an empowering and beautifully written story here with an extremely enthralling storyline that was easy to understand and follow. The story is told in two different perspectives from Richard’s point of view who is a world-renowned concert pianist living with ALS and his ex-wife’s, Karina his caretaker.  I was totally in awe with what I learned about ALS, the characters courage throughout this book and the familial dynamics between the characters.

To sum it all up it was an interesting, powerful, unforgettable, emotional, and an enjoyable read with a very touching, heart-wrenching, and bittersweet ending. Would highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Lisa Genova for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.  It was an absolute pleasure!!!

So much thanks given to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Lisa Genova is back with her newest novel, “Every Note Played”. Richard is a world-renowned classical pianist, a passion that has taken him around the world, and has cost him both his wife and daughter. When he is diagnosed with ALS, Richard must quickly come to terms with the fact that his passion and the love of his life, piano, can no longer be part of him. Soon, his ex-wife Karina moves in with him to help him with his daily care, as he dwindles from the strong, talented pianist, to a weak, disabled man who needs help with his most basic needs. As Karina steps up in her caring role for Richard, the two work to repair their relationship with each other and Richard’s relationship with his daughter, and soon they are faced with the ultimate, life- ending question.
As always, Genova’s novels touches parts of my soul that make me grateful every day for the simple things in life. Genova’s well-researched novels always play with my emotions, and “Every Note Played” definitely fits that role. The powerful depiction of life and death with ALS is not only powerful and thought provoking, but sad and bittersweet as well.
Richard and Karina are simply two people who used to be in a relationship and, due to mistakes made by both parties, are now only connected through their shared adult daughter. They are forced back together by horrible fate, and their bond intensifies, forgiveness is given and words held back are finally said. These two have an honest and real relationship, and never once does Genova force them back into a romantic role, which would be completely unbelievable and actually, quite cheesy. Their powerful and honest relationship immediately made me fall in love with both characters.
The ending of the novel is powerfully moving and brings the storyline to a firm and concise close. The story is told from the perspective of both Karina and Richard, and the reader is able to witness the struggles of ALS first hand, from both the patient and the caregiver.
It is evident that Genova puts everything she has into her novels, portraying her characters with as much honesty as she can, while still portraying the painful reality of this most tragic neurological disease.
With the death of Stephen Hawking just last week, this novel was a particularly poignant one for me, as he was mentioned several times throughout this novel as being an ALS “champion” and the face of ALS. I am always blown away by the way Genova’s novels stick with me, and “Every Note Played” will be one of those novels. Although I am completely tone deaf and not at all musically inclined, the thought of losing something that defines me as a person is horrifyingly scary.
Kudos to Genova for yet another powerful novel on the nightmares that the human body can wreak, and the simple things we take for granted.

I, like millions of readers read Still Alice and was completely overwhelmed by how much I loved it: not just the writing, or the plot, but the science, the relationships, the complexity of it all.

Then I read, Left Neglected - and felt that if that had been Lisa Genova's first book, readers would have been just as impressed. She was able to discuss a complex neurological issue and make it understandable. She was able to give her characters a realness that was relatable. The science and the fictional plot worked hand in hand beautifully.

I wasn't as taken with Love Anthony - but wasn't disappointed enough to swear off Lisa Genova's fourth book, Inside the O'Briens - another book I found engaging, depressing and so well written.

You now know that I like Lisa Genova's writing style and that I have really enjoyed reading almost all of her books.

So why wasn't this a 5 star read for me ... it's honestly because I felt that the storyline wasn't as well meshed with the scientific details about ALS. This is the story of Richard, a concert pianist who is diagnosed with ALS and ends up having to depend on his ex-wife Karina to care for him once he is no longer able to live independently.

Told through alternating points of views - either Richard's or Karina's - the reader is witness to what ALS does to a person. All of that is brilliantly told - the care that is required, the care that is available, the stages that things happen, all of that is so beautifully drawn out for the reader. 5 stars. BUT it was Richard and Karina themselves that I had a hard time with.

We know that they are divorced - and if you are divorced, obviously something or several things have led to that. There was too much hinting at secrets kept, mistakes made, unresolved issues - without it being in the open ... even to the reader. I think that if I had known sooner in the book why Karina was so mad at Richard, and vice-versa, it would have brought their stories more to the forefront, rather than reading about a man who has ALS and the ALS being the complete focus of story.

As we near the end of the book, Richard and Karina seem to open up to the reader more - but it was a little too late for me. It's not that I wasn't completely engaged in the story - I devoured this book - it's just that if I compare it to her earlier books, I found that Lisa Genova has done a better job in the past of combining science and stories together - and this wasn't as strong a book as "Still Alice" or "Left Neglected".

That said - would I recommend this book - ABSOLUTELY.

Have I been talking to people about it - YES.

Well worth the read, and maybe I'm being too picky with this review.

Lisa Geneva’s novels are purposely didactic, in the sense that she uses her fiction to teach. In her case, she strives to teach her audience about medical conditions and illnesses. For example, she’s written about Alzheimers ([book:Still Alice|2153405]) and autism ([book:Love Anthony|13547381]). Every Note Played focuses on ALS or motor neurone disease.

I have found Geneva’s books uneven as fiction. Still Alice blew me away, but some books felt like the didacticism overtook the story. Every Note Played didn’t blow me away, but it’s definitely one of Genova’s strong books in my view. Richard Evans is a forty five year old concert pianist when he is diagnosed with ALS. Out of necessity, his ex-wife Karina becomes his caregiver. The book is fairly short and Genova does not dawdle on the progress of the disease. Rather the story moves forward in robust increments, showing the brutal rapid devastation caused by ALS.

Besides the story of the disease, Genova does a good job with Richard and Karina. As Richard’s disease slowly traps him in an increasingly uncooperative body, she shows how people can trap themselves in their own thought patterns. Karina helps Richard out of a sense of duty and he accepts her help because of necessity, but there is nothing sweet or easy about this. There is some reckoning at the end, but Genova does not lapse into sentimentality. Much remains unsaid and regretted. Sad but realistic.

As I write this, I’ve just found out that Stephen Hawking died today. He had ALS. The course of his illness was unusual. Most people with ALS die much younger and most do not continue to live brilliant productive lives. Genova does a good job of highlighting this brutal disease with unsentimental humanity.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Phenomenal book! This story about ALS was educational, heartbreaking and inspiring. Through Lisa’s beautiful writing I felt as if I was living alongside Richard as ALS stole his life. I felt an intimate connection with Richard and Karina. A gripping story that I could not put down and will linger in my mind always.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of Every Note Played by Lisa Genova in exchange for an honest review. This is the third novel, written by Lisa Genova, that I have read. She does not disappoint. With Every Note Played, the author of Still Alice and Left Neglected puts the reader inside the body and mind of a concert pianist stricken with ALS. Richard's talent has brought him devoted audiences from all over the world. Until the diagnosis of ALS. He is divorced from Karina due to lack of communication and his cheating with other women. It soon becomes evident that Richard cannot manage his illness while living alone and Karina moves him back to the family home that he left years before. What shines in this novel is the way the author presents this illness in such a sympathetic and detailed way. You will find yourself holding your breath when Richard has difficulty breathing and you will also experience the disease through Karina's eyes. This is not just the account of an illness. It is the story of a man and a woman. Highly recommended.

First, I have to stop crying. This is perhaps the most powerful book Lisa Genova has written since Still Alice. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis( ALS ) is the medical storyline brought to the surface in this contemporary family drama. Richard and Karin are the divorced couple that reluctantly find it becoming part of their world. Both Richard and Karin are carrying a lot of anger and hurt from their rocky road of a marriage, but when Karin becomes the default caregiver for Richard- both must confront the past. As well, the couple's only daughter, Grace, has a rocky relationship with her father and Lisa Genova skillfully weaves this into the story as well.

Lisa Genova is the master storyteller of our era, bringing very difficult diseases( Alzheimer's, Huntington's and ALS) to the attention of her readers. She does it the hard way too! Like her other books, we are told the story not just from the spouse's point of view, but the patient himself. That alone can be a daunting task, but LG does it with the utmost care and respect.

I am beyond excited to talk about this book with my fellow readers! But they might have to bring their own Kleenex box!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you to Netgalley, to the publisher and to the Author.
I have always enjoyed reading Lisa Genova's books, including this one.
I give this book 4.5 stars.
I found this book to be a good mix, facts about what it is like to live with ALS blended into a well written story.
I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

I will not cry. I will not cry.
I totally bawled.

That's an accurate summary of every Lisa Genova book I've read, and this is no exception.

Taking the reader along for Richard's ALS journey, from his diagnosis to the end, this is a heart-wrenching story. I have never stopped to think what this disease is actually like, and now I'll never forget.

I appreciated that the story wasn't just about ALS, it was also about Richard and Karina, and their (failed) relationship. It's hard to say if ALS is the focus, or if the characters are the focus, they are intertwined so tightly that it's hard to separate out, and really, it's not necessary to try to do so.

It's an overall very human story, one that shows good and ugly and sad and loving and powerful and draining. It's a story you need tissues for, that's you'll read late into the night. It's a story worth reading, and one I'll be recommending to people in the future.

ALS is a fatal and extremely unpleasant disease for the patient , caregivers and family and friends. You are virtually trapped in your own body but your mind is still your own. ALS can progress rapidly or over time. Richard was confined by the disease but his life before the disease was penned in by his career in music, a bully for a father , a broken marriage , deceitful wife and a lost daughter. His wife and daughter were also trapped . Karina , his wife was hemmed into a life she never wanted and could never move forward. Grace, the daughter was also trapped in with parents who meant well but were unable to move beyond their own concerns . The author is able to accurately describe this disease and how all dealt with it. The ending brought closure for the characters and the ability to press ahead. Music is a great healer as this book shows. Thanks net gallery.

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for granting me an advanced copy of the Every Note Played book by Lisa Genova.

Lisa Genova, author of "Still Alice" and "Inside the O'Briens", delivers yet another masterpiece. Every Note Played is a novel which addresses the devastating effect of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) on a celebrated pianist and his family. ALS (a.k.a. motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease) causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles. Over time, as the muscles of the body break down, someone living with ALS loses the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow, and eventually breathe. At 45, Richard is diagnosed with ALS. His career is over and he has no one to turn to for help. Karina, his ex-wife, driven by guilt, becomes his reluctant caretaker. This endeavour is more than she bargains for, and both she and Richard are faced with very life-changing decisions.

This book will be available at your favourite bookstore on April 3rd, 2018. I recommend this book and thank Lisa Genova for writing it in the perspective of the patient and the caregiver. This was an eye-opener for me and prompted me to read more about ALS and educate myself.

According to ALS Canada: “ALS is not contagious. There is no cure for ALS and few treatment options for the majority of people living with the disease. Approximately 80 percent of people with ALS die within two to five years of being diagnosed.”

Food for thoughts:
• More than 200,000 people around the world are living with ALS.
• About 3,000 Canadians are currently living with ALS.
• Each day in Canada 2-3 people die of ALS.
• The lifetime risk of developing ALS is 1 in 1,000.
• 80% of people with ALS die within 2-5 years of diagnosis.

To make a donation to help find a cure, follow these links:
Canada: https://www.als.ca/
US: http://www.alsa.org

I started to read this book today and I finished it today...... it was that good!
I love Lisa’s books because not only do you get a beautifully, thoughtful, well written story.....but you learn something as well.
Like many people I have only heard the words ALS, I didn’t really know about the journey.
I am hopeful that people with go out and buy this book because we need more awareness.
Thank you for the gift of this story.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review this amazing book. I am a fan of Ms Genova’s and have read all her novels and seen her speak. This is definitely one of her best work. By the end of the book I was totally in tears. A beautifully written novel about an ugly illness - about love, family and friends ship. I Defne tell recommend this book .

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova is a general fiction book about the devastating disease ALS.

Richard, an accomplished concert pianist, develops symptoms that at first are frustratingly annoying, but soon become apparent that they're more than just mishaps and clumsiness, but something alarmingly more serious. With a diagnosis of ALS, Richard's world and life are simply over. His ex-wife, Karina, hears through the grapevine about his diagnosis and tries to offer support but realizes that Richard wants no part of it.

Richard struggles with losing his independence; Karina's torn between wanting to comfort Richard and being saddled with being his constant caregiver. This story will make you weep for the pain and hardships endured and cherish how remarkable life is.

This novel was such an interesting read. It is poignantly written and doesn't bog the reader down with medical jargon and ALS facts, but is interwoven into the character's experiences and life. I have read every one of Lisa Genova's books and absolutely LOVE them. Recommended read for sure! I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada, and Galley/Scout Press for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: January 31, 2018. Novel Publish Date: March 20, 2018.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Lisa Genova for the opportunity to read this ARC of Every Note Played. Once again, Lisa Genova has a written a novel about a debilitating illness that the average “joe” can understand. This novel was written in two different perspectives. The perspective of the patient (Richard) and the caregiver (Richard’s ex-wife, Karina). Richard is world-renowned concert pianist, diagnosed with ALS, and his story is in the first person as he goes through the process of losing his mobility and the inability to play classical music. It was sad and heartwrenching to read the progress of the disease through Richard’s eyes. Karina, his ex-wife, who is still angry with Richard, for cheating on her, and being more dedicated to his career than his family, agrees to let Richard move back into the family home as he is no longer able to care for himself.

While the story is sad, it is also about second chances, regrets, love, redemption and courage. Lisa Genova wrote an unforgettable story about the hardship of caregivers, the emotional toll on the family of the patient a as they watch their loved ones go through ALS and the courage of the patient. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down, just as I have enjoyed every book that Ms. Genova has written.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Gallery/Scout Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This stunning, raw, heartbreaking glimpse into the world of ALS from Lisa Genova will leave you emotionally spent and in awe of those living with this cruel disease, and in awe of their loved ones and the real-life superheroes that are their caregivers.

Richard is a renowned pianist that sells out concerts all over the world, a fine-tuned instrument that executes his performances with precision and passion. Fast forward eight months—Richard has been diagnosed with ALS and no longer has the use of his right arm. The loss of his hand is like the loss of a true love, like his own divorce from Karina. It is only a matter of time before it is his left hand, and the rest of his body.

Karina hasn't moved on from her divorce from Richard, in fact she is stuck in limbo in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher. It is easy for her to blame Richard for where she has ended up and for the dissolution of the marriage.

When the disease progresses to the point that Richard is fully paralyzed, Karina reluctantly steps in to care for him. He moves back in with Karina, in the home that they once shared with their daughter, Grace, who is away at university. As Richard becomes a shell of a man he once was, the couple is forced to face their regrets head on and learn what it means to forgive.

What I love about Genova's books is her ability to educate her reader, not only in matters of the heart and relationships, but about actual neurological diseases and conditions that most would not be familiar with unless they were affected personally. She doesn't "dumb-it-down", instead she elevates her reader and empowers them with knowledge. It is this knowledge that makes her stories rich, not only in information, but in character development, yet doesn't bog down the narrative. Her writing is poignant, sharp, and captivating. Lisa, congratulations on this book, and your continued success—it is always a pleasure to read and review your work.