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Cover of Still Alice by Lisa GenovaStill Alice
Modern · Fiction, Contemporary

Still Alice

by Lisa Genova
2007 · 271 pages · Fiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 7 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Alice Howland is fifty, a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a renowned linguistics expert, with a successful husband and three grown children. When she begins to grow forgetful and disoriented, she dismisses it for as long as she can, until a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's changes her life and her relationships forever.

Why it's worth reading

It spent 61 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. Written by a neuroscientist, it's a moving, unflinching look at Alzheimer's from the inside.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's told from Alice's point of view as her memory fails. The film won Julianne Moore an Oscar.

By the numbers

76.4Must-Read Score
  • Readers79 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller57 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Bestseller
61 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2009

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →

Quick answers

Is Still Alice worth reading?

Yes. It spent 61 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #665 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.4 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Still Alice about?

Alice Howland is fifty, a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a renowned linguistics expert, with a successful husband and three grown children. When she begins to grow forgetful and disoriented, she dismisses it for as long as she can, until a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's changes her life and her relationships forever.

How long does it take to read Still Alice?

About 7 hours (271 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Still Alice?

If you liked it, try When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks or A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.