Print List Price:	$17.99
Kindle Price:	$13.99 Save $4.00 (22%)
Sold by:	Simon and Schuster Digital Sales LLC Price set by seller.

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add an

audiobook with Audible narration for $12.49

Audiobook Price: $16.40

Save: $3.91 (24%)

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Lisa Genova

+ Follow

More books from this author

Every Note Played Kindle Edition

by Lisa Genova (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 5,341 ratings

Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction

See all formats and editions

“Unsparing in her depiction of the disease’s harrowing effects, neuroscientist Genova also celebrates humanity.” —People

“Sometimes it’s easier to tell truth in fiction…And she tells it with heart and hope.” —NPR

“Her juxtaposition of scientific detail with compassionate, heartfelt storytelling is unparalleled.” —Bookreporter

“Every Note Played will grip and gut you.” —The Boston Globe

From neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice comes a powerful exploration of regret, forgiveness, freedom, and what it means to be alive.

An accomplished concert pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and striking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.

Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce—his divorce.

He knows his left arm will go next.

Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead. But she still hasn’t moved on. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it.

When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard’s muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it’s too late.

Poignant and powerful, Every Note Played is a masterful exploration of redemption and what it means to find peace inside of forgiveness.

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Genova is far more serious and readable, concerned as much with depicting the clinical realities of ALS as in wringing it for emotional catharsis. You might drop a few tears reading Every Note Played but you won’t feel bullied into doing so.”
—The Wall Street Journal

"Only Lisa Genova could bring such honesty and grace to the war against ALS. Searing writing and a must-read."
—Helen Simonson, New York Times bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

“Genova captivates. Gut-wrenching but suspenseful reading… Both substantively informative about ALS and an emotionally wrenching psychological portrait.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[A] gripping novel… Unsparing in her depiction of the disease’s harrowing effects, neuroscientist Genova also celebrates humanity and the rewards of asking for, and offering, forgiveness.”
—PEOPLE

"Lisa Genova writes with humor and humanity but also with a scientist’s eye about the daily depredations of disease, the incremental losses, the slower acceptances, the rage, the love, the courage, and strangely enough, the joy. A nocturne of the soul. Read this book, read it all night, and wake up glad to alive."
—Bill Roorbach, author of Life Among Giants, The Remedy for Love, and The Girl of the Lake.

"Lisa Genova’s brilliant Every Note Played stapled me to the couch. Written with vivid honesty about the realities of ALS, for both patient and family, this novel goes far beyond drama or education—though Genova provides both. The powerful compassion in this book placed it on that rare list: one of the books I’ll remember forever."
—Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Widow of Wall Street

"Sometimes it’s easier to tell truth in fiction. Lisa Genova has made a career of it... She tells the tale of a piano virtuoso whose body begins to slowly weaken and fail due to the devastating disease. And she tells it with heart and hope."
—Kimberly Atkins, On Point

"At turns beautiful and brutal, Lisa Genova crafts a realistic and heartrending portrayal of a couple’s failed marriage in the midst of the husband’s battle with ALS. The emotions and intimacy conveyed are difficult to read, but impossible to ignore."
—BookBub

"Her juxtaposition of scientific detail with compassionate, heartfelt storytelling is unparalleled... [I]n true Genova fashion, Every Note Played is as full of hope as it is of heartbreak."
—BookReporter

"Somewhere Reese Witherspoon is learning how to pretend to play the piano, because I can easily see her starring in a film adaptation of this tug-on-the-heart-strings novel."
—Amazon Book Review

“Genova's latest is one of her strongest—more internalized… an eloquent and touching imagining of how a peaceful terminal place might be reached.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"Genova expertly details the devastation ALS wreaks on Richard, and though her latest is a sometimes difficult read, she finds hope in the opportunities Richard has to repair his relationships with his daughter and brothers before it’s too late."
—Booklist

"What’s amazing about her newest novel, Every Note Played, is what is amazing about all of Genova’s books. She is both the neuroscientist and the actor when she writes. She tells not only the story of a person struck down by some disease. She tells the story of the disease, too. And you learn this way. But it never feels like learning."
—The Boston Globe

"An expertly written depiction of the toll a ravaging disease takes on both the body and the heart."
—Marie Claire

"This book is especially remarkable because as a neuroscientist, author Lisa Genova has keen insight into the realities of ALS."
—Bustle

“[Lisa Genova] delivers another gripping journey through a dread disease in Every Note Played. This time she trains her masterful storytelling skills on ALS as it plays out in a fractured family… deft phrasing eases the reader’s passage through a story that can’t end happily.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Genova expertly explores regret, guilt and forgiveness as we witness the progression of this deadly disease."
—BookTrib

"Genova unsparingly details the tragedy of ALS. But she includes the beauty and joy of Richard and Karina's lives in music, balancing the horrific with the uplifting. Every Note Played is the story of a marriage, as well as a hard-hitting primer on a disease."
—Shelf Awareness, starred review

About the Author

Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, and Inside the O’Briens. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She travels worldwide speaking about the neurological diseases she writes about and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, PBS NewsHour, CNN, and NPR. Her TED talk, What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer's, has been viewed over 2 million times.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074ZP5PS2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gallery/Scout Press; Reprint edition (March 20, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 20, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1963 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 147671780X

Best Sellers Rank: #241,048 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #316 in Medical Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #466 in Medical Fiction (Books)
- #555 in Women's New Adult & College Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.5 5,341 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Lisa Genova

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, she is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens and Every Note Played. Her first nonfiction book, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, was released March 23, 2021 and became an instant New York Times bestseller.

Lisa's extensively researched fiction focuses on people living with neurological diseases and disorders, people who tend to be ignored, feared, or misunderstood, portrayed within a narrative that is accessible to the general public. Through fiction, she is dedicated to describing with passion and accuracy the journeys of those affected by brain diseases and conditions, thereby educating, demystifying, destigmatizing, and inspiring support for care and scientific research. She has written novels about Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, autism, Huntington's disease, and ALS.

Still Alice (Alzheimer’s) was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, and Kate Bosworth. Julianne Moore won the Best Actress Oscar. Every Note Played (ALS) is in production and will star Christoph Waltz. The film adaptation for Inside the O’Briens (Huntington’s) is in production.

Speaking about brain health, memory, and the neurological diseases and disorders she writes about, Lisa has appeared on Today, the Dr. Oz Show, GPS with Fareed Zakaria, CNN, PBS NewsHour, and NPR and was featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary film To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg? She will be featured in an upcoming PBS Special about memory in June 2021.

In 2015, Lisa was named one of the U.S. Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. She received The Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, for "distinguished storytelling that has enriched the public dialogue," The Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, The Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Award, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for "informing the public about Treatment and ongoing research in medical illness." In 2016, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bates College, The Alzheimer's Association's Rita Hayworth Award, and The Huntington’s Disease Society of America Community Awareness Award.

Lisa’s first TED talk, What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s, has been viewed over 5 million times. Her latest TED talk, How Memory Works (and Why Forgetting Normal), will be released April 21, 2021.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

5,341 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

ABoehler

Earth Moving

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024

Verified Purchase

The pile of tissues next to me and the speed at which I had to finish this book are definitely indicative of the profound effect this book had on me.

Beautiful, memorable, and such a full slice of life with its beauty and mess. Thank you for writing this. I feel privileged to have been able to read this book.

Helpful

"Dr. Z" Richard Zeile

A Clinical Study of Sinners

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed the Author's earlier novels, "Still Alice," and "Left Neglect," which I have reviewed earlier and had given highest rating. These had treated of innocent suffering, of what happened to their subjects, their reactions, circumstances, the striving of their loved ones to cope, then support, the sufferers. The conflict pattern in these stories was in the form of "man versus nature" (or, if you will, human versus circumstance). Arguably the Author attempts a more ambitious task in this account of a couple affected by the man's ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The real conflict in the present story is between the two individuals and within themselves. We are not dealing solely with the effects of a disease, but with the effects of earlier decisions, unethical and selfish decisions, that each had made. The novel is a clinical study of sinners, but the clinician (that is, the Author) denies or ignores the concept. Just as a religious, or legal, account of events would necessarily ignore certain issues, so the clinical perspective adopted in this novel will not be fully satisfying to all readers. Karl Menninger's question, "Whatever Became of Sin?" is relevant.

I listened to the dual performance of Dagmara Dominczyk and Dennis Boutsikaris whose alternate chapters reflect Karina's or Richard's respective experiences. Each voice reflects the character: Karina's Polish accent and self-pity; and Richard's brusque arrogance. Karina had left Poland to study piano in America where she met Richard, a driven student of the piano whose musical gift is rejected by his domineering blue-collar father. Kaerina and Richard fall in love and she, less driven than he, allows him to place his career over hers while she chooses to pursue jazz instead of classical. However, she gets pregnant and he chooses to take a position in Boston where there is no jazz opportunity. Karina settles into a life of giving piano lessons and raising their daughter while he embraces the life of a touring concert pianist, absorbed in his art and career. He neglects his daughter altogether and finds pleasure in affairs on the road. At the same time, his dream is to have more children with Karina and they spend ten years "trying", all the while she has had an IUD, concealing from him her dread of more children. When the IUD becomes embedded and she requires surgery, Richard discovers the truth. After separation of two years, they divorce, while their daughter is in her mid-teens. While she is in her first year of college, Richard develops ALS, and has trouble admitting it to himself, much less sharing this information with his family. His estranged father never finds out; his brothers only at the father's funeral, and his daughter after second year at college, by which time Richard's hands are paralyzed and his career over. The rest of the story is an account of coming to terms with circumstances which keep changing, a growing letting go on the part of Karina of regrets, and of Richard of dreams. A secular form of reconciliation and forgiveness is achieved. Prayer is used as a metaphor by the narrator, but never indulged by the characters.

It is a bittersweet story, powerful at times, and exhibiting the clinical account of disease, treatment, and people's reaction for which I so appreciate in this Author. In addition is the instructive description of the psychological mechanisms and dysfunctions that develop within marriage and family, between parent and child. Concepts learned in Psych 101 are clothed in the form of human experience, enabling us to understand our own feelings as well as those of others, and this is empowering for all of us.

I was tempted to give this novel the highest rating, but felt that it is impaired, however slightly, by three tropes, too common in today's literature. First, the beginning metaphors are a little overmuch giving the impression that everything stands for something else. Second, there werte some minor aspects of the story which undermined credibility. No jazz in Boston? What about Berklee? The blue-collar dad of Richard who had no respect for music surely respected the money his son was making, would he not? When everyone else undergoes change, why does he not? Third, in place of the helpful priest of another era, is the caring gay guy whose experience of life and self-acceptance and compassion for others is the gold standard of character, and even his coarse humor while leaving ("I'll be off, like a slut's prom dress!") is presented as endearing. A fourth trope present is the myth of self-fulfillment through following one's "dream." Somehow, Karina feels a dream to perform jazz, not just perform in her living room, but to the acclaim of audiences. Failing to follow this dream, is in this narrative, of great moral moment. On the other hand, Richard's dream of having a son, perhaps because it would be an imposition on Karina, is not of the same moral moment. The Ten Commandments which Karina once accepted are described as "only in your head," while the feelings of guilt and obligation which drive her to sacrifice herself for her ex-husband are real. The lack of moral principle to channel our feelings leads not only to moral chaos but also to emotional chaos. The narrative exhibits this, but fails to acknowledge it. Perhaps the story is too life-like in this respect, unclear and unsatisfying for most of us.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Thrifty Bibliophile

Stunning portrait of life with ALS.

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019

Verified Purchase

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova is the moving story of a man who’s diagnosed with ALS.

Richard has a life that’s supported by his talents. As a famous classical concert pianist, he travels the world, inspiring others through his music. As he tours, his wife and daughter are left behind, living their lives independently from Richard.

Bitterness, resentment, and too many lies lead Richard and Karina to divorce. Richard has his career, and Karina has their daughter, Grace.

Richard continues touring until a tremor in his hand forces him to a screeching halt. Diagnosed with ALS, Richard has to come to terms with the fact that he’ll never play piano professionally again. As his muscles begin to fail him one by one, he realizes he needs more help than his hired caretakers are able to give him. Through chance and a compassionate streak, his ex-wife Karina becomes his caretaker.

Richard and Karina have been forced together due to unfortunate circumstances, but will they ever learn to forgive each other? Will they find peace?

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova made me cry like a baby. And if you’ve ever read a book by Lisa Genova, that shouldn’t surprise you in the slightest! Her books always get me. Every Note Played was beautifully written and provides a stunning exploration of grief, terminal illness, and the power of forgiveness.

The story takes you from the onset of the disease to some of Richard’s hardest days. It doesn’t portray the illness as anything it’s not–ALS is ugly, tragic, and absolutely heartbreaking. The book does a wonderful job highlighting the grimness of the disease. I didn’t know much about ALS going into the book, but I enjoyed learning about the disease as the book went on.

The characters in the book were stunning. Karina isn’t perfect, but she’s a likeable, relatable character. She has her flaws and things she did wrong in her marriage, but you can’t help but appreciate her strength. Richard was an interesting character. He’s not as likeable as Karina, and he’s downright surly and nasty at times. At the same time, once the disease has Richard firmly in its grasps and you begin to understand his backstory, it’s hard not to feel compassion towards him. I wouldn’t wish ALS on anyone.

I thought the ending was perfect for the book. The ending was sad, but hopeful. I think Richard, Karina, and Grace found what they needed from the situation.

Should you read this book? In short, yes! I highly recommend Every Note Played by Lisa Genova to anyone who needs a good tear-jerker in their lives.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Susan

Awesome Book

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024

Verified Purchase

Loved this book. ALSO is such a horrible disease. This book really tells the horror of suffering with this disease.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Lainy

One of my fave this year, emotive!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

Richard is a gifted piano player, travelling and playing worldwide. He left his wife and daughter three years ago, lives in a beautiful apartment & eats and drinks the best of foods. Karina his ex wife gave up her own musical career so he could flourish and she would raise their kid. Grace is now in college - loves mum, hates dad, Karina (wife/mum) is a bit lost and Richard is intolerable with his self absorbed attitude. Everyone knows their place in the world and everything is fine until Richard starts to experience some issues with his fingers/hand. Richard is diagnosed with ALS, he remains stubborn and refuses to accept the inevitable, regardless of his acceptance or telling anyone ALS is here and life as they know it is about to change.

Oh you guys, I love Genova's books (not always how they end) but she brings these horrific diagnosis's to life, gives them faces, names and the reader experiences and lives it with the characters. The one with the condition, the families and loved ones viewing it, processing it, enduring it, the person trying to come to terms and a very real picture of how it tears their lives apart.

I had a hard time relating to Richard, he is not a likable character but you soon feel for him as everything he knows is stripped away. I had a lump in my throat a few times because it is just such a horrific condition that strips the person of everything, literally everything they have. By using an unlikeable character I think it punches in a bigger impact because you can't help but be pulled through it, from all their experiences. The wronged ex wife, the neglected child (playing second best to his precious career) and him, the person as he is and his battle as he is stripped, bit by bit, of the very things we all take for granted every day.

Hard hitting, graphic descriptions and scenes of exactly what this condition steals from you and in such a short period of time. Character development, sadness, grief, relationships, family, love, loss, health and at the end of the book a website you can read more on this and donate. 5/5 for me, I think I went through a whole host of emotions and I have never known anyone personally who has had this, I can only imagine the impact of someone who has reading it. Grab the tissues and comfort food, you will need it. I love these kinds of books because despite it being fiction, because of her career she pulls from actual experience and creates characters to give it heart, a face, ooft it is brutal and lets you learn as you go, absolutely recommend!

One person found this helpful

DigitalCyclist

Terrifying accuracy...

Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

In "Every Note Played", Dr. Genova takes us on a deep and terrifying exploration of the physical, intellectual and emotional torment that is ALS.

As I dictate this using my speech to text software, I have been living with ALS since my diagnosis 30 months ago. Like Richard, my ALS first made itself noticed in my right hand and now both arms are useless. I'm on the same track as Richard, although progressing more slowly and without bulbar symptoms, so far. For me, this was a terrifying book to read. In her description of Richard’s thoughts, Dr. Genova precisely mirrors my own. Watching my own limbs twitch, I remember thinking, “His neurons are dying, and the muscles they feed are literally starving for input. Every twitch is a muscle stammering, gasping, begging to be saved. They can't be saved.” Intellectually, I know what my journey to come looks like; Dr. Genova helps me understand much better what it's likely going to feel like. I've read everything I can get my hands on about ALS, and this book is the first to accurately describe the emotional journey. And yes, it's terrifying.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, unreservedly to anyone whose life or work brings them into interaction with somebody living with ALS. Dr. Genova's emotional narratives provide a deep foundation for understanding the disease's impact.

For those close to someone living with ALS, or living with ALS I would recommend the book with a note of caution. The recommendation needs to be be tempered with an understanding of how the patient and their loved ones are coping. The descriptions of ALS progression – emotional, intellectual and physical – are very real. Just as ALS' pattern and rate of progression are unpredictable and different in each person, so too is each person's ability to handle the steady and relentless loss of function and autonomy, bit by bit, week by week, with each noticeable change triggering another grieving cycle, another milestone on the journey to a certain end. As Richard tells us, “Everything begins and ends. Every day and night, every concerto, every relationship, every life. Everything ends eventually.” Please don't shy away from recommending the book to anyone, yet please, do so with compassion.

3 people found this helpful

Dbestia

Good book

Reviewed in Germany on September 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

If you like Lisa Genova's books you will not be disappointed.

Ellesse

So very moving

Reviewed in France on July 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

I can't say that reading this book was an unadulterated pleasure but reading it was beyond worthwhile. It was impossible not to be drawn in to the tragedy of the story, not just that of Richard, the main protagonist, but also of those around him. Lisa Genova is an amazing writer and her careful research shows through in each book she writes.

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the author

Image Unavailable

Every Note Played Kindle Edition

Customers who bought this item also bought

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Product details

Videos

About the author

Lisa Genova

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries