Paula G. (Paulathegreat) reviewed on + 145 more book reviews
From my wordpress blog booksbypaula: This book follows the old Genova formula. You have your patient with a horrible, neurological condition (and very little hope of recovery) that most affects his/her job and lifestyle, you have the family problems that will eventually be addressed through the process of nursing the patient until he or she dies, you have the complicated family situations, the blow by blow of the progression of the disease as it eats away the patient's competence and life but leaves intact their humanity.
It is all masterfully done, but by now (this is Genova's 5th book) a little too rote and familiar. Why can't one of these books have a character that starts in a close family or finds spirituality or is cured by a herbalist who is proven in the end to be selling snake oil? Anything except the old lockstep disease, emotional complications, more disease, emotional thawing, heart-rending devastating disease sequence, reunification or at least acceptance and death.
This is the story of Richard, a concert pianist who contracts ALS, and his ex-wife, Karina who will be his resentful caretaker. Karina resents that Richard took her to Boston as she was starting a career as a Jazz pianist. Since then she has not done much with her career, is just being a mother and a piano teacher. Richard remembers that when he started touring as a concert pianist he offered to move to a city with a Jazz scene and she chose to live in Boston. Their daughter, Grace, sides with Karina, the parent who was home enough to know. Richard resents Karina âstealingâ Grace.
As a conservative, who had seemingly read this book before or four too much like it, what I noticed most about this book was the sexual mores and the concept of family. In my working class family and culture, it is assumed that people take care of their family. I was taught by my (admittedly Victorian) parents that marriage is a life time commitment. Once you make the promise you hold on with both fists even when it is the only way to keep from using them to kill the other person. I was told that BOTH PARTNERS in the marriage should be invested in the happiness of the other partner. Sex is the glue that bonds the partners, and, as such, should be kept until the promises are made.
This book shows what happens when those rules are turned on their head. Early in the book Karina remembers telling her teen-aged daughter âSex isn't a sin, but you have to protect yourself. Birth control is the woman's responsibilityâ. She feels great guilt for that statement: not because she is putting her daughter in a position to form short term, emotionally unsatisfactory relationships rather than a long term commitment; but because women should not be made to feel responsible for their own safety and futures or something. I really didn't understand. She also tells herself that the old sex in marriage rules are made by men and for men.
The reality, however, is that since the sexual revolution many women have been like Karina, stuck in a loveless marriage largely because they have been taught it is weak and somehow disloyal to the sisterhood to give enough of themselves to create the bond of love; angry and unfulfilled because their friends judge and hound them about doing the most important job in the worldâforming little minds to create happy and useful people; unwilling to define themselves as parents and unwilling to sacrifice parenthood for the all mighty Career and believing themselves wrong because they chose to care for their child.
In the middle of this book Richard despairs of having burnt all of his bridges with Karina and Grace. He was not there. He was not loyal. Now he is dying alone and probably financially incapable of hiring the full time care he will need. He cries in fear and panic. This too, comes of a culture where couples believe that marriages is for their personal fulfillment rather than the good of the family.
Even in the midst of all of the leftist lies, even Genova believes that it is good and right for the protagonist to nurse her former lover. She would probably vehemently deny this (loyalty to the sisterhood). However, her character instinctively knows you have to take care of family. Her characters are deeply unhappy in their inability to give and receive love.
Even though it wasn't the message Every Note was meant to give, but it is an important issue that our society must face. The Sexual Revolution is a failure that harms women.
It is all masterfully done, but by now (this is Genova's 5th book) a little too rote and familiar. Why can't one of these books have a character that starts in a close family or finds spirituality or is cured by a herbalist who is proven in the end to be selling snake oil? Anything except the old lockstep disease, emotional complications, more disease, emotional thawing, heart-rending devastating disease sequence, reunification or at least acceptance and death.
This is the story of Richard, a concert pianist who contracts ALS, and his ex-wife, Karina who will be his resentful caretaker. Karina resents that Richard took her to Boston as she was starting a career as a Jazz pianist. Since then she has not done much with her career, is just being a mother and a piano teacher. Richard remembers that when he started touring as a concert pianist he offered to move to a city with a Jazz scene and she chose to live in Boston. Their daughter, Grace, sides with Karina, the parent who was home enough to know. Richard resents Karina âstealingâ Grace.
As a conservative, who had seemingly read this book before or four too much like it, what I noticed most about this book was the sexual mores and the concept of family. In my working class family and culture, it is assumed that people take care of their family. I was taught by my (admittedly Victorian) parents that marriage is a life time commitment. Once you make the promise you hold on with both fists even when it is the only way to keep from using them to kill the other person. I was told that BOTH PARTNERS in the marriage should be invested in the happiness of the other partner. Sex is the glue that bonds the partners, and, as such, should be kept until the promises are made.
This book shows what happens when those rules are turned on their head. Early in the book Karina remembers telling her teen-aged daughter âSex isn't a sin, but you have to protect yourself. Birth control is the woman's responsibilityâ. She feels great guilt for that statement: not because she is putting her daughter in a position to form short term, emotionally unsatisfactory relationships rather than a long term commitment; but because women should not be made to feel responsible for their own safety and futures or something. I really didn't understand. She also tells herself that the old sex in marriage rules are made by men and for men.
The reality, however, is that since the sexual revolution many women have been like Karina, stuck in a loveless marriage largely because they have been taught it is weak and somehow disloyal to the sisterhood to give enough of themselves to create the bond of love; angry and unfulfilled because their friends judge and hound them about doing the most important job in the worldâforming little minds to create happy and useful people; unwilling to define themselves as parents and unwilling to sacrifice parenthood for the all mighty Career and believing themselves wrong because they chose to care for their child.
In the middle of this book Richard despairs of having burnt all of his bridges with Karina and Grace. He was not there. He was not loyal. Now he is dying alone and probably financially incapable of hiring the full time care he will need. He cries in fear and panic. This too, comes of a culture where couples believe that marriages is for their personal fulfillment rather than the good of the family.
Even in the midst of all of the leftist lies, even Genova believes that it is good and right for the protagonist to nurse her former lover. She would probably vehemently deny this (loyalty to the sisterhood). However, her character instinctively knows you have to take care of family. Her characters are deeply unhappy in their inability to give and receive love.
Even though it wasn't the message Every Note was meant to give, but it is an important issue that our society must face. The Sexual Revolution is a failure that harms women.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
