Review: Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

What a gem of a book this turned out to be. Lisa Genova's debut book, Still Alice, from a few years back turned into a bestseller, especially for book clubs. Though heart wrenching and very emotional to read, I still found it to be one of my favorites from that year. I did not go on to read Left Nelgected but have it on my shelf and will probably get to it at some point. Love Anthony was just as good as Still Alice.

I was lucky enough to get a lovely BEA book package from Simon and Schuster because I could not make the trip this year. Love Anthony was included in that as one of their buzz titles for the fall.

My reading pace has slowed considerably this year. I find myself mixing in quite a bit of audio books in my reading time and the number of books I have actually "read" is quite low. Aside from being busy and tired most of the time, I haven't been finding a lot of books that get me from the start and urge me to keep going.

I did not have that problem with Love Anthony.

Told from two different perspectives, both women and mothers and jumping back and forth in time, Love Anthony is certainly another bestseller AND excellent choice for book clubs. 

Here is a description from Goodreads:
Two women, each cast adrift by unforseen events in their lives, meet by accident on a Nantucket beach and are drawn into a friendship.
Olivia is a young mother whose eight-year-old severely autistic son has recently died. Her marriage badly frayed by years of stress, she comes to the island in a trial separation to try and make sense of the tragedy of her Anthony’s short life.
Beth, a stay-at-home mother of three, is also recently separated after discovering her husband’s long-term infidelity. In an attempt to recapture a sense of her pre-married life, she rekindles her passion for writing, determined to find her own voice again. But surprisingly, as she does so, Beth also find herself channeling the voice of an unknown boy, exuberant in his perceptions of the world around him if autistic in his expression—a voice she can share with Olivia—(is it Anthony?)—that brings comfort and meaning to them both.

I was enthralled with the setting, having been to Nantucket once in my life and falling in love with it. It seemed the ideal atmosphere for this emotional story. 

Though the happenings of the book are certainly sad and tragic at times, the way the women face it all is inspiring. I liked them both equally. The way she writes about autism is beautiful and in my opinion, so right on. Anthony's character makes your heart swell and my motherly instincts kick in. I could just relate to each of the women so much in so many different ways. 

I wanted Olivia to find the peace she so deserved from losing her son. I wanted Beth to find her own happiness she had set aside for so long. These were real women with real stories that Genova so masterfully created. 

Rating: Recommend
If you are a fan of wonderfully crafted women's fiction, this is for you. Though light hearted in some moments, most of the book is a bit sad and heavy. But I do have to say that it is sadness  followed by tremendous strength, hope and love.
Highly recommended for book clubs. 

Author Website:
Lisa Genova

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, Gallery
Release Date: expected release date of September 25, 2012 (from Goodreads), January 15, 2013 (from ARC)

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child