Last year I watched the movie Still Alice and was drawn into the heartbreak of Alzheimers and last month I finally read the book. I mostly listened to the audio read by the author and would highly recommend it. Having loved them both, which will come out on top?
The Story/Plot Alice is a highly esteemed linguistics professor at Harvard with a husband and three grown kids. In the movie they change the school to Columbia in New York for some reason but it didn’t really matter. She starts to experience strange symptoms that she wants to attribute to menopause but she can’t so she sees a doctor. At 50 she is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers. What happens to her and those around her is the story and both movie and book walked the same path. The book did provide more details about the (limited) options for treatment and more about the support group Alice formed.. Thumbs Up – book
The Visual Since this is a very character based book there was no great onscreen must see. Just characters going through what no one should have to. There was no real advantage onscreen so the book held a small advantage. Thumbs Up- barely book
Characters vs Actors Julianne Moore was fantastic as Alice and I couldn’t have asked for more. She totally deserved her Oscar. I also thought Kristen Stewart was perfect as Lydia. But, as much as I like Alec Baldwin, I much preferred (and disliked) book John. Alec tried to save John by the twinkle in his eye, but John didn’t deserve to be saved. Thumbs Up – barely movie
The Ending There were no real differences between them, but I thought the movie packed more of an emotional punch at the end and left me completely drained. Thumbs Up – movie
And the winner is…the book. That stats are a tie but my gut says the book though I totally loved the movie.
Now it’s your turn to vote
Other book vs. movie polls you can vote on: (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) (Good Morning, Midnight/ The Midnight Sky) (Before I Go To Sleep) (The Little Prince) (Charlie St. Cloud) (Far From the Madding Crowd) (The Girl on the Train) (Tuck Everlasting) (Northanger Abbey) (Me Before You) (And Then There Were None) (Still Alice) (The Blind Side) (The Fault in Our Stars) (The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Gone Girl) (Jack Reacher) (Ender’s Game) (Carrie, the original) (Under the Tuscan Sun) (The Secret Life of Bees) (The Shining, the original)
Stacy's Books 
I only saw the movie, so I can’t compare, but I thought it left too many subplots hanging.
The book was very similar. To me, just as Alice’s story was incomplete because of the Alzheimers so too with the book and movie. I think the kids, especially the older two were left hanging. But to me that felt true to life in some ways.
I want to see the movie. I did see Still Mine. It was a beautiful movie.
I read the book years ago and haven’t seen the movie (Alec Baldwin is not a favorite of mine, ha).
He can be a one trick pony at times, loved him in 30 Rock, but this is different 🙂
Haven’t read the book or seen the movie. I do own the book though, so maybe I’ll read it soon.
Oh wow the poll outcome, I expected that answer but not as high. I thought both book and movie were good but the book is one of my top favourites. One of the positives about the book was Julianna, she is amazing. The book taught me so much on how to be patient with my father and some do’s and don’ts. Lisa Genova is a favourite author, I will always read whatever she writes now. Still Alice is my favourite out of all of them.
If you ever do a reread I suggest listening to her narrate the audio. She was terrific.
My book rating was 3.25/4. I don’t remember my movie rating, but it was somewhere around that number. Both were good, though.
The movie left me feeling so depressed. So well done.