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More or Less Maddy

A Novel

Read by Tessa Albertson

About The Book

A breathless, riveting novel about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy.

Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to be feeling overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that she’s always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy’s latest low is devastatingly low, and she goes on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dreams, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.

With her signature “deep empathy and insight” (Booklist), Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova has crafted another profoundly moving novel that makes complicated mental health issues accessible and human. More or Less Maddy is destined to become another classic like Still Alice.

Appearances

MAY 8
17:30:00
in person
Raising a Reader
In Person
The Newbury Boston
1 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
JUN 5
8:30:00
in person
WE CAN - Words, Wit, and Wisdom
In Person
Wychmere Beach Club
23 Snow Inn Road
Harwich Port, MA 02646
JUN 12
0:00:00
in person
Nantucket Book Festival
In Person
Specific date/time(s) to be determined.
Location TK
Nantucket, MA 02554
JUN 27
12:00:00
in person
Wequassett Resort
In Person
2173 Route 28
Harwich, MA 02645
AUG 13
17:00:00
in person
Ocean House
In Person
1 Bluff Avenue
Watch Hill, RI 02891
OCT 6
19:00:00
in person
Tales of Cape Cod
In Person
The Olde Colonial Courthouse
3046 Main Street
Barnstable, MA 02630

About The Author

credit to Greg Mentzer
Lisa Genova

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, Inside the O’Briens, and Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. 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 is featured in the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg. Her TED talks on Alzheimer’s disease and memory have been viewed over eleven million times.

About The Reader

Tessa Albertson

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (January 14, 2025)
  • Runtime: 9 hours and 47 minutes
  • ISBN13: 9781797188737

Raves and Reviews

"Narrator Tessa Albertson captures the turmoil experienced by Maddy, a college student who is grappling with a recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Albertson's youthful timbre and expressive intonation perfectly convey Maddy’s myriad symptoms, which include obsessional thinking and self-harm by cutting. Albertson's varied pacing helps listeners sense Maddy's intense discomfort and confusion. Secondary characters, including Maddy's concerned mother and sister, as well as her sympathetic friends, Sophia and Simone, are presented with nuance and depth. While some listeners may find a subplot involving Maddy's foray into stand-up comedy distracting, the important topic of bipolar disorder is handled with sensitivity and clarity by the dynamic pairing of neuroscientist Genova's perceptive writing and Albertson's thoughtful performance."

– Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award, AudioFile Magazine

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More books from this author: Lisa Genova

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