The Notebook (Kayla Hughston)

Title of Book: The Notebook
Author: Nicholas Sparks
# of Pages: 173
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆


Why This Book has Value:

“Our lives can’t be measured by our final years, of this I am sure, and I guess I should have known what lay ahead in our lives. Looking back, I suppose it seems obvious…” 

(The Notebook, page 103).

The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks, is a love story with a heart-wrenching twist. It’s set in the town of New Bern, North Carolina several years after the end of World War II. Noah had just graduated from high school when he met Allie. The two spent the summer in a whirlwind courtship. The end of summer was also the end of their romance. Allie had to return home with her family. Noah spent the next two years writing to Allie, without ever hearing a word in reply. He finally gave up and wrote his final letter, telling her goodbye. In the meantime Allie had moved on with her life and was planning her wedding to an important lawyer named Lon. She decided to get away on a short trip before the wedding and ended up in New Bern. When Allie chose to visit Noah one last time, she didn’t consider the confusion and chaos that would ensue. Ultimately, she needed to figure out which man she loved the most.

Nicholas Sparks is a popular writer that strives to make each of his stories feel “real” to his readers. He begins this novel at an ending point and then uses a flashback technique to tell his story. He weaves a web of questions that give the reader many things to contemplate.

            Does love endure fourteen years of separation?

            Is Allie visiting New Bern to say goodbye?

            Who does Allie decide that she can’t live without?

            How will Noah deal with the emotional challenges that he is given?

These questions, along with many more, carry the reader through to the end of the novel.

The story is told from the standpoint of a narrator at the beginning and end of the novel. We are left to guess who the man is in the nursing home. It quickly becomes obvious that he is reading to a woman that he has loved and spent his life with – we are certain that it’s Allie. Who did she marry? It could be Noah or Lon. The middle of the story is told in a way that allows the reader to look into the mind of each of the characters. The ability to understand where each character is coming from helps us realize the reason behind the choices that they make.

Our course love is a “real world” issue that we all hope to find in our lifetime. Holding on to the beautiful memories of a love that has faded is much harder. Knowing who Allie decided to spend her life with will tell us if fate played a role in the romance. More than anything, we will be touched by their attempt to reach her through the fog that surrounds her mind and her memories. According to the author, “The romantics would call this a love story, the cynics would call it a tragedy.” Take the time to read The Notebook and decide for yourself.