The Notebook

Author:

This author needs no introduction, but just in case you are one of the few that was never forced to watch a sappy film adaptation by a female influence in your life, I’ll tell you a little bit about Nicholas Sparks. The man has never released a book that didn’t make the New York Times bestsellers list meaning that all 25 of his books have been wildly successful. His most widely known, including this one, have been made into movies featuring actors and actresses such as Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Amanda Seyfried, Channing Tatum, Julianne Hough, and Zac Efron. Aside from his successful career, Sparks donates to a number of charities and has contributed to or created several programs to assist students in furthering their education or affording it through scholarships. He also coached a local high school track and field team for four years in his home state of North Carolina.

Learn more about the author below:

https://nicholassparks.com/about/

Three words to describe this read:

Derivative- While I do feel that if you’ve seen the movie, you know the book, there was much more focus on the elderly Allie and Noah in the book compared to the movie where there was a lot more focus on the young couple. There were other minor plot points that differed from the movie keeping it just unique enough to be surprising.

Fast-paced- One of Sparks’ many talents as an author is keeping the reader interested and I believe he does that by always forwarding the plot. I’m not sure if I plowed through this book so quickly because of my familiarity with the story line or because that’s how Sparks wants his readers to consume his work.

Heartfelt- Even though I know the story and have seen the movie for what feels like hundreds of times, I couldn’t help but feel the emotions of the story yet again, specifically in the scenes about Allie and Noah in the nursing home. I’m not too proud to say that a few tears were shed.

Quote:

“And I learned what is obvious to a child. That life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals. That a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be bettered. But most of all, I learned that life is about sitting on benches next to ancient creeks with my hand on her knee and sometimes, on good days, for falling in love.”

There are a lot of really great quotes from this book, but many are featured in the film. I wanted to choose one that wasn't. I think this is a great way to think about life, regardless of age. Every day is an opportunity and absolutely anything can happen. The little things we can do for ourselves to bring joy make all the difference.