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The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook

by Nicholas Sparks
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Oct 1, 1996, 214 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Dec 1999, 226 pages
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Reviews

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There are currently 124 reader reviews for The Notebook
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danielle

i like this book, i was confuse about some things but understood it later on. nicolas sparks is one of the best writer i know. i recommend reading other books he wrote.
Anna Lazaro

It is not the best book but it is a good book.....Nicholas Sparks is just the best
Bethany


This book is an excellent novel and portrays Nicolar Sparks at his best. This book is about a modern day romance and is a book not to be forgotten. This book revels the writers thoughts and emotions and is a book that truly touches the soul of all the people who read it. This book is good for the young as well as the old. THis book touches a readers soul with deep feelings about the people in this book. In excellent book one not to be forgotten.
Mandy Hurtz

Did anyone else notice this
The book of a perfect couple? No not all. Hollywood, that's what the people want. Even arguments were romanticized. Lets take another look and see the darkness behind this story.

So we have boy meets girl they fall in love. Immediately the family says he is trouble, and Allie needs to stay away. Allie's family takes her away for her protection. This is where we start to see the darkness inside Noah. He writes her a letter everyday trying to get her back. However nobody ever told Noah, the address. How did he get it? Later we find out that he went to the house. Noah was,stalking and spying on her from an outside window, clearly upset she's happy.

Later Allie sees his house in the newspaper and merely goes to view it. She tries explaining to him it's over, and he gets angry. Tells her it still isn't over and forces himself upon her. Allie stays for a few days and then tries to leave. Noah chases her and doesn't allow it. Not being able to get away from him, she leaves her fiance. Then Noah and her fight, she asks why do we do this, wanting to end it. Noah insists that just what they do name call, scream and fight its how they are.

Fast forward to the kids at the nursing home and what do they say and do. Tell their father that he just needs to leave her alone, let her be in peace. He states that he just can't do that. Another detail is they never even show Noah proposing to Allie, or a wedding. He wears a band but she does not. Never once during him reading is a wedding mentioned either. It's really sad. This poor woman got Alzheimers and was finally able to forget and move on from this psycho. Noah just couldn't have that everyday he forced her to remember.
Hollywood depicts it as being romantic but any woman who's been a victim can see beyond that.

Let's summarize this story. Clearly its not about two people being in love. It's about a woman who no matter how hard she tries, just can't get away from this guy.
Courtney

A Book Worth Picking Up
I saw the movie and then found out that The Notebook was actually based off of a novel written by Nicholas Sparks.
However, I was disappointed. It was still an excellent book, but what I liked most about the movie was that it revolved around their summer romance when they were younger. But in the book, it doesn't have anything like that really. It mentions a few things, but overall it's more about Noah and Allie getting back together.
I liked the movie better, just because half the movie's about them when they were younger. However, The Notebook is still on my bookshelf as one of the best reads I've ever picked up. I enjoyed reading it.
Liz

This book was actually somewhat disappointing for me because from the reviews that I had read I expected The Notebook to be better. The plot seemed somewhat cliched and something which irritated me was the author's constant use of "God he/she looked good". It was still a good read however and poignant at moments, but not enough to move tears to my eyes. Still, all in all, a very enjoyable novel able to be read at one setting.
Amanda Morrison, 21

I found the book lacking. It lacked in heart, for the most part. Perhaps it is Sparks' choice to not divulge too deeply into the character's physical appearance, or much of the scenery. But for me, I found that to be one of the book's most concerning weaknesses. It was almost as if he wrote the book merely to tug at the heartstrings of some teenage girls. If that's what he did, then, I suppose it worked. The book reached quite distinct popularity, however, it's a book without substance. It's sad though; it had such potential. The story is a beautiful one. Had it been written by a different author, then perhaps it could have been what it was meant to be. It seems to me that Sparks has more talent making a few memorable quotes than writing an entire novel. It was rushed and repetitive. I'm not surprised the story was inspired by true events, Nicholas Sparks doesn't seem creative enough to me to come up with this idea on his own. His work is at best, amateurish, and insincere. What a waste of a truly great story.
Alexei

I'm 15. I read this book as a part of my English class at school. I loved the end a lot. It makes you think - very unexpected. However, the whole book is more or less predictable and is a simple and boring love story... a girl might like it.

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