The Notebook

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is a very sweet book. Even though this sounds a little cheesy, sweet describes it very well. When the first lovers, Alli and Noah, are apart from each other for what seems like too long, Alli sees Noah's picture in the paper and she knows she must see him before she says I do to another man. When Alli and Noah meet, they fall in love all over again, but this time Alli must choose which man she loves most.

Now this summary doesn't give my description of "sweet" justice. It just sounds like another Bella, Edward, Jacob scenario, right? However it's how The Notebook is written that makes it sweet. Noah reads the story of his life to his wife in the future, in the hopes that she will remeber him again. She suffers from Alzheimers, but with hers, she has a miraculous exception of being able to remeber her past for what seems like only a minute. When Noah reads The Notebook, he wishes so bad that this miracle will occur, if only to hold her one last time before she can never recall his face again.

Noah is such a kind and romantic character. Lon, Alli's fiance, seems like a kind character as well. Sparks doesn't really go into detail about Lon, and I don't see how he could when the book is written from Noah's point of veiw. But because I didn't know about Lon as well as I did Noah, I never really felt simpathetic for Lon; I wanted Alli to be with Noah the whole book. And having the book written from Noah's point of veiw and with his wife's situation, I knew that Alli would be with Noah, and that pretty much makes this book pointless.


The Notebook has so many good reviews, but with me it wasn't all that great. It is a very well written book and is so heart warming, but with it's sex scenes, I felt it went a little over the top. Even though with this couple who has come together after what seems like forever I understand why they would make love, but wouldn't just kissing settle it after a while, as in not every few hours?

The PG-13 scenes weren't the whole reason why The Notebook, to me, wasn't so great. I felt it was kind of pointless, as I said before. All it is is a love story. Not really any solution to a conflict. Just a bitter sweet book of romance. The Notebook is a great book, just not for me. I give it a B.