AIRA T.

BELLO, RM
BSM III
LITERATURE

TITLE: THE NOTEBOOK

AUTHOR: NICHOLAS SPARKS

DATE PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 1, 1996

SUMMARY/SYNOPSIS:

The Notebook takes place in New Bern, North Carolina as do all of Nicholas Spark's
books. The story is told on two levels - one is the present day when Allie and Noah
have grown old and live in a home. The story starts out with Noah and Allie as
teenagers when they spend the summer together and fell in loved. Their love is
forbidden by Allies parents and after the summer they do not see each other for 14
years. During this time, Noah sent Allie letters, one every day for a whole year, before
he gave up. After Allie is engaged, and she sees Noahs’ picture in a newspaper she goes
to visit him. Once they spent time together they fall in love all over again and Allie
breaks off the engagement with her husband and they spend the rest of their lives
together.

The other is the story Noah reads from the notebook in which he tells how he and Allie
met, fell in love, lost each other, and then found each other again. The end of their love
story is tragically altered by Allies’ Alzheimer’s diagnosis were she doesn't remember
Noah anymore. However, earlier she told Noah to write their love story in a book and
read it to her where she would remember and come back to him.
 STORY REVIEWS FROM OTHER READERS:

From: jcorpuz@ucsd.edu 15 February 2005

Simple and wonderful

The story seems to be postcard perfect, a lesson straight out of the author's guide to
romantic stories. Boy meets girl at a carnival, love from the other side of the tracks, a
date by the water, etc. And yet the wonderful thing about this story is that it takes what
seems like a story you've heard already (at least in bits and pieces) and still moves you
deeply. It really speaks about love in a way that most romantic stories miss by speaking
in cliché or over by adding in numerous complications to dramatize things. There have
been other great stories to comment on love in recent years (Eternal Sunshine, Lost In
Translation jump to mind) but this one fills a need that those other miss: the need for a
straight, sweep you off your feet romance. Too bad there can't be stories like this every
year.

From: Unknown, 3 February 2005

Just Beautiful
This amazing love story can be enjoyed by all. The Notebook is not one of those cheesy
chick flicks that often come out, it is a brilliantly written intriguing story about two
young lovers that most people can relate to.

Even most males will agree that this story pulls at your heart strings. Filled with
fabulous quotes, and sentimental moments I found to be one of the best I've red. I got to
know both main characters and found myself relating to each of them. Most of us
remember our first love and that strong connection we had with them. This one makes
us think of what could have been and gives us a fresh look at the meaning of true love. I
recommend this story to anyone with a heart.

From: Unknown, 4 March 2005

The Notebook is one of my all-time favorite novels. It’s a constant, and classic love story
that makes you feel as if you are there, as if you are one of the characters, which makes
the impact of the story just that much more real. There really are no words to describe
how this novel makes you feel. It's just one of those novels that you will think about 30
years after reading it, and still get that same feeling in your heart and you'll know that it
touched you in one way or another. It’s a classic!
 PERSONAL REVIEW (LITERARY CRITICISM):

The story evolve on a couple who started their love story at North Carolina. The two
young couple shares one enchanted summer together which could not last, because of
social differences but remained their hearts for fourteen years. But after all those years,
they were magically reunited, to be together for the rest of their lives.

I watched and red the novel. The story focuses about love. The story was a typical love
story at first but mixed with a lot of twists at the end. If you don’t believe in destiny,
well this one will make you believe that it is real. After 14 years Noah was separated to
Allie, a magical moment happened that lead Allie’s way to Noah. Though Allie was
already engaged with someone, she still managed to choose to come back to Noah
because the heart wants what it wants.

The story gives the readers a lot of lessons in life. One I have learned was YOLO (you
only live once), you have to enjoy your life because our world has so much more to
offer. We don’t need to listen to what others will say, what we need is what we want
and that makes us happy. Allie’s break up with her fiancé maybe the hardest decision
she would have made yet she still managed to do that because her happiness was with
Noah.

Love stories doesn’t always portrays happiness rather with fights and struggles. The
couple in the story grew old and shared wonderful moments together. Sadly, Allie was
diagnosed having Alzheimer’s disease that made her slowly forget everything. “Never
giving up”, best portrayed by Noah in the story. First, he never stopped to believe that
Allie will always come back to her after many years they’ve been apart and in the end
he always read to Allie his notebook, with their love story written to it, in hope that
Allies’ memories will still come back.

The story ended tragically and leaves me a lesson that a strong bond and mutual
affection can bring you a lifetime full of happiness. Thus, true love can be one of the
most incredible things you share with another person and most importantly, it can last
in your heart and mind forever.