Title of the book/story: The Notebook

Year of publication: 1996

Name of Author: Nicolas Sparks

Genre: Romance Fiction

Main Subject of the storybook:

 Allie Hamilton
 Noah Calhoun
 Lon Hammoind
 Anne Hamilton
 Dr. Barnwell

Brief summary/key points

A man with a faded, well-worn notebook open in his lap. A woman experiencing a morning ritual she
doesn't understand. Until he begins to read to her. The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the
enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever.

Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, The Notebook begins with the story of
Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner returned home from World War II. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a
plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen
years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they
spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town
to see him once again.

Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt
for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous
relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending
marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that
only she can shape.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale
miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving
portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. Shining with a
beauty that is rarely found in current literature, The Notebook establishes Nicholas Sparks as a classic
storyteller with a unique insight into the only emotion that really matters.

"I am nothing special, of this, I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a
common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've
loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."

And so, begins one of the most poignant and compelling love stories you will ever read...The Notebook

The Notebook is a contemporary love story set in the pre- and post-World War II era. Noah and Allie
spend a wonderful summer together, but her family and the socio-economic realities of the time
prevent them from being together. Although Noah attempts to keep in contact with Allie after they are
forced to separate, his letters go unanswered. Eventually, Noah professes his undying and eternal love in
one final letter. Noah travels north to find gainful employment and to escape the ghost of Allie, and
eventually he goes off to war. After serving his country, he returns home to restore an old farmhouse. A
newspaper article about his endeavor catches Allie's eye, and 14 years after she last saw Noah, Allie
returns to him. The only problem is she is engaged to another man. After spending two wonderful
reunion days together, Allie must decide between the two men that she loves.

This story is framed by a contemporary man who is reading to a woman who suffers from Alzheimer's.
The woman is understood to be Allie . . . but which of her two loves is the man reading to her?
Summary

The Notebook is dedicated "to Cathy," a person identified as "my wife and my friend."

Analysis

The dedication to The Notebook mirrors everything else about the novel: It is straightforward and
seemingly simplistic. In fact, many, if not most, readers probably skip the dedication entirely. Yet, the
dedication establishes the tone for the entire text, not only mentioning the three most important words
— love, wife, and friend — but connecting the three in what is clearly the most important person in the
life of Nicholas Sparks. In interviews, Sparks admitted that the genesis of The Notebook was from his
own family history, and in the dedication of his debut novel, he confirms for the entire reading
population the significant effect his wife has on his own life. The Notebook is not only the love story of
Noah and Allie, but also it is essentially the love story of Nicholas and Cathy.

Critical Essays Narrative Techniques: Sparks' Literary Form

Instead of starting at the beginning and telling the story in chronological order, Nicholas Sparks
begins The Notebook near the end of what would be a linear narration and then employs both the
framing technique and flashback to tell his tale.

The main storyline is the reunion of Noah and Allie and the conflict that they face as they must decide
the path their lives will now take. This particular event only lasts three days in 1946; however, important
information that shapes their reunion occurred weeks and years earlier. If you imagine a picture in a
frame, the reunion is the photograph. And the opening and closing chapters of the novel are set in the
present, some 49 years later. The present-day storyline frames the reunion story. Although the frame
represents the present and current storyline and the picture represents the reunion, within these two
main storylines are other stories, some are episodes and others are vignettes, which are told in the form
of a flashback. These stories, told within the context of the other storylines, fit within both the picture
and the frame. And some of these smaller stories of earlier events frame even smaller stories of other
events. Each story is distinct within itself while simultaneously being an integral part of a greater whole;
every individual picture is a part of a bigger picture.
This framework technique provides the structure of the plot, and flashback is the technique Sparks uses
to tell the stories. Characters reveal these "framed" stories through their shared and private memories.
Often the reader shares a flashback with a character that is not shared with any other character.

The narrator also provides information. The narrator of The Notebook in the opening and closing
chapters is Noah. But the narrator of the middle chapters provides a limited, third-person omniscient
point of view. This perspective sometimes allows the readers into the mind of a character — typically
Noah and Allie — but sometimes does not — such as Anne and Lon. This technique is important because
it allows the storyline to flow seamlessly from past to present and back again.

Stylistically, the narrative techniques work well because The Notebook is not just a love story; the novel
also explores the nature of fate and free will and the way people interact with one another. The
intricacies of relationships parallel the intricacies of poetry and the framing technique enables Sparks to
weave the past together with the present, leading to the emotional climax and creating a compelling
read along the way.

Reader’s response identifying the book or story’s weakness/strength

The Notebook is a timeless love story based on the novel written by Nicholas Sparks. The movie focuses
on the young love of Allie Nelson and Noah Calhoun, played by Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. The
film creates the perfect romance scene for the two to fall in love. What makes this story so amazing is
that it goes back and forth from when they fell in love to later in their life. Allie is diagnosed with
Alzheimer’s and the distraught Noah reads his journal he kept of their love story back when they were
young. The older couple played by Gena Rowlands and James Garner help create a story that is almost
too beautiful. The story he reads take us back in time and we see how their relationship came to be. This
movie is supreme when compared to other romance films because it not only tells a good love story but
it makes you feel something, the emotions portrayed by the characters go beyond the screen and right
to the audience.
Some romance films can be very predictable and a week after you see the film it is not something you
you remember. The Notebook does the opposite of that, through the beautiful storyline this film
becomes something memorable. This is thanks to the author of the book Nicholas Sparks, he truly
knows how to write a good love story writing other romance stories like “A Walk to Remember”, “Dear
John”, “Safe Haven”, and “The Lucky One”. He does not disappoint with any of these love stories and
they have all made they way into becoming successful movies.

True love stories are not always the ones which are famous or tragic. True love stories are also those
which can happen to common people in common times and they fight, they struggle and they survive it.
Some great love stories are those that age along with the couple who lived that story. This movie is one
of those stories. Adapted from the novel “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks, this movie is the story of
Allie and Noah.

As teenagers, Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) begin a whirlwind courtship that soon
blossoms into tender intimacy. The young couple is quickly separated by Allie’s upper-class parents who
insist that Noah isn’t right for her. Several years pass and, when they meet again, their passion is
rekindled, forcing Allie to choose between her soulmate and class order. This beautiful tale has a
particularly special meaning to an older gentleman who regularly reads the timeless love story to his
aging companion. The movie starts with two teenagers who fall in love and ends with the same two
people dying in each other’s arms who celebrated their love whole life together.

The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will
stay with you forever.

And here is what this movie teaches you. It makes you believe in that true love and it makes you believe
that if it has to be yours then it will be yours no matter what happens. It teaches you never to give up on
the person you love. It teaches you that life isn’t perfect as a whole. And life really is just a series of
perfect moments strung together. You’ll get into arguments and disagree from time to time because no
one’s perfect. But as long as there is love between you, fights will only make your relationship stronger.
And that’s why you should watch it with that special someone.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks will make you fall even more in love with love stories. If you are not a
fan of romance stories then The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is definitely what you need. From the
second you pick up this book to the second you put it down, it will change the way you look at love and
make you desire it. Nicholas Spark paints us a beautiful picture of the obstacles and the wonderful
things that loves offers.

Nicholas Spark’s unique writing will have you fighting back tears and wishing for a relationship just like
the one that is shared between Noah and Allie. This heart warming novel had me on the edge of my
seat, not wanting to put the book down. I anxiously turned each page waiting to see what became of
Allie and Noah.

CAST

Rachel McAdams as young Allie Hamilton; Ryan Gosling as young Noah Calhoun; Gena Rowlands as
elderly Allie; James Garner as elderly Noah; Joan Allen as Anne Hamilton; David Thornton as John
Hamilton; James Marsden as Lon; Sam Shepard as Frank Calhoun; Kevin Connolly as Fin

Rhonda Handlon

MOVIE REVIEW

I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a
common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve
loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.

So opens The Notebook against the backdrop of a spectacular sunset over a lake, grabbing our hearts
and never letting go as the extraordinary love story of Allie and Noah unfolds.

It begins at the end. Every day his failing health allows, an octogenarian shuffles down the corridors of a
nursing home and enters an old woman’s room. Her mind is riddled by Alzheimer’s disease, but as the
man reads from the handwritten pages of a worn notebook, science is defied and her memory is sparked
by the timeless story of their love. …
The chronicle he reads begins one summer in 1930s North Carolina. Poor country boy Noah Calhoun
meets rich city girl Allie Hamilton and is instantly attracted. Soon the two are inseparable, spending
every waking moment together. He shows her how to have good ol’ country-style fun; she invites him
into her world of fine arts and garden parties. By the end of the summer the teen soul mates have given
their hearts, and most of their purity, to each other.

There’s just one problem: Allie’s parents have her future all planned out, and Noah doesn’t fit the
picture of the wealthy, blue-blooded husband they have in mind for her. So without giving the young
lovers a chance to even say goodbye, Mrs. Hamilton packs her little girl off to a fancy women’s college.
Noah writes to Allie every day for a year, but never receives a reply. Unaware of parental deception,
Allie and Noah are each devastated at the perceived abandonment by the other. They slowly rebuild
their lives apart, haunted by memories of their first love.

Noah survives a stint in Patton’s third army during WWII, then returns to buy and restore his dream
home, all the while fighting off Allie’s ghost. Allie gets an art degree and becomes a volunteer army
nurse before settling down to the life her parents dreamed of. But why does she see Noah’s face while
accepting the rich and handsome Lon’s proposal? When all hope seems lost, “fate” intervenes and
they’re given a second chance at love.

Noah’s dad models selflessness and generosity of spirit to his son. He teaches him to build a relationship
one memory at a time by sharing life’s simple joys like fishing and eating pancakes at midnight. He also
instills in his young son a love of poetry by having him repeatedly recite Walt Whitman to overcome a
speech impediment. Noah’s love of the written word is embraced by Allie, and their shared passion for
expressing their feelings in writing becomes the life support of their relationship. (In today’s high-tech
world, it’s refreshing to find a story that upholds the power of the written word.)
Mrs. Hamilton redeems her broken relationship with her daughter by returning Noah’s letters at a
critical moment and sharing a story from her own youth that helps Allie choose what path she will take.
Noah’s example of placing his wife before all others is an inspiration to a generation taught to put their
own needs first. He also makes it clear that love is hard, everyday work, and that squabbles don’t have
to undo it. Ultimately, he gives up his beloved home and personal life to reside in a separate wing at her
nursing home, not for health reasons, but to allow himself constant access to Allie.

Another poignant lesson here is that all human life has value. The elderly and mentally disabled still have
much to offer and are not ready to be cast by society into the invisible realm of shadow people. This is
reflected not only in the relationship between the aging Allie and Noah, but also in the compassionate
treatment they receive from nursing home attendants who come up with creative ways to
accommodate patients’ emotional and physical needs.

Some will write The Notebook off as yet another emotionally manipulative and overly-sappy “chick
flick.” But because it looks so tenderly at an elderly couple stricken by Alzheimer’s, others will find
themselves attracted to it, placing themselves into the story and living out its emotion. It might also be
seen as a timely reflection of the deep and lasting loved shared by Nancy and Ronald Reagan, whose
love story has made a permanent cultural impression. Just as Nancy’s commitment and love
transcended the emotional and physical gulf that marked her husband’s disease, so Noah’s steadfast
love for Allie sustains them.

Nicholas Sparks has said his story “is a metaphor for God’s love for us all. The theme is everlasting,
unconditional love. It also goes into the sanctity of marriage and the beauty you can find in a loving
relationship.” Although that metaphor gets more than a little muddied by premarital sex, Noah and Allie
ultimately realize the full potential of mature love. Most romantic dramas only celebrate the chaotic,
spontaneous flush of young love, serving it up as the pinnacle of the relationship before either settling
down on a complacent plateau or crashing down the slippery slope of dysfunction. Sparks’ movie shows
a rare understanding of the kind of love God desires for married couples, a once-in-a-lifetime deep
intimacy of spirit, expressed without boundaries and growing in strength and loveliness as time goes by.
It is the kind of soul-satisfying love that God established as a demonstration of His own love for His
people, hence the author’s metaphor. That makes it all the more regrettable that steamy sex scenes will
give a lot of adults reason to pause, and push the tale (at least unedited) out-of-bounds for discerning
teens.