Rating: Summary: More than words Review: The book actually deserves more than 5 stars, I associate it with all the stars in the sky, both those we see and do not see. The Notebook enriched my world and showed me that beauty is endless. The story is not at all perfect and still is the perfect for me...Not the story itself is of the greatest importance but the way it leaves you after you have been in the world of it. The Notebook is not a book for some special taste of books, it's for everyone....
Rating: Summary: Touching Review: I think "serious" readers might dismiss this book as yet another trashy, self-indulged, semi-romantic, unoriginal story but that seems like a great injustice. There is something genuinely touching about the characters, their vulnerability,and their humanity. Sparks writes them (the characters) directly from his heart, I think, and in doing so creates a picture of love that is pure and idealistic. There are some twists and turns to the plot that are unexpected to some, but in the end the real strenght of the book lies in the emotions it manages to evoke within us. It is easy to say that cliches and run of the mill situations make up the book, but underneath all of that is a deep message that says something important about love. While that message might be different for everyone, it is a message nonetheless and I think that's a significant acomplishment for any book. This book spoke to me. It had a deep meaning that caused me to question and to wonder about what love is, its strenght, its power, its significance. For anyone who has asked those questions this book might be surprinsgily enjoyable and deeply touching.
Rating: Summary: Simple, syrupy romantic nonsense with a bizarre ending. Review: I read this in its initial release in hardcover years ago. I thought, at best, that it would try to maintain the spirit of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, which was popular at the time, while coming up with an original story.The story is original. An old man visits the hospital room of a woman with Alzheimer's, his wife of many years, and he reads her their love story. This story involves a guy named Noah Calhoun, who loved a woman named Allison when they were kids and loves her still, even though she's involved with another, more successful man now, who is himself a rather nice guy. In the past story, of course, Allison must choose between the two men. This is all pretty blase, considering that you know from the outset of the story, though the author doesn't out-and-out identify which man the old guy telling the story is. Anyone who's ever read any sort of romance novel will be able to figure out who she picks. The Alzheimer's story, which frames the other narrative, is the more interesting yet less successful aspect of this novel. It seems that whenever the old man reads Allison the history of their love, she is able to remember him and escape the cloud of her Alzheimer's. It's a nice twist on an old story, and it's touching. Then Sparks, and this was his first novel, goes and ruins everything with a third act twist that's pretty creepy, if you ask me. He gives the old man a debilitating stroke, keeping the old lovers apart until, in the final pages, he's able to return to her. Whether she remembers him, what they do and how it all works out I'll leave to the reader. I, personally, found the ending jarring, particularly when the story introducing it was nothing more than sweet and slight.
Rating: Summary: Darn good Review: Sparks is a great writer and has made another great book. I found the book, easy to get in to and didn't have a hard time picking up on the characters at all. He also makes the pace a bit slower, just as a mature love would be and how older characters interact. He also, gives us two points of view in one chapter, one paragraph, something unique but can often confuse. I didn't enjoy the concept but he did it quite well. When you are seeing and feeling what one character is feeling , you suddenly in the other characters head. My only other faults with the books were the sequence with Allie's fiancée. He seemed to just read minds for a moment or two there and just knew his lady was going cheating on him. This is a distraction. You think he will show up, cause a scene, yet in the end, he is a tool, for her choice. Reading the book, and really getting into the ending, one can't help but think about the terms To Death Do Us Part.
Rating: Summary: Read all his books...there awesome. Review: I loved this book. I am now addicted to all of his books. I read them in less than a day because they capture me so much. So heart warming. I have cried at the end of all his books. The best. I can't wait until he writes more.
Rating: Summary: Great Book Review: The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks, is truly a heart-warming love story. It is about Noah, a thirty-one year old man just out of World War II. He can't stop thinking about a girl he fell in love with when he was a teenager. Allie, a twenty-nine year old woman is about to get married, but before she does she has to take a visit back to the past. Nicholas Sparks does a great job at using point of view. Throughout the book, he lets you see what both characters in the book are thinking. He goes from Noah's point of view to Allie's point of view all within one chapter. It is nice way of writing because you get both characters' perspective about things. Sparks also does a great job at setting the scene. He describes the places very well and you almost get the feeling that you are really there. He also describes the feelings Noah and Allie are having very well. It's nice because it makes it easier to relate to the characters because you can relate them to your own feelings easily. The one thing I don't think Sparks does well is his predictability in the book. I wish that he had thrown us a curve ball and had Allie go with her fiancé. Instead he does the predictable thing and she goes with Noah. I also don't think that the flashbacks work well with this story. I think they are confusing and could be worked better into the story.
Rating: Summary: A MUST READ Review: I loved this book especially cause it was about an alzheimers patient and that hits close to home! A book you won't want to put down!
Rating: Summary: The Notebook: The Power of Love Review: Nicholas Sparks' "The Notebook" is poetry itself. Through the sensitivity of his character, Noah, we catch a glimpse of that for which we all long: true love. The soul mate lovers in this book take us through their lives, showing us the awesome power of true love, a power that can indeed conquer all. Easy read, but be sure to savour every breath-taking word!
Rating: Summary: Loved it!! Review: My sister suggested that I read this book a while back. I said that I would read it but it took me long time to get around to picking one up at the bookstore. Now I want to kick myself for not picking it up earlier! It was soooo good! I can relate to having that one person in life who was your soulmate who "got away" only to be reunited again later in life. To have someone love you throughout your entire life, despite time and distance, is something that hardly ever happens in real life. This book lets you hold on to the hope that maybe there really is everlasting love!
Rating: Summary: A new kind of romance Review: I was told about this book from numerous friends who bragged that they read it in one sitting and then proceeded to ball their eyes out. I, not a big romance reader was intrigued. It is a classic story of Allie and Noah who fell in love when they were young and then were forced to seperate. The love they shared haunted them for years thereafter until they were reunited. The first part of the book is a typical, predictable love story but the second half of the book is well worth waiting for, an incredible illustration of how love grows with years and adversities. I would highly recommend reading the book, be patient and hang in there till the second hundred pages. It really struck a cord because of its realistic circumstances of love. Sparks shows that things don't always happen in a cinematic fashion when you are in love, but that the value of love does not have to be based on aescetic qualities. It will touch you and is not a typical romance. Give it a shot!
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