I really wanted to like this book. I watched the movie on recommendation of a friend a few years ago and loved it, and picked this up at a garage sale over the summer.
Unfortunately, I expected more from it than it was willing to give.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive compensation.
The Notebook is a story about Noah, who in the first chapter it is made clear that he is reading a story to someone. Noah and Allie meet when they are teenagers and spend a torrid summer together, then are separated by her parents. Sixteen years and the second word war later, the two are reunited three months before Allie is due to be married to a lawyer whom her parents do approve of. They rekindle their love before Allie’s fiance discovers their affair, and Allie must make a decision whether she wants to be with her true love, or the man that her parents approve of.
It is a basic boy meets girl, girl falls in love, girls parents don’t approve story, and while the story itself has bones, the writing is weak, at best. There’s a lot of repetition. In one sequence, the narrator says “the canoe” at least five times, when it could have easily been called a boat, a ship, a vessel, or, god forbid, “it”.
Not to mention, the dialogue is poorly written. Small talk runs rampant, and where the characters could have “agreed to walk down to the river”, Nicholas Sparks INSISTS that they discuss it. Most of the dialogue goes something like this:
“Do you want to go down to the river?”
“Yes”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure”
“Because we could stay here”
“No, I think we should go”
“Ok, let’s go down to the river”
“Ok, let’s”
The whole book is basically an excuse for cheating on your fiance, but don’t get me wrong, there were some parts that I enjoyed. There are some really good metaphors in the book, like the lights of Wheel of Fortune and Vanna’s teeth, and the story of finding love after all that time is a good basis, I just wish there had been more meat on the strong bones of the book.
This would be a great book for someone who doesn’t mind reading trite writing and wants to read about their grandparents having sex. Because that happens. And I was left feeling completely creeped out.
4 out of 10
(To purchase a copy of The Notebook, you can click here)
(To purchase a copy of the movie, you can click here)
