review on the Notebook

“Can you ever escape your past?” Can any of us escape our past? No matter bitter or sweet, we will never be able to forget what happened in the past of our lives or escape from what has happened in the past. This is the caption that drew my attention to this achingly tender love story about the power of love and a story of miracles that will stay with me forever. The author, Nicholas Sparks has weaved this story around two lovers who face many barriers to win their true love and be together. Even though it may seem a typical romantic love story to some, I think it’s a unique one that proves true love never dies and the author has done a great job to keep the readers enthralled to the book for long hours. I was more inspired by the fact that this was the true story about the grandparents of Spark’s wife, who had been married for more than 60 years, which means that this isn’t a fairy tale but real life happening. The book was published in 1995 by the Time Warner Book Group, and from the first week of release it was on “The New York Times” best seller list for more than one year.
This story says what true soul mates can never be parted, and that however much time changes or the people change true love never dies and if you were honest to your love that it will definitely return to you one day. The book is written in the first person’s account and the narrator is Noah Calhoun. Throughout the story he struggles in order to get the love of his life, in other words once he loses his girlfriend because she was taken away by her parents due to the mismatch in their classes and they had to stay apart for seven long years until fate brought them together, there after once again Noah loses the love of his life when his wife started suffering from Alzheimer disease and lost her memory. Nicholas Sparks has been smart in taking the decision to write the story the way that the narrator reads their own love story to his wife who is suffering from a memory loss disease, as it attaches the reader more closely to the main character and plot. Noah’s emotions and thoughts, therefore can be easily felt by the readers. Nicholas Sparks who is an expert in character development has presented each and every character in the book in a very realistic manner with a lot of detail.
The story itself surprises the reader from the very beginning of the book until the end. Surprises that could make the reader feel happy or sad, and also the way in which the author has weaved every single scene of the story keeps the reader emotionally engaged through out for countless long hours. A novel is said to be successful if the reader feels the story deep within and could picture what’s happening at each time, and each scene of this novel remains in my heart since I read the book up until now. Unlike many romantic novels, this book isn’t pulled along by sex, instead the reader is kept wondering answers to questions like “Who is this old woman being read to?” “Will the lovers in the notebook reunite after separation of seven years?” and “Will Allie break her engagement and return to Noah?”

Sparks has built up the story with unpredictable answers to the above question any reader will come up with while reading this amazing love story. He never deviates from his theme of love and choices. Throughout the story he proves that the right choice always matters in true love. For an example if Allie didn’t take the decision to return to Noah and continue her life with her fiancé, she would suffer all her life because her true love was Noah and also the decision Noah took in reading their love story to Allie who lost her memory even when the doctors advised him not to made her remember everything at one point before her death. The author uses his characters and scenes with perfect details so that the readers can put themselves in the shoes of the character and imagine what they should have done at that moment. Especially as a guy, I always thought what I would do if I face the situations that Noah faces throughout the story. Sparks presents the main characters as well as the sub characters like Allie’s parents, Noah’s father, Lon and Noah’s friend in a very descriptive manner starting from very minute details like appearance, clothing to social status, occupations, addictions, beliefs etc. He has also been very smart in relating the above mentioned characteristics of each character to the main theme in an exceptional way. For an example Noah’s long period of service as a soldier made him a much more determined, strong person who could do anything to regain his love and fight for it till the end.
Spark’s writing is undoubtedly beautiful in its truth and has the exceptional ability to capture the attention of any reader despite their age. The characters are authentic, the plot is fantastic yet not unbelievable, and each scene flows smoothly together so that the reader is able to understand the story much easier. The change of emotions and thoughts of each character from one condition to another is clearly defined. He writes in a way that brings out love, pain and uncertainty that energizes his characters. The author has not only paid attention in bringing up realistic characters, but has also laid much importance on the setting of each incident. From the beginning of the story till the end Sparks has used many different settings like the nursing home, the beautiful North Carolina beach, carnivals, parties and the country side in America. He always explains the setting with much detail so that the reader can imagine the actual situation and really feel the happening. For an example in the scene where Allie and Noah go on a boat ride in the swan lake when they meet after fourteen years, the author uses rain to make the reader feel the chill and excitement of the downpour and understands just how two people can fall in love as them. Sparks explains the beauty of the different settings in America that he uses and also is very mindful in changing the place and even weather conditions to add more color and meaning to the main theme.
Another significant feature I admire about the author is the use of unique dialogue and quotes from the beginning to the end of the story. Although he hasn’t used a lot of dialogue in telling the story, the very few he has used are effective and heart touching. For an example, “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.” which we find at the very beginning of the story tells us clearly that the protagonist of the story is old and most importantly a true lover. The many quotes he has used gives the reader a more sensible feeling about the main theme, because they add more meaning to the story.

The Notebook is a classic tale of love lost and regained after many years, and is a truly romantic and touching story. The author has been successful in relating how life as we know it might not turn out the way we imagined or how doing the right thing could change our whole life and also that “true love never dies” I would recommend this book for any reader, who believes in love and that true love can do miracles.