Monday, July 20, 2009

The Notebook- Nicholas Sparks: Dana

The Notebook- Nicholas Sparks
Well, this book was on my Project 100 list and I believe I was one of the last remaining women in the US that hadn't read this novel. I'll preface all of this by saying that I'm not a huge romance reader, but having read and enjoyed Sparks' Three Weeks with my Brother, I was willing to give this a shot.

I'll not give away too much of the plot, but very basically it is about a young man of little means and a young woman of fantastic means who fall in love only to be separated by time and social circumstances.

What made this novel better than the typical love story is the framing of it, as a old man reading the story to an unknown woman. The story is touching and while predictable, still genuinely warm and fuzzy. I did enjoy it. It's a great quick read and especially good when you just want to read and not think too much. Sparks' writing is lovely, clean and concise and his characters are lively and real. While I enjoyed the book in general, I think that I enjoyed it more after reading Three Weeks because I knew how he wrote it and what was happening in his life at the time. Overall, it was worth the hype (and million dollar advance) that it received.

3 comments:

Linda said...

You're not the last. I still haven't read it either! In fact I've never read any of Sparks' books. The topic of the Notebook is too personal for me. I don't think I'll ever be able to read it.

Dana Strotheide said...

I totally understand that. I haven't read any of his others, but I will definitely speak to the fact that Three Weeks with My Brother was a great books, especially if you're a writer. Better than The Notebook I thought.

Briony said...

I haven't read the book or seen the movie, and since someone blabbed the ending I don't know that I will.

I don't think I've ever read any of his books either...did he write The Horse Whisperer? If so, then that's the only one. (I read that in grade 8 - certain events in that book shocked me a little!!!)