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elaina (USA: TX) (2007/04/27):
[From Publishers Weekly]
In 1932, two North Carolina teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks fall in love. Spending one idyllic summer together in the small town of New Bern, Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson do not meet again for 14 years. Noah has returned from WWII to restore the house of his dreams, having inherited a large sum of money. Allie, programmed by family and the "caste system of the South" to marry an ambitious, prosperous man, has become engaged to powerful attorney Lon Hammond. When she reads a newspaper story about Noah's restoration project, she shows up on his porch step, re-entering his life for two days. Will Allie leave Lon for Noah? The book's slim dimensions and cliche-ridden prose will make comparisons to The Bridges of Madison County inevitable. What renders Sparks's sentimental story somewhat distinctive are two chapters, which take place in a nursing home in the '90s, that frame the central story. The first sets the stage for the reading of the eponymous notebook, while the later one takes the characters into the land beyond happily ever after, a future rarely examined in books of this nature. Early on, Noah claims that theirs may be either a tragedy or a love story, depending on the perspective. Ultimately, the judgment is up to readers, be they cynics or romantics.
Stephen (USA: MD) (2012/11/29):
Five Stars
In the part of Florida where I lived it's common for there to be a summer rainstorm with very few clouds in the sky and the sunshine still streaming down. Reading the end of this book reminded me of that because though there were tears in my eyes the feelings were mostly happiness and the appreciation of the beauty discovered and shared rather than of the sorrow that served to accentuate that beauty. This is an idealized story of love discovered and shared. It's the quintessential romance novel and is worthy of all the acclaim that its garnered. While many would cite this as the epitome of "chick-lit", it's written by a man and told almost exclusively from a man's point of view. This is a wonderful read and I'd recommend it to everyone. After reading the book I decided that it was time to dig up my copy of the DVD and rewatch the movie version which does respectable job of telling this story. Only now can I fully appreciate the irony of the packaging. Enclosed with the DVD is not the usual flyer for other movies by the sme company, but a $1 off coupon for Kleenex tissues.
Jessica Strati (USA: PA) (2013/12/20):
I remember reading this book when I was in high school. It's a very good book. I never did like romance novels until I read this book. The movie wasn't that good.
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