BOOK REVIEW

SUBMITTED BY:
PETER PAUL C. OCAMPO
BSHRM 1A2

SUBMITTED TO:
DIANE JOYCE LORAYNA
Instructor

I.

INTRODUCTION

The Notebook is a contemporary love story set in the pre- and post-World
War II era. Noah and Allie spend a wonderful summer together, but her family
and the socio-economic realities of the time prevent them from being together.
Although Noah attempts to keep in contact with Allie after they are forced to
separate, his letters go unanswered. Eventually, Noah professes his undying
and eternal love in one final letter. Noah travels north to find gainful
employment and to escape the ghost of Allie, and eventually he goes off to
war. After serving his country, he returns home to restore an old farmhouse. A
newspaper article about his endeavour catches Allie's eye, and 14 years after
she last saw Noah, Allie returns to him. The only problem is she is engaged to
another man. After spending two wonderful reunion days together, Allie must
decide between the two men that she loves.
TITLE:

The Notebook

Author:

Nicholas Sparks

CHARACTER ROLE:

Noah Calhoun Initial narrator and protagonist; Noah falls in love with
Allie the summer after graduating from high school, and even though they
go their separate ways, he never stops loving her. When she unexpectedly
re-enters his life, he discovers she is engaged. Although he longs for
Allie to stay and tells her that, he knows that loving someone sometimes
means letting them go.

Allison Nelson (Allie) As a young woman she falls in love with Noah, a
boy beneath her family's social class; when Allie per chance sees a
newspaper article about Noah restoring a house, she needs to return to
see her summer love, even though she is engaged to another. Allie falls
in love all over again and then must make a decision between the two men
that she loves, and although she does not want to hurt either one,
inevitably, she will.

Lon Hammond, Jr. Allie's fianc; Lon is a good lawyer from a good family
who will provide a good life for Allie. When he realizes that Allie is
seeking out Noah, he drops everything to be with her, demonstrating for
the first time that he is able to put her ahead of his career.

Fin and Sarah High school friends of Noah; they introduce Noah and Allie
the summer after Noah graduates from high school.

Morris Goldman Noah's boss at the scrap yard; it's Morris's gift to Noah
that enables Noah to purchase the house that he is restoring.
Gus Noah's best friend and neighbour in 1946 New Bern. Gus is the one
who identifies Allie as the "ghost" of Noah's past.

Anne Nelson Allie's mother; she does not approve of Allie's relationship
with Noah. She is also the one who keeps Noah's letters to her daughter
a secret when they arrive; she neither reads nor destroys them, but she
eventually gives them to Allie when she arrives to inform Allie that Lon
is on his way to New Bern.

Dr. Barnwell The doctor at the Creek side Extended Care Facility.

Janice The night on-duty nurse at Creek side; Janice enables Noah to
slip into Allie's room, even though she is not supposed to permit it, on
the day of their 49th wedding anniversary.

PHYSICAL PERSONALITY/TRAITS

Noah Calhoun A good man. He will do anything to achieve what he wants.

Noah always keeps his promise.

Allison Nelson (Allie) A rich woman, talented and beautiful.

Lon Hammond, Jr. Nobel man.

Fin and Sarah They were the reason why Noah and Allie meet.

Morris Goldman A good man to helps Noah to get his dream house.

Gus A small person but terrible.

Anne Nelson A strict mother of Allie.

Dr. Barnwell He never believe in miracle.

Janice She is the one who believe in Noah while telling their love
story. Allie would remember their to each other.

II.

THE PLOT

The novel opens with Noah Calhoun, an old man, reading to a woman in a
nursing home. He tells her the following story:

Noah,

31,

Carolina.

returns
He

from World

finishes

War

restoring

II to

his

town

of New

an antebellum-style

house,

Bern,

North

after

his

father's death. Meanwhile Allie, 29, sees the house in the newspaper and
decides

to

pay

him

visit.

They are meeting, again, after a 14-year separation, which followed their
brief but passionate summer romance when her family was visiting the town.
They were separated by class, as she was the daughter of a wealthy family,
and he worked as a labourer in a lumberyard. Seeing each other brings on a
flood of memories and strong emotions in both of them. They have dinner
together and talk about their lives and the past. Allie learns that Noah
had written letters to her for one year after their breakup. She realizes
that her mother hid the letters so that Allie could never receive them and
would conclude that Noah had forgotten about her. They talk about what
could have happened between them without her mother's interference. At the
end of the night, Noah invites Allie to come back the next day and promises
her a surprise. She decides to see him again. During this time, her fianc,
Lon, tries to reach her at the hotel. When Allie does not respond to his
calls,

he

begins

to

worry.

The next day, Noah takes Allie on a canoe ride in a small lake where swans
and geese swim. She is enchanted. On their way back, they are caught in a
storm and end up soaked. When they return to his house, they talk again

about how important they were to each other, and how their feelings have
not

changed.

Noah

and

Allie

share

kiss

and

make

love.

Allie's mother shows up the next morning and gives Allie the letters from
Noah. When her mother leaves, Allie is torn and has a decision to make. She
knows she loves Noah, but she does not want to hurt Lon. Noah begs her to
stay with him, but she decides to leave. She cries all the way back to the
hotel and starts reading the letters her mother returned to her. At the
hotel, her fianc Lon is waiting in the lobby.

The man stops reading the story at this point, and implies to the audience
that he is reading to his wife, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease and does
not recognize him. Throughout the story he explains he is also ill, battling a
third

cancer,

and

suffering

heart

disease,

kidney

failure,

and

severe

arthritis in his hands.

He resumes reading the story and describing their life together: her career
as a noted painter, their children, growing old together, and finally the
diagnosis of Alzheimer's. He had changed the names in the story to protect
her, but he is Noah and she is Allie. They walk together and Allie, although
she does not recognize him, says she might feel something for him.
That night they have dinner together. Referring to the story, she cant quite
remember who Allie chose. Recognizing her husband, she tells him that she
loves him. They embrace and talk, but after almost four hours, Allie fades.
She begins to panic and hallucinate. She forgets who Noah is again. The nurses
have to come in and they have to sedate her.

Later Noah has a heart attack and cannot visit Allie. When he recovers
he visits Allie late at night, as he is staying in the same care home. Noah

tries to sneak past the nurse station, the nurse on duty pretends that she
going for a coffee, even though she has one on the counter and tells Noah she
won't be back for a while. And not to do anything while she is away. Noah
realises it is just a ruse to let him go see Allie and he finds Allie in bed
in her room, asleep. She wakes up and recognizes him as Noah and tells him
that she loves him. They kiss and fall asleep next to each other, believing
their love will take them away together.

III.

THE OPINION

The Notebook was my first read by Nicholas Sparks and certainly won't be
my last. It was also his debut novel and very impressive for a first
effort. The opening chapter and the latter part of the book with the
elderly

couple

is

written

in

first

person,

present

tense

which

was

beautifully rendered, giving these parts a deep sense of immediacy. Noah

and Allie's story in the past is written in third person, past tense. This
part was wonderful too, but I did have a small problem with the second
chapter. When the author goes back to Noah and Allie's first meeting that
summer, he tells it more like a narrator relating a story which made it a
little difficult to get into at first. Because of the passive nature of
this passage, I wasn't able to fully immerse myself on an emotional level
like I wanted to and couldn't help wondering if it might have been better
if written in a more active voice. Once the narrative got to Noah and
Allie's reunion it was much better and only improved with every page I
read. The ending was so utterly beautiful; I couldn't help giving the book
the full five stars despite the early misstep.
Mr. Sparks definitely has a way with words, turning prose into pure
poetry. There are so many quotable passages in this book, I almost feel
like putting the whole thing in my memorable quotes file. For some reason,
I was under the impression that Nicholas Sparks' books didn't have any love
scenes

in them,

but apparently

I was

mistaken. I

was very

pleasantly

surprised to find one, as well as other expressions of sexual desire, and

even though that one love scene is only moderately descriptive, it was very

sensual

and

emotional,

unexpectedly

well

done

for

male

author. The

Notebook is the first story in a duet about members of the Calhoun family,
and I very much look forward to reading its sequel, The Wedding. This book
has certainly found a spot on my keeper shelf. Reading it was a touching
and emotional experience that has left a huge impression on me. It was an
inspiring, thought-provoking, powerful and passionate love story that was
absolutely unforgettable.
IV.

THE CONCLUSION

I didn't love The Notebook. I liked The Notebook. It didn't move me the way
it was supposed to. This could entirely be my fault. You see, I read The
Notebook on a plane. Sitting next to me were two unaccompanied minors who were
exhibiting

brotherly

love

by

beating

the

crap

out

of

each

other.

This

situation didn't exactly put me in the mood for love.

Also, I have to confess, I was kind of annoyed with Allie. Why did she wait
so long to find Noah? She was just about to get married before she figured out
that she needed to see him again. Now, I suppose her place in post-war highclass society had something to do with it. However, in the rest of the book,
she seems like a strong woman who says her piece. All of a sudden, when it
comes to Noah, she obeys her parents? Please.
I'm not trying to dismiss the book. In fact, any reader who enjoys a good
love story will be drawn to The Notebook. It follows the same path as The
Bridges of Madison County but doesn't quite get there. If you enjoyed Robert
Waller's book, you will most likely enjoy this Nicholas Sparks work as well.
So don't let my negative reaction keep you from reading The Notebook. This
is a story of love in its purest form (ok, except for the sex). It is a sweet
story that I just couldn't get into, but perhaps you can. If you are a
sensitive reader, you will most likely cry during some parts of the story, so
keep a box of tissues handy.

If The

Notebook sounds

appealing

to

you,

also

recommend A

Walk

to

Remember also by Nicholas Sparks. It, too, is a love story that I happened to
like. Maybe it was because I wasn't trapped in a plane with the children from
hell when I was reading it.
Anyway, if you are in the mood for a good love story, give The Notebook a
shot. Just don't read it in flight.