•2,5•
Σε μικρότερη ηλικία είχα τρελαθεί με τη ταινία. Τώρα δε μου έκανε την ίδια αίσθηση.

De las pocas historias en las que puedo afirmar que la película es mejor que el libro mismo.

bye what was so epic about this trash?

Descobri agora, apesar de já me ter acontecido antes, e por diversas vezes, o quão horrível é tentar ler um livro enquanto se chora. O final deste livro é terrivelmente triste, mas é apenas a vida a acontecer, não é? Lemos imensos livros com um final feliz, mas na verdade não se trata do final! Existe muito mais pela frente que tem de ser vivido e nem tudo é bom e agradável. Existem tristezas, doenças, separações, perdas... Eu gosto de pensar nas personagens dos meus livros como estando sempre felizes e a terem uma vida perfeita, mas essa é uma ilusão de quem se refugia nos livros para evitar pensar na própria vida. Eu costumo responder a quem me questiona o porquê de eu ler apenas livros com finais felizes (o que não corresponde de todo à verdade, pois seria difícil prever o final de cada livro) que para tristezas já me basta a minha vida. E isso não passa de uma ilusão...

Ove godine sam konačno odlučio da eksperimentišem i nisam se pokajao zbog moje odluke da krenem u konstantnu šetnju kroz žanrove. Prvi put u životu sam pročitao muzičku biografiju koja me je fascinirala, što me je dodatno motivisalo da nastavim u smeru ekspeimentisanja, pa sam tako došao na ideju da pročitam i ljubavni roman, žanr za koji sam mislio da nije moja šolja čaja. Čitajući Sparksa, ponovo sam se uverio u svoju teoriju; knjige se dele na dobre i loše. Ako je knjigu napisao Nobelovac, to ne mora da znači da je dobra. Isto tako ne mora da znači da su svi ljubići leglo patetike. Beležnica mi je dokazala da sam bio u pravu.

Nikolas Sparks je idealan primer da pisac ne mora da bude mnogo kvalitetan kako bi vam se knjiga svidela. Da se razumemo, Sparks ne može da se uporedi po kvalitetu sa Išigurom ili Safonom, ali niko mu ne može osporiti činjenicu da je vrhunski pripovedač koji piše jednostavno i razumljivo, a nekad su nam baš takve knjige potrebne da malo odmorimo mozak od nekog težeg štiva. Dovoljno je samo da vas pisac uvuče u priču i drži vam pažnju sve vreme, što moram priznati da Sparks radi perfektno. Ono zbog čega me je najviše kupio je vešto izbegavanje da upadne u patetičnu zamku. Taman kad pomislite da u nekom romantičnom momentu ne može više da izbegne "srceparajuće" rečenice, on tu odjednom zakoči i nastavi dalje u pravom smeru. Genije! Oduševljen sam kako opisuje izlive emocija. Njegovi junaci se vole jako i sasvim je dovoljno da to osetite kada Noa kaže Ali da je talentovana umetnica i da ne sme da odustane od slikanja pokazavši joj njenu sliku koja mu stoji iznad kamina u kući.

Priča počinje u staračkom domu. Stariji gospodin, koji je na zalasku života, čita priču iz svoje beležnice jednoj bolesnoj gospođi o siromašnom momku Noi Kalhunu koji se tridesetih godina prošlog veka zaljubio u lepu bogatašicu Ali Nelson. Od tog trenutka počinje njihovo najlepše letovanje u životu koje će ostati samo lepa uspomena u godinama koje dolaze, jer su njih dvoje po rečima njenih roditelja "nespojivi spoj zbog društvenog statusa" , ali ne i osećanja. Znamo koliko je ova druga stvar moćna i zahvaljujući njoj će se ovo dvoje ponovo spojiti posle četrnaest godina. Provešće nekoliko dana zajedno želeći da se ponovo upoznaju i nadoknade izgubljene godine. To će ih ponovo zbližiti, ali nažalost, nešto više od prijateljstva Ali ne može da ponudi Noi, jer je verena za poznatog advokata. Ipak, njihovo neočekivano zbližavanje, nateraće je da preispita svoju odluku, jer kako kaže Noa, "u bračnu zajednicu se ne ulazi polovično, ako si čak i jednim svojim delićem nesigurna, onda nemoj". Noa je taj delić koji joj odjednom kvari planove.

Verujem da je većina čitala knjigu ili gledala film u kome su Rejčel MekAdams i Rajan Gosling odglumili savršeno. Ako niste, molim vas da ispravite tu nepravdu. Pored filma "Mostovi okruga Medison", mislim da ne postoji bolja ljubavna priča. Neću preterati ako kažem da je Beležnica moja omiljena ljubavna priča na filmskom platnu. Što se knjiga tiče, tu ne mogu ništa da kažem, jer je trenutno jedina koju sam pročitao i samim tim nema konkurenciju, ali nema sumnje da će ih biti još u narednom periodu.

مذكرات حب

وأما من يرى أن روايات الحب لا بدّ أن تكون مُلئى
بكل ما يُندي الجبين ويخدش الحياء،
فليقرأ هذه الرواية

هذه الرواية قمّة فى النقاء والرقىّ
ومن النوع الذي لا يخشى الأب وجودها فى منزله

ذلك الحب الذى جمعهما والذى استمر -خاصة الذى استمر- لهو معجزة فى هذا الزمان
يتوقف اللسان عن الكلام أمام روعة البيان

Seriously, what the fuck was this?

EXCERPT: His best friend these days was Gus, a seventy year old black man who lived down the road. They had met a couple of weeks after Noah had bought the house, when Gus had shown up with some homemade liquor and Brunswick stew, and the two had spent their first evening together getting drunk and telling stories.

Now Gus would show up a couple of nights a week, usually around eight. With four kids and eleven grandchildren in the house, he needed to get out of the house now and then, and Noah couldn't blame him. Usually Gus would bring his harmonica, and after talking for a little while, they'd play a few songs together. Sometimes they played for hours.

He'd come to regard Gus as family. There really wasn't anyone else, at least not since his father died last year. He was an only child; his mother had died of influenza when he was two, and though he had wanted to at one time, he had never married.

But he had been in love once, that he knew. Once and only once, and a long time ago. And it had changed him forever. Perfect love did that to a person, and this had been perfect.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast begins the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned from the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes.

MY THOUGHTS: I had just written this review, hit enter . . . and it disappeared - 'Poof!' So here we go again . . .

Although I am not particularly fond of the story, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks holds a very special place in my heart. This was the very first book that my now husband ever gave me. I like to take it out every now and then and reread it, not because of the story, but because of the precious memories it inspires.

Books can do that. Bring back wonderful memories. If I was rating The Notebook on that alone, it would earn 5 stars plus from me. But as for the actual story, it earns a little over three stars. It is a bit too sweet for my taste, but perfect for those times when you want a read that you can enjoy without having to think too much.

BTW, this is not the book he would choose for me now. He is the romantic in this relationship. He cries every time he watches 'Titanic'. I have yet to sit through it.

***.2

THE AUTHOR: Sparks lives in North Carolina. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually.

DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, published by Grand Central Publishing. It definitely isn't in pristine condition; it is well traveled and well loved. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.Wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

“We fell in love, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare and beautiful was created. For me, love like that has only happened once, and that's why every minute we spent together has been seared in my memory. I'll never forget a single moment of it.”
----

This book is the reason why I’m an hopeless romantic and I was never more proud to be one. Considering the fact that I love the movie and cried like a baby while watching it, I should’ve been prepared for this book. In fact, I knew I would love the story the second I thrifted the book. But still, I was not prepared for the last 60 pages. at. all.

In the beginning we follow Noah Calhoun and Allison Nelson in the 1940s in North Carolina. One summer they meet – and obviously - this summer is becoming a dream for both of them. But in the end they still live in different social strata and have to figure out what they want their life to look like.

Yes, this story is no new invention, but that’s good, because it was never the aim of the book to create something new.

“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..”

The notebook is about love, but not about the basic love you find in other books, it’s about real, deep and indestructible love. The love with which Noah loved Allie and Allie loved Noah.

Written in the most incredible heart-warming and heart-breaking way, we follow their relationship, through good times, bad times, sickness and health.

Noah and Allie cherish each other so much. Reading about their love and also reading about how hard it actually is to love someone, was just incredible. All the things you endure for the other. I’m still tearing up now, because in my mind I’m still in the last 60 pages of the book. I want to find this love in my life, I want to have a Noah, who talks about me the way he did about Allie.

I won’t spoil too much of the book, because I’m selfish and want you all to read it. And please do actually read it, I swear you won’t regret it. The notebook has now become one of my favourite books.

<33

I decided to read this book because I absolutely love the movie. It's pretty muc the story of Levi and I, except that we're aren't old yet. He had to kind of convince me to date his, and it was the greatest summer of my life. We were separated by his time at Basic training and his mission to Taiwan. Neither of us had much closure when the relationship had to end. When he returned from his mission I was engaged to someone else, but I had already stated to realize that it wasn't meant to be for he and I. I ended the engagement long before I realized that Levi was the one for me. Levi and I were engaged when he'd been home from his mission for a month, and married 6 weeks later.

Back to the actual review....I positively adore this movie. Everything about it. So I thought I should read teh book it's based one. And I was disappointed! I like the movie much more. It's so much more descriptive. They are both very passionate characters, and Sparks depicts this is certain ways in the book, but leaves out important ways. Neither seems to have a temper in the book, which I think is part of being passionate. Feeling things strongly. I love that in the movie that are arguing in one anothers' faces on minute and sucking them the next. =o) I can think of several movie moments like this. None in the book.

I truly love the love story between the "old" Allie and Noah. It is the true love story, I feel. It is depicted well in both versions, though I like the movie ending better where they die together. In the novel, Sparks seems to focus more on the details of the older couple. I prefer the movie that takes two separate love stories and intertwines them seamlessly. It may be that Sparks wanted to write a love story for "seniors" and Hollywood knew that wouldn't fly and so they added things of their own. But I like Hollywood's version better.

I think I remember Nicholas Sparks saying that the movie is how the book should've turned out. I agree. I feel bad saying bad things about it because I love the story so much, I just prefer the movie version better.

Have you ever come across something so undeniably cute that you feel like you may be crushed by the weight of squee that’s about to explode from you chest.


Kind of like when you see this?

That’s what reading The Notebook was like. The romantic tone of The Notebook was both its greatest asset and biggest downfall. Nobody wants to be crushed by squee anymore
than they want to drown in their own tears and The Notebook wants to destroy you. Never doubt that. Whether it’s leaching your bodily liquids out of you until you resemble The Ice Man or boring you to death.

Really, those are the only two options you’ve got with this book. Who can stand to see something as cute as that kitten up there all day every day? You need something not so cute to break up the boredom. Similarly, in The Notebook, the long, romantic verses filled with poetry and stunning imagery will ultimately become tiresome the longer you read it.

Probably it’s just me. In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m not exactly the most romantic person out there. In my relationship it’s my husband who is the romantic. He’s the one that makes me breakfast in bed every single morning and puts a rose from the garden on my tray. He’s the one that calls me to see how my day’s gone and sends me soppy, romantic messages.

If you’re a sentimental, sweet kind of person (two adjectives nobody has ever applied to me) then I’m sure you’d like this book and it would do you justice. For those who like a little more “action” in the literary sack then this book may tend to waffle on and be overly mushy.


Now THAT’S more like it!

The Notebook is the sappiest, cheesiest, most….er, romantic book I might’ve ever read. Nicholas Sparks weaves romantic lines from the simplest of words and they turn out cringey and good at the same time.

So, why the four stars? This book was given to me by my uncle when I was barely fourteen. I remember reading it then and wondering if he had actually read it, and then thinking that if he had, then he must consider me mature enough to read this book, and feeling quite proud of the fact. Back then, I swooned over the romance, though neither the characters nor the romance itself is swoon worthy. I remember really loving the miracle aspect of the novel, of how Sparks thought that miracles really do happen, of hoping I’d encounter a miracle myself and be forced to believe the same. Rereading it now, expecting what is to come, I knew there wasn’t going to be any mind-blowing moments or anything remotely close. This is merely the way it is for me, and not a book I’d recommend to others. Looking at all the one-star reviews, I understand why this novel failed to please so many readers, but nevertheless, it remains one of the very few books I own, and so, it’s too important for me to not love it. I realize I sound as cheesy and corny as Sparks does in this book, so I’d get on with the review.

Noah Taylor Calhoun has loved only once. The summer he turned seventeen, he met Allie Nelson at a festival in his home town of New Bern in North Carolina. Allie was there for nearly two months, but those two months lasted a lifetime for the two of them. They met each day and made memories and slowly fell irrevocably in love. Fast forward, Noah is thirty-one and alone, renovating an old house he had always loved - losing himself in work - trying to stay away from the memories of the hazel-eyed girl he’d once fallen in love with. Allie is twenty-nine, engaged, and lives a routine life she’d always thought she’d lead. But an encounter with each other was all they needed. The old memories rush in. Bonding over candle-light dinner and kayak rides, the two once again discover why they’d fallen for each other, and even more, that they’d never stopped.

Noah and Allie’s relationship while at first might seem like insta-love, there are a thousand memories that make up their chemistry, but unfortunately the author doesn’t deem them necessary enough to share with his readers. The summer they initially met is mentioned many times, but only in conversation. We don’t get to see what or why they fell in love, nor do we get to see the development that is so obviously there. Sparks makes it work though; he makes us believe that Noah and Allie truly share a wonderful past, that there were some wonderful moments that keep them bonded. I only wish we could’ve experienced it with them.

What I loved the most was the family dynamic in this book. Noah’s father has no role here, but he’s so often present in Noah’s thoughts. I love how he made his father sound like this wise old man, who’d loved his son and raised him to be the tough, nature-loving gentleman that he is. And then there is this one instance, where Noah talks about losing a child and how it feels, of growing up together with your family, bringing up kids – they all hit right on the spot. I also loved Allie’s mother, who despite everything, loved her daughter and wanted her to be happy no matter what.
The vivid, clear description of New Bern and the natural aura, the kayaking, canoeing, rain, art and paintings; everything felt heartrendingly nice to me. Even though this book is supposed to be set around the time of Second World War, we don’t get to see the bad side – the depression, the deaths, the bloodshed and poverty. I can’t decide if that is a good thing or bad.

The Romance? If you have the patience for long-drawn, meant-to-be-poetic-but-are-actually-sap kinda romantic letters and descriptions of sex, then maybe you’ll love this book. There’s no way in hell that actual people speak the way Noah does, there’s no way people actually write such cringe-worthy letters. It is unrealistic, yes, for the most part. But what do you expect from a romance? The chemistry between Noah and Allie felt real to me, but sometimes hasty. I’d say the character of Lon Hammond had no real significance in this book, and the male characters all act a little too gentlemanly (there are only two of them actually). But I loved reading the very realistic concerns of an old man groping over his upcoming death, reminiscing his long life and feeling ancient – they felt real and believable, as if the author himself had such thoughts bothering him.

The Ending ? was far too stretched and the author dwelt on the same thing again and again, as if he didn’t know how to end it all and was waiting for inspiration to strike. There were some fillers, some boring parts – unnecessary additions that could’ve been avoided. Otherwise, there wasn’t a real ending at all.