5.00☆

“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.”

A beautiful, emotional, intense and passionate love story

Seriously, what the fuck was this?

I read this book on a train from Italy to somewhere else in Europe after graduating from college. I was unfortunate enough to be forced to buy it because there were no other English Language novels to choose from.

I know this is a beloved book, by a beloved author, but if I could give it any sort of negative rating, I would. The "Gag me with a spoon" category is almost too kind. My apologies to any one who likes Nicholas Sparks - if you're able to find the genius in his writing, more power to you!

When I heard the plot - an old man is reliving his personal history with the love of his life as she suffers from dementia - I had much hope for a touching story. Esh - I was sorely disappointed.

My favorite memory is reading the scene between the two young (and I'm assuming attractive) lovers...they are in a boat on a lake, romantic setting, yes? It starts to rain. She's wearing a white dress. "We have to get you inside where it's warm...better remove those wet clothes, you'll catch a cold..." Commence eye-rolling now.

After reading the book, I passed it on to my now husband, who was also on the train. Keep in mind, there were no other English options! He starts to comment, "Oh, they're on the lake in a boat...okay, it's raining...oh geeze, why do you girls read this crap?"

And that's what I think about this book...why would anyone read this (unless there were no other choices)?!?

4 Stars - n  Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Denn

Sweet and romantic, but I liked the movie much more. In fact, I LOVED the movie and watched it before reading this. In the movie, the characters of Noah and Allie had more intensity and passion. It is one of those rare moments, for me, when the movie was better than the book.

There are some great quotes in this book though. These were my favourite:

"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."

"We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking."

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given to me..."

"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."

"So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday."

"I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours."

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n  COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: I do not hold the copyright to any of the images used in this review. They are posted to add visuals to the review and for fun. If any of these images are yours and you would like me to remove them, please let me know, and I will do so as soon as possible. If I can identify the copyright, I will do so.n  
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* ੈ♡‧₊˚ “

I love the movie, but if you think that was sappy, do not pick up this book. I heard Nicholas Sparks had a knack for sap, but I almost drowned in it and felt no spark at all. The book was so frustratingly simple and obvious and laid out. The dialoque droned. I'll come back and add a real quote, but it was something like this:

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" he asked, wondering what she would say.
"Okay," she said, and than asked, "What should we eat?"
"Crabs," he said.
She never had crabs. They began to cook the crabs... etc.

There is a "quiver in his loins" when he sees her in her transparent white dress as well.

Oh and "the two become one" when they make love.

And then she is forced to leave when her fiance pays a surprise visit to down and she struggles to drive through her tears, but fights through the blurry vision because she is a strong woman like her mother... lalalalala. Could the book be any more contrived and gimicky? Who rated this above a one? And please enlighten me.

Gag, gag, awful writing, what a frustrating bore. He left nothing to the imagination. Unless you like getting dumber by the minute, don't pick this one up.

well, i was promised tears and, unfortunately, my eyes are as dry as the sahara.

i will say that i think the story itself has an unbelievable amount of potential - its the execution that leaves much to be desired. i just couldnt believe the connection between noah and allie and i think its because we dont see any of their history. sure, the reader gets the jist of it as noah is sitting on his porch and thinking about the past - but its all dry facts told to the reader, not first hand experience.

this novel takes place over a day and a half in the present, 14 years after noah and allie meet/separate. this should have started when noah and allie first met. i want to experience their summer together. i want to see what happens when allie leaves. i want to worry for noah as he goes off to war. and i want to know what they have been doing these past 14 years. everything is just so underdeveloped.

i havent seen the film, but i have seen the trailer, and that has more emotion than this entire book put together because it actually tells the story of noah and allie. which is what this book should have done.

↠ 3 stars

Vanessa bought me this book after I watched Fracture and developed a serious crush on Ryan Gosling. Well, that led me to this movie and, unfortunately, this book. How does this man have a career as a writer?! Who is paying him to write stories with the most obvious choices in plot/dialogue/decisions. Wow. Lowest common denominator.

✩ 4 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ First Love
➼ Forbidden Love
➼ Second Chance
➼ Different World’s
➼ Enduring Love
➼ First Person POV

As I’ve been organizing my thoughts on this book, the thing I keep coming back to is how closely the movie followed the plot of the book. Perhaps this was possible because of the book’s relatively short length, but it could very nearly have doubled for a script. The question I’ve been asking myself with each Nicholas Sparks book I’ve read is, which is better, the movie or the book? You might think it would be a hard call to make this time because of their similarities, but in this particular case, the movie was the very clear winner for me.

It’s a great story either way, but the movie is just so beautifully made and well cast. The plots are nearly identical, but the characters didn’t inspire the same level of emotion while reading as they did when I watched the film. I also think Sparks uses some strange verbiage at times which earned him a few lip curls from me. Sometimes it almost felt like I was reading a regency novel or something when he mentions character’s bosoms or loins stirring or describes a character as “aroused sexually.” Isn’t “sexually”already implied?

Would Allie have loved Noah if he lived in a cramped apartment?

When the movie came out, I was a teenager, clueless about love and the ways of the world, I absolutely loved The Notebook.

However, now that I just read the book, I am convinced Allie made the wrong choice!

Allie talks about how she thinks Noah is swoon-worthy because other people don’t take enough time to enjoy the things that make life worth living. That’s rich coming from Allie.

She appears to have no job other than complaining.

Noah is gifted his wealth while Lons works long hours as a self-made lawyer.

Sparks is brilliant because he essentially took a modern take on The Great Gatsby where Allie doesn’t consider Noah a potential life partner until she discovers his very nice house.

This book does resonant in some ways. Allie and Noah are at an inflection point – they aren’t just picking a partner but a lifetime. They have to guess what The Ghost of Christmas Future will be.

The prose isn’t my favorite with a very short sentence structures.


The part of the book that I enjoyed – and enjoy is probably the wrong word for being a weeping ball of sentimentality – is when Allie and Noah are older, when they have shared a lifetime of love, weathering the ups and downs of life, the joy, disappointments, and triumphs.

Probably just ignore this review from an admittedly romantic cynic.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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I read this book because my sister loved it. It made me sad. Not because it was a sad story, but because it was so poorly written.

This Sparks character had a fantastic idea for a story, a truly painful and passionate story of love and devotion. But the book? It was like my 14 year old nephew watched this brilliant movie, then tried to write about it on his myspace blog. It was butchered by an appalling lack adjectives and an appalling lack of emotion. Sad.

The fact that so many people are willing to overlook Sparks' lack of creativity and inability to, well, write, is also sad. Sad, I say.

Sorry Tracy.