The Notebook: Can you ever escape your past?

I love The Notebook film so much (probably like most women!). It’s hard to describe why maybe because it is a feel-good movie along with being utterly heartbreaking. It is so full of emotion and the perfect Romantic film!So, I decided to give the book a read; I hadn’t even realised it was based on a book until I was doing the research for my Reading Challenge ‘a book made into a movie you’ve already seen’. I’m not a big lover of reading the book after seeing the film; I’d much rather do it the other way around. I figured, though, I couldn’t go much wrong with this choice and it only being 215 pages if it were terrible it wouldn’t take me long to read! I definitely couldn’t go wrong with the book; it was just as amazing as the film.The two run very well in parallel; there isn’t a lot different between the two, other than the order it is all presented to you. In the film it is more chronological, we see Allie and Noah meet, forced apart and the reunion etc. However, in the book, it is a little more reminiscing involved, so the timeline isn’t as fluid. I can certainly see why certain things were adapted for cinematic storytelling. It wasn’t hard to follow everything in the book, though. It all flowed well but wouldn’t have translated to the big screen if it had followed the same chapter to scene etc. It was so lovely to read this and be able to visualise how everything and everybody looked based on the film. I’ve seen it so many times everything is very familiar. I thought I would be bored reading it knowing how it ended and everything that was going to happen but this wasn’t the case at all. It entrances you just as much as the film does. The characters are wonderful, the story enlightening and tragic. It was beautifully written, and I am tempted to read the follow on story of Noah and Allie’s children. So very happy that I chose this book for this category of the Reading Challenge and that I gave a book after a movie a chance! It wasn’t anywhere near as bad and experience as I’d expected! More was the case with this book of a feeling of visiting old friends!

I cried. I fill up just telling somebody about it. Not that it's sad. It is the most romantic, gut-wrenching novel Ihave ever read.

I read the book before watching the film, as films often remove parts which are sometimes better to leave behind.The story is about an elderly man, known as 'Duke,' who is reading parts of a notebook to an elderly woman, called Allie. He recounts the story of his past. At nineteen, young Noah Calhoun falls for seventeen year old Allie Nelson. They embark on a summer romance, but Allie's well to do family are against the match, since Noah isn't of her class, in other words, poor. They break up and lead separate lives. Noah joins his country, and fights in the Second World War, and Allie becomes involved with a lawyer called Lon Hamilton.When Noah returns, he has a relationship with a local widow, but she realises he's still mourning the loss of his first love. 14 years after their last time together, Noah and Allie see each other again. He hopes they can rekindle their love. However, Allie is upset that Noah hadn't tried to make contact during their separation, but is taken aback when he claims he'd written to her every day but had no replies. She later realises her mother kept the letters from her, but she returns them to Allie. As Allie reads them, she realises she still loves Noah, but isn't sure what to do about Lon.We then learn that 'Duke' is in fact the elderly Noah Calhoun, and the woman, Allie, is in fact his wife. However, she has Alzheimer's, and doesn't know who he is. But there are times when her memory returns, and she can recall the events he reads to her. She is happy she chose Noah, but despite his care of his wife, Noah is also unwell.The story is beautifully written, and is really heartfelt.I have also seen the film, and love both.

I'm not usually a fan of the whole romance book thing. But for some reason this author seems to make it in my opinion that bit easier to read and more enjoyable.So I thought this book was very well written, easy to follow and very moving . I found it very difficult to put down from the start. In a way I also found it a bit inspirational, as it shows us that we need to follow our hearts no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what your background is or what part of society you are in either rich or poor, the only thing that matters is what's in the inside of you.I would highly recommend this book . I would also recommend you have some tissues near by

I purchased this book years ago, Infact in 1995. I was on Holiday and wanted a book to read on the beach. My mother gave my copy away so I had to purchase it again, as I love this story of Allie and Noah so much.