It’s 1944 in New Bern, North Carolina and Noah and Allie are the couple of the summer. They are from different worlds, and the surrounding society is constantly trying to pull them apart, but their strong love for one another keeps them together. “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks is a steamy romance novel being told from the perspective of an 80 year old man. This book is great if you are craving a powerful love story, one that will possibly move you to tears! As an author Nicholas Sparks is known for his romance novels, therefore he has a lot of experience and knowledge on the topic. He knows how to set up his stories just right, so they tug at the heart.

One main thing Sparks uses in “The Notebook” is imagery. If he wants you to picture Noah in the middle of a lake watching the sun rise, he will do just that plus more. He will not only create a vivid picture of the scene in your head, he will actually put you in the scene. When reading “The Notebook”, you will actually smell the lake water, hear the geese and the crickets in the background, and taste the morning dew and sweat on your lips just as Noah did. Sparks uses his words to engulf you completely into his story, once you pick up the book, you won't want to put it down.

The actual story within “The Notebook” is very unique, to say the least. It is based around the young couple, Noah and Allie, and how all throughout their relationship they were frowned upon by Allie’s parents because Noah was not from a wealthy family. The two spent an entire summer together before Allie had to move away with her family, things drifted apart and both Noah and Allie eventually moved on with their lives. Noah went to war, and Allie met her dream boy (one that society accepted) and got engaged. About two weeks from her wedding, Allie saw Noah in the paper and drove to see him alone. Did Noah and Allie get back together? Was Noah the same as Allie remembered? What will happen from this trip? You will have to read to find out!

Overall, “The Notebook” is a very good book to read if you are craving a love or romance story. I would most likely recommend this book to girls, teenagers and up, mainly because it may come off a bit soppy for guys. It is a very good book for girls because it is basically a story about your dream man. I don't know of one girl who would not want Noah as a boyfriend. Reading about the way he thinks about Allie and how much he loves her puts good hope into girls hearts that someday you will meet a boy like that to spend the rest of your life with. I think that was the main idea that Nicholas Sparks was going for in this novel, creating the perfect love story of every girl’s dreams.

Jenna Page