I actually finished Nicholas Sparks's
The Notebook about a week ago. I've been painting more than usual so it's been taking over my time.
The Notebook also has questions at the end, just like
Looking for Alaska did. Thus, I decided that if a book has questions in the end (which most do, apparently), then I will review the book as well as answer the questions. (Spoilers coming!!!)
Summary & My Opinion
Noah, the main character in this book, met his true love at a young age. This first love, Allie, has slipped through his fingers, seeing as she had moved away and then gotten engaged. About three weeks before Allie's wedding, she returns to Noah and revisits with him. The duo soon fall back into love, leaving Allie with the decision: Noah, her true love, or her fiance, someone her parents expect her to marry? After Allie decides the obvious choice is Noah, they get together and live a long, happy life. This happiness comes to a halt as, later on, Allie finds out she is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. As the years go on and Allie's memory gets worse, Noah writes out "The Notebook" and reads it to Allie daily. This notebook is filled with their love story, including real life plots that Allie can't remember. Doctors say their love is what makes Allie's memory come back occasionally, although Noah continues to struggle with the question that Allie often asks: "Who are you?"
I thought the book was a phenomenal piece of literature. It was the first book I'd read by Nicholas Sparks, and I was not disappointed. Seeing as the questions are somewhat long, I'll shorten my opinion and leave you with this advice: read this book.
Discussion Questions
I will gladly type out the questions like I did before. Happy reading!
1. At one point in the novel Gus says to Noah, "My daddy used to tell me 'the first time you fall in love, it changes your life forever, and no matter how hard you try, the feelin' never goes away. This girl you been tellin' me about was your first love. And no matter what you do, she'll stay with you forever.'" Do you think this is true? Can you still remember your first love?
I would say it to be true, just like how you probably remember the first time you saw your favorite movie or the first time you heard your favorite song. It was something you enjoyed with a burning passion, so it burned into your memory. As far as love, I felt pretty good the first time I had cheesecake.
2. The restored house Noah lives in plays an integral role in the novel. In fact, an article about the restoration is what draws Allie back to New Bern. What do you think the house represents? What does this say about the importance of place? Does Noah restore anything else in this novel?
I think the house represents more of a safe haven. It's somewhere Noah feels content, as well as it brings back bittersweet memories. The place is important to Noah because it's his home, you could go so far as to call it his creation. Noah nurtured the house and gradually brought it back to a better quality. As well as the house, Noah continues to restore the love between him and Allie. He continues to do this throughout their years together and separated as Allie develops Alzheimer's.
3. When Allie decides to come down to see Noah "one last time." do you think she wanted to see him just to say good-bye, or was she secretly hoping to fall in love with him again? Was it right for Allie, who had already agreed to marry Lon, to make this visit? Would your answer be different if she were already married?
Allie, like all of us, just wanted a second chance with someone she truly loved. It was not right of her to make the trip since she engaged or even if she had been already married. However, I do believe in "all is fair in love and war."
4. When asked by her mother, Allie claims to love both Noah and Lon. Do you think this is true? While it is possible to love more than one person equally, is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?
I don't personally think this is true. Allie loved both of the men, but she seemed to know which one she would
always be in love with.
5. Allie's mother regrets having hid Noah's letters to Allie for so many years. Why does Allie's mother change her mind, especially when Allie's wedding is less than three weeks away? Can you understand Allie's mother's motivation for hiding the letters in the first place? As a parent, wasn't she responsible for watching out for her daughter?
Allie's mother had no right to hide Noah's letters. She seemed to think that Noah and Allie's love was merely puppy love, so Allie's mother probably thought that hiding the letters would protect Allie from going back and reuniting with Noah. With Allie's wedding less than three weeks away, Allie's mom probably thought, "Shoot. What if she does still love Noah? Might as well try." She regretted hiding the letters in the end because Allie and Noah were still in love, and the hiding of the letters had kept them away all this time.
6. Were you at all surprised when it is revealed that Allie had decided to marry Noah, or was there never any question in your mind?
No question. They were in love. End of story.
7. Noah and Allie's love for each other at the end of the novel seems as pure and as powerful as it was in the beginning. Is it possible for the intensity of first love to last that long? Is it unrealistic to expect it to?
It is possible for the intensity to last, but it's unrealistic to expect it to. If you want the fire between you and your spouse to continue, you need to fuel the flames and not just "expect" y'all to continue to be happy together.
8. Although he's not in the best shape himself, Noah goes to Allie's bedside and reads "The Notebook" to her every day. As a result, Allie is in much better shape than the other Alzheimer's patients. Do you think this is plausible? Is her stable health a result of her hearing the story of her life every day, or are there greater forces at work? What does Noah's devotion suggest about marriage? About the nature of love itself?
Is it plausible in real life? Possibly, if the true love (or "greater forces") works its magic like it did in this book. Noah's devotion suggests that all the way through marriage, you really have to be there through thick and thin to make it happen. Love just needs to be worked on to continue into marriage.
9. The letters Noah and Allie write to each other, the poems they share, "The Notebook" Noah reads to Allie every day are all integral parts of this novel. And during World War II, a book of poetry actually saves Noah's life. What does this suggest about the power of the written word? Why is this power such an important part of The Notebook?
Everyone has a different view on the power of words and books and writing, and the main characters really get it in this book: words ARE powerful. I would say this is important because it shows that The Notebook can have different viewpoints from each reader. Someone could have this book in their breast pocket, get shot, and instead, the bullet goes through the book. Some people could read this book as a tragedy (because Allie gets Alzheimer's) or a romance (because, in the end, they are in true love).
10. The Notebook has been a bestseller not only in America, but around the world. Why do you think this is? What is it about the book that speaks to such a broad range of people?
Love is the same in every country, and I think everyone can tap into that. This book is just all around beautiful, and people like reading beautiful books, ya know?
The End.
Okay, so I finished reading The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. There were no questions; thus, no review & q. Hopefully I will have more questions soon! (I'm currently reading the first Hunger Games book. Eep!) I have some ideas for new blog posts, since I am feeling better (more info in last post).
ciao for now! thanks for reading. it means the WORLD to me.
-h.f.
