Book Review: The Notebook

For my blog entry this week, I was supposed to write a book review. In going along with the theme of my blog, "class", I chose to review one my favorite books of all time, The Notebook. The Notebook, written by Nicholas Sparks, is a classic story of love vs. class, in which a person's class attempts to dictate not only their life, but their future as well.

While The Notebook is an incredible romance story, written in 1996, The Notebook is also an amazing demonstration of the conflict between love and class. In The Notebook, Noah Calhoun, age 17, meets Allie Hamilton, age 15, during the summer of 1932. Noah, a native to the small town of New Bern, North Carolina meets Allie at the local summer carnival and quickly wins over her heart. The Hamilton family is incredibly wealthy and spending their summer at a large plantation in New Bern. The two teenagers have a whirlwind summer filled with romantic dates, love and the promise to stay together forever. In the background of this life-changing summer, however, are Allie's disapproving parents, constantly criticizing Noah and his lack of class.They attempt to sabotage plans between Noah and Allie, discipline Allie for going out on dates with Noah and mock his lack of fortune. However, Allie insists that she is in love with him and that class doesn't matter when it comes to love.

At the end of the summer, Allie is forced to return to Winston-Salem, North Carolina with her family. Noah and Allie promise to write daily to one another and to, one day, marry each other. Noah writes daily but Allie's mother, worried about Noah's lack of money and financial security, hides all of Noah's letters, leading Allie to believe Noah forgot about her and never wrote her. The story then flashes forward 14 years and Allie comes back to visit Noah before marrying a weathly banker, Lon Hammond, Jr. Allie realizes she is in love with Noah and that he never stopped loving her. Allie's mother admits that she hid the letters because she wanted "a better life for Allie than Noah could provide." While Lon would provide much more financial stability, Allie chooses Noah in the end because of their undeniable love.

Below is the trailer for The Notebook when it was turned into the movie in 2004. Enjoy!





As I mentioned before, The Notebook is one of my favorite books. I believe the plot, as well as the writing style, are both incredibly well thought-out and realistic. While it is not a high-paced novel, the form matches the content. Love is supposed to last forever, and there are ups and downs in a relationship. The Notebook presents a realistic view on love and relationships, and does not just claim that everything always works out perfectly in love. Although Allie chooses Noah in the end, the choice is not easy. I think this novel really highlights the conflict that can arise due to class in our own personal spheres of life, even down to the very person that we are going to spend our lives with. Do you think Allie made the right choice to choose love over class/wealth? While it may seem like a situation you only read about in books or see in movies, I believe love vs. class can affect many people. Should we sacrifice "true love" for financial security? Or should we risk financial security for someone we truly love? Of course it would be desirable if we didn't have to choose; if the person you loved was also wealthy, or at least financially stable. However, that is not always real life. This book, and the slow pace of the novel, demonstrates the doubts, the discouragement and the fears that are realistic in this situation. Nonetheless, it is an incredible novel and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

-Emily