BookwormBy Jon Andrews
As this is a very special month, I have reviewed my reading for 2008 and chosen a deeply moving portrait of love itself, including the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all.
The Notebook, published in 1996 by Doubleday in a short 214 page easy to read hardback edition, is written by Nicholas Sparks and is based on the lives of his wife’s beloved grandparents.
Set in the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned from the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation house and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met before he left for the War.
Noah tries to find her as memories of that final summer together haunt him day and night. Unexpectedly, Allie Nelson returns for one last visit to her old town as she is now engaged to another man. She soon realises that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed, but the gulf that exists between their two lives is now too vast to be ignored.
However, this is no usual love story as their tale becomes something different with much higher stakes as the narrative leads us to the touching end.
The Notebook establishes Nicholas Sparks as a classic storyteller with a unique insight into the only emotion that really matters.
I can think of no better book to tuck into a stocking for the festive season. It’s a small book so it will fit