book review: the notebook

i have finished reading the notebook within a few days by reading it during the hours on the mtr every day. nicholas sparks is indeed a good writer. he uses simple language to show us pictures of scenery and personality of his characters. he also does not need to use complicated words and phrases, but has succeeded in conveying to readers very deep thoughts and meanings.

the notebook is a love story. it tells the power of love. the strong love between the two main characters has reunited them even though they had separated for more than ten years after they first met and fell in love. the strong love has also helped them go through the difficult, last journey when one of them suffered from Alzheimer's disease at an old age.

i cried when i read about this man feeling sad and lonely as his wife cannot remember him anymore because of the disease. i cried when he reads again the last letter prepared by his wife telling him that how much he means to her and that she loved him in the past, loves him now and will love him in future. i cried when the wife states in the letter asking her husband not to be angry with her on days she does not remember him (because of the disease).

in the story, the author has mentioned the power of literature and especially poetry in people's lives. the following quotes are good for thoughts:

"poets knew that isolation in nature, far from people and things man-made, was good for the soul, and he'd always identified with poets."

"poetry, she thought, wasn't written to be analyzed; it was meant to inspire without reason, to touch without understanding."