STUDY GUIDE FOR THE NOTEBOOK BY NICHOLAS SPARKS

SHORT SUMMARY (Synopsis)

The story is told on two levels - one is the present day when Allie and Noah have grown old and live in a home; the other is the story Noah reads from the notebook in which he tells how he and Allie met, fell in love, lost each other, and then found each other again. The end of their love story is tragically altered by Allie’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but even that has no power over their love.

THEMES

The first and most important theme is: Love conquers all. Although this idea is sometimes overworked, in this particular work, it is the most prevalent theme of all. No matter how many setbacks Allie and Noah faced, their love always brought them together again.

The second theme is: Follow your heart. Allie had spent fourteen years in fear of hurting her family and friends if she deviated from the standard way of living for her social class. It was only when she realized that she and Noah were meant to be together that she made the right decision and followed her heart.

A final theme tells us that you cannot live your life in fear of hurting others. Allie nearly learned this hard way when she almost gave in to her fear of hurting her family and friends by choosing Noah. Only with the reading of his final letter to her written twelve years before was she able to see that it was her life to live, and no one should be able to force her in a direction she didn’t want to go.

MOOD

The mood is at times troubling and even quite sad, because of the disease that is claiming Allie’s mind. However, there is a sense of victory, in spite of the inevitability of Allie’s future, because in the end, love wins, no matter how hard life tries to make it not so.

NICHOLAS SPARKS - BIOGRAPHY

This author is a well-known writer who often uses the themes of love, tragedy, and fate in his stories. He tried many careers in his life until he and his wife moved to the setting of The Notebook, New Bern, North Carolina. There he wrote The Notebook, his first major novel. This was followed by such famous works as Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember. Nicholas based this novel, The Notebook, on the lives of his wife’s beloved grandparents. He still lives in New Bern with his wife and five children.

Awards Won by The Notebook

#1 New York Times bestselling novel
Inspiration for the film The Notebook

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks Free BookNotes Summary

Visit our partner PinkMonkey.com for more online Study Guides
Privacy Policy
All Content Copyright©TheBestNotes. All Rights Reserved.
No further distribution without written consent.
160 Users Online | This page has been viewed 921 times
This page was last updated on 5/12/2008 1:17:33 AM