The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Like me, you have probably watched the movie.  The movie is on my all time favorite list as far as movies go.  I figured that I wouldn't read the novel because I have already seen the movie and know how the story goes.  But when I went to my sister in law's house to borrow some books she insisted that I still read the book.  And I'm glad I did because it was a little different from the movie.

This novel is about an older man named Noah who lives in a nursing home and reads from a notebook to his wife Allie who has Alzheimer's.  He reads to her in order to help her remember her past.  The notebook was written by Noah and talks about how they met and how they ended up together.

The arrangement is a little confusing in the book.  I think that it would have been hard to understand if I hadn't watched the movie.  I actually liked the movie a lot better which is never the case with me.  I did, however like that the ending was not exactly the same and neither was the arrangement of the scenes. 

This is such a unique novel because it starts out being about an older couple but as he reads the notebook and reminisces about the past it is suddenly about a couple in their twenties.  It is definitely a romance and gives you hope that even as you get older your love for your spouse does not fade.  I hope Marshall and I continue to love each other as much today as we do 50, 60 years from now. 

I also have to tell everyone if they have not seen the movie, to go and see it.  It is the only movie I have seen Marshall cry to (let's keep that between us).  It is soooo good!  And if you have read the novel, let me know what you thought of it in the upper right hand corner!

RESULTS: 2 Votes, 50% for Liked it, 50% for Loved it

Ever After by Karen Kingsbury

Ever After, which I learned after I finished reading it is a sequel to the novel Even Now.  That didn't matter though because Ever After did a good job of filling me in on all the characters lives so I wouldn't miss a beat!  I really enjoyed this novel not because it was a love story but because of how it made me feel after reading it each night.  It gave me a better connection with God and helped me to realize that God is always there to talk to and although your path in life may be rough sometimes, God does everything for a reason. 

I actually cried through about a 1/3 of this book!  It is a really emotional story but has a good ending!  I would describe this novel as having two main stories.  The first is about a couple named Lauren and Shane, who reconnect after many years apart and who never stopped loving each other.  They first met in high school but were forced apart after Lauren became pregnant.  After Lauren delivered the baby she was told that their daughter did not survive.  They find out later that the baby did in fact survive and her name is Emily.  

The novel describes how after being seperated from each other, Shane joined the Navy and Lauren is a writer for the magazine, Time.  Since they have lived apart for so long their lives are not the same as they were when they were in high school.  Therefore, they both formed different opinions about the war in the Middle East.  Lauren reports the war as being irresponsible, totally avoidable, and a waste.  Shane supports the war and believes that our troops should be over there in order to protect our country from another event like 9/11 and to restore peace to their nations.  This one difference causes them to seperate and really ask God to help each other see the other person's views.  The novel shows how God answers their questions and helps them to sort through their opinions. 

The second story in the novel is about their daughter, Emily.  Emily is now in college and decides to do an internship for school.  During her internship she meets Justin and they fall madly in love.  Just a few months after they meet Justin is told he has to go to Iraq.  The novel then describes how their faith in God gives them strength to get through being apart and the tragedies that happen along the way. 

Now looking back on this novel, I am so glad that I read it.  It opened my eyes on just how awesome our Lord is.  He is always there for you to talk to and he loves us all so much.  Even through heartache and tradegy the Lord is always there to pick you up.  I recommend everyone read this book.  But if you do, you should probably read Even Now first and Ever After second!!  Not like what I did! 

Tell me what you thought about this book to the right!

Results of Poll: 1 vote, 100% for Liked it