The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

I read this book at the beginning of the year, mostly because almost every teenage girl I knew were swooning around the book. I had watched the movie a few years ago with my cousin which I hardly remembered watching (hey, I was like 8! But one thing I did remember was that it starred Rachel McAdams, one of my cousin's favorite actresses of all time). So I bought the book from Amazon and tried it and guess what - it really was worth all the fuss. This book was also probably my first romance novel, having stayed away from the genre for ever. It made me change my misconceptions of the genre.

So, more about the book. Allie Nelson and Noah Calhoun are two teenagers, completely different but madly in love. They spend one dreamy summer together in the small town of New Bern, North Carolina and do not meet again for 14 years. By then, 31-year-old Noah had served his country in the second World War and Allie engaged to be married in three weeks to a successful lawyer, Lon. Allie, having read a newspaper article about Noah, remembers their past and decides to pay him a visit lasting two days. Slowly, the two former lovers begin to rekindle their relationship after finding out their love for each other is stronger than ever. Allie chooses Noah over Lon and for the next 50 years Allie and Noah lead a happy, fulfilling life.

The next part of the book takes place in a nursing home in the '90s. We find out Allie and Noah are still living together but that Allie is now at the final stages of the Alzheimer's disease and remembers no part of their happier past. Noah refuses to give up his hope for his wife and every day reads her a collection of letters he wrote to her for the past 60 years (hence the Notebook). Despite his efforts, Allie struggles to even remember her own name. The last scene is a happier one on Allie and Noah's anniversary day - Allie briefly regains her memories and the book ends with the couple happily together, even for a short while.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down because all the events were just so lifelike. I liked how the characters were able to overcome all obstacles to be with each other- so like the typical love story of girl-meets-boy, boy-meets-girl, parents separate them but they get together at the end and live a happy life but also with a tragic twist I certainly didn't expect at the end. I recommend this book to EVERYONE. It's a pretty thin book, which all of you can manage lightly (or so I think).