Rantings of an anonymous, cowardly Internet book critic:

The Notebook

by Nicholas Sparks



Rubbish. Sap-saturated writing that tries to pull at the heartstrings, but tweaks the groin instead. I had the progression of events nailed by the time I was done reading the first two chapters, and that's most definitely not because I'm excessively bright. One-third of it could easily have been cut out, including (but not limited to) lists of what Noah cooks Allie for breakfast, or his post-Allie-breakup life when he winds up telling her anyway when she shows up. This is Must-See Novels; the alternative to watching Friends and trying to figure out why three guys don't just all have sex with Rachel so they can all be the father. Maybe for people who like romance, both in fiction and in life, this book will do the trick. But it definitely doesn't do it if you're looking for literature. Look, I live in the world, the real world that is, and I just can't believe people say stuff to each other like "You're the one I love, forever and always, Noah...I'll love you forever" without at least a few fights or nasty words along the way. If this is stuff we're supposed to measure our lives up against, give me a dish-throwing fight any day. You could read every other word in this book and still get the gist of it. I would have loved to see Noah and the mother duke it out when she showed up, though.