In college, it’s sometimes difficult to find time to read a book just for fun. Life is so full with classes, homework, exercise, extracurriculars and a social life that hobbies tend to fall by the wayside. It’s worth it to sometimes take a break from the hectic nature of everyday life and kick back with a great read – considering the recent holiday, perhaps something like The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Everyone’s cried at the movie, but have you ever actually read the book? Chances are, probably not.
The plot of The Notebook is pretty simple – boy meets girl, but fate tears them apart. They must work against the odds to prove that they were really meant to be together, especially once the girl finds a boy who society dictates she is more compatible with. It’s in the subtleties that this book really excels – in the ways they prove their love, in the things they say about one another. It’s one of those rare romance books where the ending is seemingly out of nowhere (unless, of course, you’ve seen the movie).
Around a college campus, where the “romance scene” generally consists of random hookups, it’s sometimes hard to imagine that there is true love out there. The Notebook displays two people, with faults and arguments, who love each other more than anything. Their love is far from perfect, but in the end, that’s what love is. It’s messy and it’s scary and you might end up yelling at the person you love over petty things, but at the end of the day you know there is no one else you would rather be terrified with. So curl up, perhaps with some hot chocolate or post-Valentine’s Day candy, and peruse the pages of someone else’s love story – at least, until you find your own.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brown chapter.