2 years ago I watched “The Notebook” for the first time in my life. I wasn’t aware of the book with the same title and plot published in 1996. So I decided to do the opposite of normal and read the book after watching the movie. I haven’t had any problems finding it in the iBookstore a couple of days ago. So I dove into the romantic world of the sunsets over the creek, never-ending love, challenges and tough life decisions to consider, poetry admiration and the ultimate soul of romance…
I believe that the best movie is a good book and our imagination combined together. Imagining characters and their faces, feeling and letting their emotions go through your heart, enriching our life-experience through their lives, becoming “friends” with them… sharing their pain and laugh, secrets and wisdom and finding endless inspiration for ourselves… and applying it in our wonderful life we all lead.
After finishing the book I always feel different: empowered, motivated, enriched. It changes everything. If I am a canvas – the book is a paint and a brush. It brings up the best. Some books are a true fountain of inspiration and I consider “The Notebook” one of them. It teaches us a great deal of patience, gratitude, forgiveness, letting go of the nonsense and appreciate the time we spend together with our loved ones as it is priceless. The book emphasises the importance of the relationship values, finding the time for each other and be truly present while you still can. It’s about an epic love we all secretly strive to find. It is about different people, like day and night. Different in many ways, but still not being able to be without each other. “Dusk, I realised then, is just an illusion, because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means the day and night are linked in a way that few things are; there cannot be one without the other, yet they cannot exist at the same time. “
The Notebook: The Book versus The Movie
I finished the book yesterday and felt strongly compelled to watch the movie again the same day. I found it and pressed “play”. The movie is wonderful and in the end I don’t know any person who didn’t shed a tear! In my opinion, the movie is a great addendum to a well-written novel. One makes the other stronger. The book itself gives a deeper understanding of the characters, their feelings and emotions. It gives us a closer feel what they are going through where at the same time the movie gives us next to perfect setting to the whole picture.
Sometimes, when we first read the book and then go and see the movie we feel a bit of a let down. Right? It happens because we already have the “perfect setting” in our imagination what things “should be like” – therefore a disappointment often strikes leaving us with a weird feeling of: “Nope, this can’t be right”. But not this time for me, as I watched the movie first and already had “the setting” leaving only part of the story to my imagination.
I love both, the book and the movie. I cannot tell categorically which is the best. I vote for both to come along as a set for establishing a good warm feeling of love, romance and wisdom.
“The Notebook” Top 5 quotes
Whenever I read a book I always underline something I find interesting and meaningful. I guess it is a good habit to keep. So here are my top 5 quotes from “The Notebook”.
1. God is with you. He must be, for you are the closest thing to an angel that I’ve ever met.
2. Poets often describe love as an emotion that we can’t control, one that overwhelms logic and common sense.
3. You can’t live your life for other people. You’ve got to do what’s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.
4. No matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours.
5. Don’t dismiss my time with you – it’s not wasted. It’s what I want.
By Lesya Li
Photo taken from here