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The Notebook (The Notebook #1)

by Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 581,865 ratings · 11,320 reviews

Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again... At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carol...more

ebook, 195 pages

Published January 5th 2000 by Grand Central Publishing (first published 1996)

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Aug 10, 2010 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-contemporary, fiction, library-book, reviewed

4 Stars - Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den

Sweet and romantic, but I liked the movie much more. In fact, I LOVED the movie and watched it before reading this. In the movie, the characters of Noah and Allie had more intensity and passion. It is one of those rare moments, for me, when the movie was better than the book.

There are some great quotes in this book though. These were my favourite:

"I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedica...more 4 Stars - Also reviewed at: Lady Jayne's Reading Den

Sweet and romantic, but I liked the movie much more. In fact, I LOVED the movie and watched it before reading this. In the movie, the characters of Noah and Allie had more intensity and passion. It is one of those rare moments, for me, when the movie was better than the book.

There are some great quotes in this book though. These were my favourite:

"I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."

"We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking."

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given to me..."

"We fell in love, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare and beautiful was created. For me, love like that has only happened once, and that's why every minute we spent together has been seared in my memory. I'll never forget a single moment of it."

"So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday."

"I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours."

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: I do not hold the copyright to any of the images used in this review. They are posted to add visuals to the review and for fun. If any of these images are yours and you would like me to remove them, please let me know, and I will do so as soon as possible. If I can identify the copyright, I will do so.

(less)

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Oct 31, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, romance-romance-romance

Have you ever come across something so undeniably cute that you feel like you may be crushed by the weight of squee that’s about to explode from you chest.

”cute”/

Kind of like when you see this?

That’s what reading The Notebook was like. The romantic tone of The Notebook was both its greatest asset and biggest downfall. Nobody wants to be crushed by squee anymore
than they want to drown in their own tears and The Notebook wants to destroy you. Never doubt that. Whether it’s leaching your bodily liquids o...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Nicole rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one!

I love the movie, but if you think that was sappy, do not pick up this book. I heard Nicholas Sparks had a knack for sap, but I almost drowned in it and felt no spark at all. The book was so frustratingly simple and obvious and laid out. The dialoque droned. I'll come back and add a real quote, but it was something like this:

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" he asked, wondering what she would say.
"Okay," she said, and than asked, "What should we eat?"
"Crabs," he said.
She never had crabs. They b...more

like 122 likes · see review

Oct 22, 2007 Books Ring Mah Bell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

quite possibly the sweetest love story ever. I wept like a baby.

like 67 likes · see review

Aug 06, 2007 Stacey rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gag-me-with-a-spoon

I read this book on a train from Italy to somewhere else in Europe after graduating from college. I was unfortunate enough to be forced to buy it because there were no other English Language novels to choose from.

I know this is a beloved book, by a beloved author, but if I could give it any sort of negative rating, I would. The "Gag me with a spoon" category is almost too kind. My apologies to any one who likes Nicholas Sparks - if you're able to find the genius in his writing, more power to you...more

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Jul 23, 2007 Becky added it · review of another edition Recommends it for: the chicken soup for the soul crowd

This is the worst book I have EVER READ. And the fact that this jerk is so popular continues to astound me. I would give it less than zero stars if I could. My sister tricked me into reading this book, and I wish I could gain that time back into my life so I could read a different book. This book teaches you that ANYONE could write a bestseller. Just be sappy and corny and have one big-ass deus ex machina and you're all set for stardom. As you can tell, I don't read shit that I think I won't lik...more

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May 06, 2013 Crystal Starr Light rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Crystal Starr Light by: Jane

Shelves: romance, buddy-reads, i-should-know-better, so-bad-it-s-good, idiot-protagonist, chick-lit, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue

Well, that's one author I can cross off my "to-read" list.

Noah and Allie fell in love one summer when he was 17 and she 15. She leaves, and fourteen years pass before Allie, now engaged, returns to Noah. Are they still in love? Will she marry her over-working fiance, with whom she shares a passionless relationship and who keeps her from pursuing her passion of art? Or will she choose Noah, the boy she spent a grand total of one summer with and lost her virginity to (and hasn't had sex with anoth...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vanessa bought me this book after I watched Fracture and developed a serious crush on Ryan Gosling. Well, that led me to this movie and, unfortunately, this book. How does this man have a career as a writer?! Who is paying him to write stories with the most obvious choices in plot/dialogue/decisions. Wow. Lowest common denominator.

like 29 likes · see review

Oct 17, 2010 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: true love lovers, people who believes that true love will surely return to you one day

Recommended to Dana by: Anupama P

Shelves: love, young-adult, favorites

Does such true love really exist? Nicholas Sparks, all I can tell is that your wife Cathy has been lucky to marry you!I cried like a baby.Yes, true love will return to you, maybe not in a very perfect condition, maybe with a fiancee, maybe not with a good heart, but surely it'll return.

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Dec 13, 2007 Carolyn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Tracy Rupple, and no one else.

Shelves: almost-a-complete-waste-of-time

I read this book because my sister loved it. It made me sad. Not because it was a sad story, but because it was so poorly written.

This Sparks character had a fantastic idea for a story, a truly painful and passionate story of love and devotion. But the book? It was like my 14 year old nephew watched this brilliant movie, then tried to write about it on his myspace blog. It was butchered by an appalling lack adjectives and an appalling lack of emotion. Sad.

The fact that so many people are willi...more

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Aug 28, 2009 Arlene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009, romance, adult

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is a story about two teenagers from opposite sides of the track who meet one fateful summer and fall in love for a lifetime. This novel was engaging and steady paced. I was able to read it in one sitting as I was drawn into the lives of Noah and Allie. Nicholas Sparks has created a poignant story about two people who try to recapture the love they once shared despite the passage of time.

Noah Calhoun is a simple boy with simple dreams. He loves poetry, his life in...more The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is a story about two teenagers from opposite sides of the track who meet one fateful summer and fall in love for a lifetime. This novel was engaging and steady paced. I was able to read it in one sitting as I was drawn into the lives of Noah and Allie. Nicholas Sparks has created a poignant story about two people who try to recapture the love they once shared despite the passage of time.

Noah Calhoun is a simple boy with simple dreams. He loves poetry, his life in a small town, and a girl that was never meant to be his. Allie Nelson is accustomed to a life of riches and luxury, but she desires much more for herself. She loves art, music and spending time with a boy her parents do not approve of. As they explore their love for one another during their summer together, they realize that theirs is a love meant to last a lifetime. However, circumstances pull them apart for over 14 years and they are faced with trying to find a way to get back what they once had.

I enjoyed the story, but I feel the author could have spent a little more time telling the readers about Noah and Allie’s reunion and a little more of what they went through to make a life for themselves. It was interesting to experience this story through the eyes of Noah as he enters the last chapters of his life.

Compare Book to the Movie

I’ve never seen the movie nor read the book, so it was enjoyable to do both back to back. After finishing the book in one sitting, I watched the DVD and was immediately able to compare the differences between the two. I feel the book was well written and the movie did a great job of bringing the main events to screen.

One of the differences I noticed was the encounter between Allie and Martha. Martha was a love interest of Noah that never fully developed because he could not bring himself to move on. In the book, Martha leaves Noah well before Allie comes back into Noah’s life. In the book, they break up after Noah and Allie spend the night together, so obviously the timing was off, but it still worked well.

Another difference I noticed was the way the movie depicted Noah and Allie’s relationship as somewhat volatile. They fought and told each other on several occasions that they hated each other, when that never happened in the book. In the book, their love was perfect and steady. In the movie they fought quite a bit and their breakup in the movie was disheartening, which didn’t happen that way in the book. So there were differences in their character development between both.

The main difference between the book and the movie was the ending. As that would be a big spoiler for this review, I will not provide a detailed account, but let’s just say I felt the ending in the movie was more appropriate for this storyline.

Overall, I enjoyed both the movie and the book and I’m glad I chose this for my reading challenge.(less)

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Jul 20, 2007 jen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE

This is my favorite love story ever. It shows what true soul mates are. (I also loved the movie as much as the book.) If you don't cry when you read this then something is wrong with you. I think that you can love someone like ally did the lawyer, but only true love with your soul mate like with Noah. People who don't like this book have never truely been loved, because if you have it hits home.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've l...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Ben Loory rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i expected this to be horrible, but it was actually pretty good; a much stranger book than i expected. i thought the first part was great; if the book had ended at the point where the lovers meet again, it would've been a really powerful short story. instead, it kept going, and then i lost interest, the characters weren't interesting enough for me to want to watch them actually interact with each other, they just seemed like boring people being boring together. then the whole book takes a really...more

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Aug 28, 2008 Muphyn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Muphyn by: Infinite Playlist

Shelves: audiobook, fiction, summer-beach-reading

Besides the awful writing style (just to mention unimaginative, spiritless and full of clichés), I found the story just a little too contrived and far too predictable. I couldn't get over the premise where Noah and Allie meet when they are teenagers, spend one summer together and meet again after 14 years to realise they are still utterly in love?! What?!

It irritated me to no end that Sparks felt the need to not leave anything unexplained, describing things in excruciating detail, boring me but...more

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Jun 18, 2007 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Romantics, family of Alzheimer's

As an author, I learned that this romantic, simple style is not my cup of tea. Although I enjoy cheesy comedies (the work of Capra springs to mind), I don't yearn to write them myself. The original love story of this novel was a little too pat and plain-- it was too clear that this was the love of a lifetime. Perhaps I'm jaded, but I really think a lifetime of love is more irritating-- after all, no two people can be absolutely perfect for each other. In fact, that irritation and friction, and l...more As an author, I learned that this romantic, simple style is not my cup of tea. Although I enjoy cheesy comedies (the work of Capra springs to mind), I don't yearn to write them myself. The original love story of this novel was a little too pat and plain-- it was too clear that this was the love of a lifetime. Perhaps I'm jaded, but I really think a lifetime of love is more irritating-- after all, no two people can be absolutely perfect for each other. In fact, that irritation and friction, and learning how to live with each other is what impresses me so much about long term relationships. I'm amazed that my parents are still together 29 years later because I know they've annoyed the hell out of each other-- and yet they were willing to work through that frustration because they believed their relationship (and our family) was worth it. The writing style in the beginning of the novel reminded me of my own writing during high school-- that rush of first love, that hope that you've found that one person to complete you and make your life worthwhile.

For me, the most interesting, compelling part of The Notebook was the last segment. (If you haven't read the book, be aware that rest of this review will contain spoilers.) When the main character's love for his wife of forty-nine years triumphs even through Alzheimer's relentless blanket of memories, I was inspired. More than their love for each other, and the miracle that was their relationship, I was touched by Noah's willingness to live life in the present moment. At the end of their life together, Noah's goal each day is to fall in love with his wife again, even though she doesn't remember him. Even if he never sees that flash of recognition in her eyes, he is satisfied, as shown by this passage:

There is beauty where we sit this afternoon, Allie and I. This is the pinnacle of my life. They are here at the creek: the birds, the geese, my friends. Their bodies float on the cool water, which reflects bits and pieces of their colors and make them seem larger than they really are. Allie too is taken in by their wonder, and little by little we get to know each other again.

My goal is to say and truly believe that line in the middle every day: "This is the pinnacle of my life." That is the best lesson of the novel: to find happiness in simply being alive and appreciating the beauty and love around us.

(What? I read a cheesy book! You'd BETTER expect a cheesy review!)

(less)

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Apr 27, 2011 April rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one with a brain

Shelves: absoluterubbish

I have, in my lifetime, come across so few people that I can honestly say the following about "Straight to a fault". Mr. Sparks steals the cake in this book. Not only does he play up to every hopelessly/sappily romantic notion pop-culture has ever churned out for women over the age of 10, he does this in a sexist/uber macho yet trying to come of as sweet but rough around the edges kind of way. Oh male privilege.... If you want to write from a woman's perspective, you should maybe have the foreth...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Book Chick City rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, book-list-2010, romance-contemporary

The Notebook is a difficult book to review. I have seen the film, which I absolutely loved, and which is now one of my all time favourite romance flicks. As I read the book I could only imagine the characters as they were in the film. Fortunately for me, this was fine as I think the actors are great, and now I have also read the book, a perfect match for Allie and Noah.

I also had difficulty with reading the actual story that was told within the pages. I kept filling in the blanks with scenes fro...more The Notebook is a difficult book to review. I have seen the film, which I absolutely loved, and which is now one of my all time favourite romance flicks. As I read the book I could only imagine the characters as they were in the film. Fortunately for me, this was fine as I think the actors are great, and now I have also read the book, a perfect match for Allie and Noah.

I also had difficulty with reading the actual story that was told within the pages. I kept filling in the blanks with scenes from the film. I think this was because the book didn't show the whole story of Allie and Noah, just the part where they see each other again after many years apart. The young romance we are shown in the movie are just fleeting memories and flashbacks in the book. The movie gives us a lot more detail of certain times in Allie and Noah's life that weren't actually developed fully in the book.

The Notebook is a very quick read at only 189 pages and a part of me wishes that it was a lot longer. I wish the book showed us the story of young Allie and Noah and let us live and feel their romance and passion and what it meant to them. The fact they fell in love again after fourteen years apart with just a few minutes together would have been more deeply felt by me had I lived through their romance all those years ago.

The film also had a profound affect on me regarding Noah and Allie and the difficulties they faced in old age. I think the impact would have been far greater when reading the book, if I had been shown the whole story of Allie and Noah. And I think this is why I prefer the movie to the book, which is very unusual for me, as I usually dislike or am disappointed with movie adaptations as directors seem to change so much. But the director of The Notebook film was very respectful and there are only minor changes and maybe a different interpretation of the ending. But again, I was okay with it as I actually preferred it to the ending of the book, which was a little ambiguous for my taste.

Overall I loved The Notebook. Sparks did a great job capturing emotions and pulling hard on my heart strings. It still brought tears to my eyes, although didn't have me blubbering like the movie. This is a sweet love story. It's sad as well as beautiful. It also reminds us of our own mortality, of love, loss, life and death. And it broke my heart.

Verdict:

If you enjoy reading love stories or watching romance movies then this book is certainly for you. I really enjoyed it, but for me it doesn't come close to the impact that the film had on me, but this may be because I already knew the story and what was coming. However, I whole heartedly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed (I also say, go rent the movie!)(less)

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Apr 10, 2008 Abby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, I didn't love this book, even though every other girl on planet earth does. Here's the deal: it's an old guy at the end of his life, showing how undyingly committed and in love he is with his elderly wife, who is dying of Alzheimer's. Sweet, right? Except here is how he shows his love: every day, he reads her the story of their love. It involves hooking up as teenagers, then being apart without communication for years and years, yet yearning for one another while sleeping around with other p...more

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Mar 28, 2007 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Favorite Quotes

I suppose [my life] has most resembled a blue chip stock: fairly stable, more ups than downs, and gradually trending upward over time. A good buy, a lucky buy, and I've learned that not everyone can say that about his life.

"A living poem" had always been the words that came to mind when he tried to describe her to others.

Our lives can't be measured by our final years, of this I am sure.

We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Tarek Aboursheid rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

في البدأ لم أجد نفسي معجبا بالرواية

استطعت معرفة فحوى القصة من الفصل الأول....وميل الكاتب الشديد للوصف والاهتمام بالتفاصيل جعلني أشعر بالملل أحياناً....حتى أن نصف الرواية مضى دون أحداث مهمة تذكر...فقط وصف لكل لحظة من حياة أبطال القصة.

ولهذين السببين كنت أعتقد أني لن أمنح القصة أكثر من نجمتين أو ثلاث نجوم

لكن الفصل الأخير بالقصة غير رأيي تماما.
مؤثر...صادم...شاعري...محزن...سيجعلك تقاوم الرغبة في البكاء...الوصف فيه يلمس القلب.

كلها صفات لهذا الفصل الأخير الذي جعل الرواية تستحق القراءة.

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Sep 14, 2007 AJ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who believes in true love and a soulmate.

Shelves: one-of-my-favorites, favorites

by far, one of my favorite books.

call me a sucker. i can totally relate to the concept of true love and a soulmate. i don't think you get many chances at finding that one person, and when you do, you know it.

never let go of the one that you know BELONGS with you. on your mind every second of every day.

"forever with you, forever in me, ever the same" (rob thomas- ever the same).

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Feb 22, 2012 Mostafa سليمان rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كالعادة نيكولاس سباركس يطلع لينا لسانه
ويقول
ضحكت عليكم وثبتكم

الراجل دا ليه بيعمل معانا كدا؟؟
ليه عاوزانا نصدق ف حاجات مريبة
زي الحب
والصدق
والوفاء
والزواج
ليه؟؟؟؟؟
يكونش ماسوني؟؟؟

الغريب ودي علامة ف كل كتبه
هو ملتزم بشدة متلقيش شتيمة
ولا مشهد عاطفي حار
مع ان مفيش رواية كتبها الا وتستحمل
لكن هو عامل كنترول لوحده
ولا قالك
الدراما تتطلب دا
ولا اتفذلك ولا شئ
وعرف يوصل اللي هو عاوزه

مش قصدي ان اللي بيعمل عكس دا زباله
لا خالص
بس انا بتغاظ ان فيه روايات بتبقي عبارة مشاهد ابيحة
تحتوي علي رواية
او مشاهد مقحومة لا لشئ غير اهو...more

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Jan 17, 2008 Tifnie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 01, 2007 Dawn Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who still believes in true love

I truly loved this book. The story and how it is told just sucks you in from the minute you start reading. I am amazed over and over again just how much I love this book.
I no longer own this book. I lent it to a "friend" and never got it back. And I am having a hard time trying to find a replacement copy. ARGH.
This is the story of Noah and Allie. They meet as teens, but are torn apart by circumstances. As the book progresses so do their lives until the moment that Allie realizes she needs to fin...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Lucinda Reed rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like romance

Sappy, cheesy, and several similar other words used to describe this story are right on. That said, it is a beautiful story about two people who are at the end of their lives, and one has Alzheimer's. It may cause tears. Not my kind of story, but for those who like sappy, perfect romantic lit, this is probably a great book.
I will not read another book from Nicholas Sparks.

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Jul 03, 2012 Dominic Russell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Have you ever read a quote or a line or a passage that so closely resembled your own life and feelings that it gave you goosebumps? To feel as if the author went into your soul and pulled out your innermost thoughts and feelings? I am only two chapters into The Notebook and it has already happened. This leads me to believe that this book is going to blow away my expectations which were already sky-high having seen the film numerous times and was brought to tears on each occasion...

"He was thirty...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Joyzi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: to all who love romantic novels

Recommended to Joyzi by: my friend janine and recyl

Shelves: fiction, own, watched-it, books-to-movies, reviewed, adult, chick-lit, realistic-fiction, author-american, contemporary-fiction, favorites, contemporary-romance, 100-books-tfg

This book made me believe that true love is possible. I also like the movie adaptation of this book. I first read it and then when I watch the movie I was very satisfied with it. The movie was even better than the book.

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May 15, 2010 Adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've given this 5 stars because it moved me, the happy parts and the sad parts bought tears to my eyes. Everyone should have a man like Noah Calhoun in their life

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Jan 19, 2012 Elizabeth Soiles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“What? You haven’t read that book! That’s like the best book ever!” That was the response I got every time I mentioned I hadn’t read the Notebook. After hearing all these wonderful reviews and comments, I had to read it for myself. That’s what I exactly did. I locked myself away in my room and became immersed in the world of Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is a heart wrenching yet heartwarming love story I’ve ever read. It leaves you drowning in your tears and...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Ankit Agrawal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Oh my, what a book this was. So short and so sweet and so emotional.

First of all I want to tell to those who have not read this book that don't ever read it if you are not strong enough to face the hard truths of life. Also don't read it if you think that Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey are very good romance novels because then you won't be able to understand the deepness of the meaning of love presented in this novel.

The writing was so simple, after just reading a few pages I got involved in i...more

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About Nicholas Sparks

As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the N...more As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually.(less)

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Quotes from The Notebook

“I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough..” — 16,113 people liked it

“So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.” — 11,011 people liked it

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