Yes, children. I did it. I caved and finally read The Notebook. Call me curious, call me emotionally unstable the week I decided to read this, call me what you will. After going through a bit of a Nicholas Sparks kick last year ("Oh my god, Megan. Dear John is the best book EVER."-two months later-"Oh my god, Megan. The Last Song is the greatest thing you'll ever read."), I vowed to never read this book turned movie that forces me to feel sad, lonely and depressed and continue sobbing twenty minutes after the menu has already popped back up (I like to file that movie under the "watch alone to save yourself" category).
For whatever reason, with six Sparky books under my belt, I found myself staring at the wall in Borders that houses his work in January. I perused the selection and kept coming back to this one. "Forget it," I said. "I'm going to buck up and do it. Bite the bullet, you idiot. It's just a book." I grabbed it, paid with my hard earned cash and walked swiftly from the store to prevent myself from returning it. I then plopped myself down, mentally prepared myself and opened to the first page.
After reading for about half an hour, I quickly realized that this was a rare moment. I actually like the movie much better than the book! After a bit more reading, the material solidified my response. Where the movie had grace and a vivid and winding tale of young love transcending all obstacles, the book leaves us with merely a few paragraphs to give you a background to Allie and Noah's relationship prior to her return to Seabrooke once he's rebuilt the plantation. The book lacked the fluidity that the film so wonderfully provides and was haphazard in its storytelling. I know, right? How often does that happen?
But don't worry, kids. Those awful, heaving sobs you experience during those last few scenes-"It was us!" always rips my heart apart-are still present with the book. By the time I had reached a certain point, I realized trying not to cry was utterly futile and was forced to lock myself in a room where I could quietly sob. The relationship we all so dearly love on-screen is just as soul crunching despite the lack of background information.
Am I happy that I read it? Yes. Would I have felt that the movie adaptation was better than the book had I read it before the movie came out? Absolutely. In my opinion, if you haven't read it yet and certainly have no desire to read it, stick with the DVD and the constant loop it has on Oxygen. It's much better and hey, it has Ryan Gosling. Where's the downside?
No comments:
Post a Comment