Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Book Thief
Our reading for October is The Book Thief. What a wonderful book! What an amazing author! Find yourself a copy and enjoy the read.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Other books by same author – Message in a Bottle, The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, Nights in Rodanthe, The Wedding, The Guardian, Three Weeks with my Brother, True Believer, At First Sight, The Choice.
The Notebook was written in 1996, and was adapted into a popular romance film in 2004. The movie and the book have different endings.
The Notebook was inspired by the story of the grandparents of Sparks’ wife who had been married over sixty years when Sparks met them. He marvelled at how much the couple cared for each other and wrote this novel as an attempt to describe such a love.
Differences from the movie
. book only describes the main events, not in detail
. in the movie the notebook was written by both Noah and Allie
. events in the book are mostly from the past of Noah and Allie when they are 31 and 29
. in the book it starts out when Allie is 15 and Noah 17, in the movie Allie is 17 and Noah 19
What other differences are there?
Questions
1. At one point in the novel, Gus says to Noah, “My daddy used to tell me ‘the first time you fall in love it changes your life forever, and no matter how hard you try, the feelin’ never goes away. This girl you been tellin’ me about was your first love. And no matter what you do, she’ll stay with you forever.” Do you think this is true? Can you remember your first love?
2. The restored house Noah lives in plays an integral role in the novel. In fact, an article about the restoration is what draws Allie back to New Bern. What do you think the house represents? What does this say about the importance of place? Does Noah restore anything else in the novel?
3. When Allie decides to come down to see Noah “one last time”, do you think she wanted to see him just to say good-bye, or was she secretly hoping to fall in love with him again? Was it right for Allie, who had already agreed to marry Lon, to make this visit? Would your answer be different if she was already married?
4. When asked by her mother, Allie claims to be in love with both Noah and Lon. Do you think this is true? While it is possible to love more than one person equally, is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?
5. Allie’s mother regrets hiding Noah’s letters to Allie for so many years. Why does Allie’s mother change her mind, especially when Allie’s wedding is less than three weeks away? Can you understand Allie’s mother’s motivation for hiding the letters in the first place?
6. Were you surprised when it is revealed that Allie had decided to marry Noah, or was there never any question in your mind?
7. Noah and Allie’s love for each other at the end of the novel seems as pure and as powerful as it was in the beginning. Is it possible for the intensity of first love to last that long? Is it unrealistic to expect it to?
8. Although he’s not in the best shape himself, Noah goes to Allie’s bedside and reads “The Notebook” to her every day. As a result, Allie is in much better shape than the other Alzheimer’s patients. Do you think this is plausible? Is her stable health a result of her hearing the story of her life every day, or are greater forces at work? What does Noah’s devotion suggest about marriage and love?
9. The Notebook has been a best seller not only in America, but around the world. Why do you think this is?
The Notebook was written in 1996, and was adapted into a popular romance film in 2004. The movie and the book have different endings.
The Notebook was inspired by the story of the grandparents of Sparks’ wife who had been married over sixty years when Sparks met them. He marvelled at how much the couple cared for each other and wrote this novel as an attempt to describe such a love.
Differences from the movie
. book only describes the main events, not in detail
. in the movie the notebook was written by both Noah and Allie
. events in the book are mostly from the past of Noah and Allie when they are 31 and 29
. in the book it starts out when Allie is 15 and Noah 17, in the movie Allie is 17 and Noah 19
What other differences are there?
Questions
1. At one point in the novel, Gus says to Noah, “My daddy used to tell me ‘the first time you fall in love it changes your life forever, and no matter how hard you try, the feelin’ never goes away. This girl you been tellin’ me about was your first love. And no matter what you do, she’ll stay with you forever.” Do you think this is true? Can you remember your first love?
2. The restored house Noah lives in plays an integral role in the novel. In fact, an article about the restoration is what draws Allie back to New Bern. What do you think the house represents? What does this say about the importance of place? Does Noah restore anything else in the novel?
3. When Allie decides to come down to see Noah “one last time”, do you think she wanted to see him just to say good-bye, or was she secretly hoping to fall in love with him again? Was it right for Allie, who had already agreed to marry Lon, to make this visit? Would your answer be different if she was already married?
4. When asked by her mother, Allie claims to be in love with both Noah and Lon. Do you think this is true? While it is possible to love more than one person equally, is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?
5. Allie’s mother regrets hiding Noah’s letters to Allie for so many years. Why does Allie’s mother change her mind, especially when Allie’s wedding is less than three weeks away? Can you understand Allie’s mother’s motivation for hiding the letters in the first place?
6. Were you surprised when it is revealed that Allie had decided to marry Noah, or was there never any question in your mind?
7. Noah and Allie’s love for each other at the end of the novel seems as pure and as powerful as it was in the beginning. Is it possible for the intensity of first love to last that long? Is it unrealistic to expect it to?
8. Although he’s not in the best shape himself, Noah goes to Allie’s bedside and reads “The Notebook” to her every day. As a result, Allie is in much better shape than the other Alzheimer’s patients. Do you think this is plausible? Is her stable health a result of her hearing the story of her life every day, or are greater forces at work? What does Noah’s devotion suggest about marriage and love?
9. The Notebook has been a best seller not only in America, but around the world. Why do you think this is?
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