content: I think that what makes a novel great is its ability to characterize the feelings that are predominant in society. During their times, Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre were viewed as masterpieces (and still are) by their society because they described the Victorian era and its quirks. However, The Notebook provides this same description for today. With a 60% divorce rate, true love, in its ideal sense, seems to be lost. Sparks' novel epotimizes the fear of many in today's society: of never experiencing real love. While similar themes run through the "classics", the Notebook relates this want in an easy-to-understand context. What a beautiful triumph for love when violence, divorce, and hatred are destroying today's society. Everyone can relate to this novel, if only in the simplistic sense. Whether it describes your a love in childhood, marriage, or the aged, the Notebook provides all of us with hope for the future...