This story is what it is today because of two special people, and I would like to thank them for everything they've done.To Theresa Park, the agent who plucked me from obscurity. Thank you for your kindness, your patience, and the many hours you have spent working with me. I will be forever grateful for everything you've done.To Jamie Raab, my editor. Thank you for your wisdom, your humor, and your goodhearted nature. You made this a wonderful experience for me, and I'm glad to call you my friend.

Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast,The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun,a rural Southerner recently returned from the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen yearsearlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwit|ing to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content t0 live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever.