She Was an INDEPENDENT SPIRIT

THE STAR OF THE NOTEBOOK HAD AN INNATE TALENT FOR BRINGING COMPLICATED WOMEN TO VIVID LIFE

- Louise A. Barile

Gena Rowlands admitted she didn’t expect the rapturous reception The Notebook received, but she understands why it happened. “I think it was such a big hit because it was about the realization that love can last your whole life,” she said of the 2004 film, directed by her son, Nick Cassavetes. The message “love can be eternal” resonated with audiences.

The Notebook’s passionate and feisty Allie Hamilton is far from the first spirited woman Gena, who died at 94 on Aug. 14 after a five-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease, played during her long career. She received Oscar nominations for 1974’s A