Nicholas Sparks delivers again. I have been a fan of Nicholas Sparks’ books for a long time now. While this may not be his latest release (this is his 14th), it is definitely worth revisiting (hence the reason we are taking our time to review a book from 2009). Even now, it’s still relatable: A true testament to writing that focuses on grounded concepts of human nature.
For those who haven’t had the opportunity to dive into this book yet, and for those of you who have read it but it’s been a while, here’s a quick summary of the book as a whole.
The Last Song is about Veronica Miller, known affectionately as Ronnie throughout the book, and her younger brother Jonah spending the summer with their estranged father in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
It’s been three years since Ronnie has seen or spoken with her father. She harbors an intense anger for her father since her parents’ divorce. Her anger with him forced her to give up the one thing that she is good at, the thing she loves most, the thing that connected her and her father together – playing the piano.
Her past three years have been rough. Her parents have gotten divorced, her friends are hapless club goers that only care about having a good time, her relationship with her mom is strained at best due to her reckless behaviors and petty theft activities, and now she has to leave New York City, her life, to spend time with a man she hardly knows in a place she doesn’t want to be, North Carolina.
She doesn’t want to be in North Carolina, she doesn’t care to be around her father, and she doesn’t care to get to know Will Blakelee, a very handsome beach volleyball player/auto-shop mechanic who ruined her shirt the first time they met.
Little did Ronnie know that her unwanted summer in North Carolina would provide her with the chance to grow and mature as a person, and to learn about love, family, and faith.
Nicholas Sparks does an amazing job moving the story along by telling it through alternating chapters. This tactic helps not just with pacing, but also allows deeper insight into specific characters' thoughts and feelings that readers otherwise wouldn’t be able to know.
Sparks also does a spectacular job at keeping the reader guessing about the secrets that each character withholds from their past. This book was packed with excellent twists that I didn’t see coming.
While the book does run a little long at 432 pages and at times can drag on, it’s definitely worth the read. And if you like the book, check out the movie, but do expect changes as the movie is not a perfect one-for-one adaptation.
If you liked this book, check out our "The Book vs. The Movie" blog to see how it compares to the movie!
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