The Last Song in Nicholas Sparks Novels

Sep 24, 2010 Karen & Gerard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, teens, romance, relationships, tear-jerker, sparks-nicholas

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks is about rebellion, love, friendship, romance, and forgiveness. I was glad to see it is so much more than just a teen romance. The main character is a girl named Ronnie who held a grudge against her dad because he left, but her 10-yr.-old brother, Jonah, brought out her tender side. One summer, she has to go live with him and learns and grows into a mature woman who realizes she was not always right after all and everything is not about her.

It's a very good ...more

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May 01, 2010 Kamae Acejo rated it liked it · review of another edition

“Once in a while there will always be a book that can dig deep in your heart and leave you with enlightenment as you close it to a finish.”

Ronnie and her ten-year old brother Jonah, were shipped to Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina to spend their summer with their dad. But while Jonah was all along excited about the trip, seventeen-year old Ronnie wasn’t so happy about it and immediately want to go back to New York as soon as possible. Her summer starts to get even worse after meeting the boy “Once in a while there will always be a book that can dig deep in your heart and leave you with enlightenment as you close it to a finish.”

Ronnie and her ten-year old brother Jonah, were shipped to Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina to spend their summer with their dad. But while Jonah was all along excited about the trip, seventeen-year old Ronnie wasn’t so happy about it and immediately want to go back to New York as soon as possible. Her summer starts to get even worse after meeting the boyfriend of her first friend in Wrightsville, Marcus. He starts showing signs of stalking her like showing up one night near her house. Blaze, Ronnie’s used-to-be-friend expressed her jealousy by framing Ronnie up to shoplifting which even reached the court. Ronnie soon tells her dad that she could not stand staying at the place anymore only to realize that she could not leave because she has a pending court appeal to take because of the shoplifting she didn’t do.

But then she realized things here aren’t so bad after meeting a volleyball player hottie, Will- who he first resented for not doing his job of calling the aquarium to set the cage of her turtles- and eventually, quickly falls in love for him and him for her. And as things get better between them other problems come in like Ashley, Will’s nearly perfect ex-girfriend who did nothing but tell Ronnie lies about Will so she’ll go away from him. And there’s also Marcus again who blackmails Will and Scott for a crime they thought they did.

And so just like all other summer relationships, the time came when Will had to leave for college and study at Vanderbilt. Although his last word with Ronnie was not so good, his feelings for her remained intact. Ronnie however spent her time taking care of her dying father due to stomach cancer which she only knew after her dad coughed blood. Her father, Steve, has barely 3 months to live and these months were the hardest for both him and Ronnie. She insisted on staying there to take care of her dad while Jonah went back to New York, even though he didn’t want to. And as Ronnie regretted all the bad things she did to her Dad, like take for example not talking to him for three years after leaving them in New York, she searched for something special to do for her dad until finally, the answer was brought to her by her dad himself.

In a young age, Ronnie had a gift in playing the piano. Before her parent’s divorce, her dad taught her how to play the piano and she watched him play for hours everyday. But after her dad left, she became rebellious and all she did was go clubbing in New York. She also quit playing the piano. And now, she knew the answer to her prayers all along but only never realized it till then. And so, in her father’s last remaining days, she played the last song she could play for her dad. And in that short moment before his death, Steve felt no pain at all, seeing her daughter play the song they both composed.

Review:

I wouldn’t exaggerate by saying I wept or sobbed while reading this book. A few tingles to the heart and a tear or two was all I could say. This book by Nicolas Sparks was not the best book I ever read nor does it have the most unique love story or plot: a girl spends summer with his dad and meets a guy and starts to change for the better. But there is something special about it’s storyline that’s just so smooth and natural. Its dialogues are very ordinary but very likable. The story is predictable but the way Sparks narrates it makes it extra inspiring. Another amazing thing about this book is how Sparks made Ronnie still likable despite her rebelliousness, not all writers can make a mean protagonist likable the way he did.

I could also say that it is not really a page-turner because some chapters are just too much to handle that you had to take a break from all the problems Ronnie is facing. Yet, maybe this book isn’t really a book to finish quickly but one of those books wherein every chapter requires some reflecting before going to the next. I also admire it being a sweet love story and still be very inspirational and deep. It surely had its moments in me especially the last pages.

I surely don’t regret reading this book and I could say this is one of Spark’s books that did not and would not disappoint his readers. This is yet another masterpiece in which he showed again why he is one of the best romantic novelists of today.
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Sep 14, 2009 Cassie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It was a mix of the Notebook, and A Walk To Remember. Similar dialogue. I noticed he didn't use his reference to starlings in the book like he normally does. Yes I liked the book, and I hope there is a sequel but with not too much sad stuff. Plus I predicted everything in the book. Sad I know but when you know an author you know an author. ...more

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May 21, 2010 Meg rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Defiantly not Sparks' best books. I found it very immature and predictable. Not to mention all the media hype of the movie version with Miley Cyrus ruined the character. ...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Audrey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nicholas-sparks, own-a-copy-read, tear-jerkers, read-in-2012

The first half was a little slow but the second half makes up for it. The protagonist is pretty annoying at first but as it progresses she matures as a person and becomes more likeable. The story also deepens and pulls at your heart strings. Definitely a tear jerker!

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