The Last Song

The Last Song
Nicholas Sparks
390 pages

"Life, he realized, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile." page 376

Veronica "Ronnie" Miller has not spoken to her dad in three years, since her parents' divorce. She was always just too angry to speak with him whenever he called, or even when he came to visit them in New York City. Now, three years later, Ronnie is being forced to spend the summer with him in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Ronnie expects this summer to be a painful one; one full of bad memories and forced conversations. Instead, she finds things she hadn't expected: second chances, and Will Blakelee.

The Last Song is written mostly from Ronnie's point of view, but occasionally, a chapter will be written with regards to Will or her father. This gives the reader a more vivid idea as to the broader scope of the story.

So far, this has been my favorite of Sparks' novels. This is the first novel by him where I have felt entirely connected to the main character, and that I felt had the most sense of plot. Although this book still has a sad ending, I thought it was more subtle than The Notebook and A Walk to Remember,  causing no tears to flow.

Overall, this was a good read; captivating, sensitive, and sweet. This would be a great summer read, or for someone who is in need of cloudless skies and salty ocean air!

This book was adapted into a film in 2010.To watch the trailer for the movie, starring Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth (from The Hunger Games), click here.


On a side note, Off The Shelf now has 4,000 views! Thanks to all of the dedicated readers, the lookers, the skimmers, the glancers, and especially those who have typed "Laurie Halse Anderson" into Google Images causing my blog to pop up! Thanks to all of you Americans, Russians, Germans, and Austrians! I hope you have found something worth your while!