Book Review: The Last Song

From the first pages of Nicholas Sparks’ new book The Last Song there are no surprises. You know from the get-go where this story will lead you and how it will turn out. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it.

Ronnie (Veronica) Miller is an angry 17-year-old who is being forced to spend a summer in a small town in North Carolina with her estranged father and ten-year-old brother. Since her parents divorce three years earlier she has refused to speak or have anything to do with her father blaming him for the breakup of their family. In her acting out her anger she has developed a huge chip on her shoulder and in the process been arrested for shoplifting, among other things.

Her father Steve, a former concert pianist and teacher at Julliard, used to share a passion for the piano with his daughter; a commonality she has dismissed and forbidden any mention of.

As the summer progresses, Ronnie forms some unsavory enmities in the small town as well as a relationship with the town’s charming heartthrob which soon develops into Ronnie’s first love.

By allowing herself to drop her guard and open up to love’s possibilities, Ronnie also allows herself to be happy, truly happy, and to heal her heart and her most precious relationships.

As I said, there were no surprises in this book. When you go for a Whopper at Burger King there are no surprises, but it’s still a good sandwich. The joy here is in the reading. Sparks is a good writer and even when you realize he’s going for your emotional jugular it’s an interesting story and good to read.

But remember, like you need a few napkins when you eat a Whopper, you’ll need some Kleenex when reading a Nicholas Sparks book. But go ahead. It’s part of the experience.