The Last Song ~ Book Review and Giveaway

I admittedly had heard rumours that Miley Cyrus would be starring in the film version of this Nicholas Sparks novel, The Last Song and I was a bit dubious. I thought perhaps the novel would strike a chord with a younger audience, perhaps it won't be relate-able to me. Despite these pre-conceived notions I am a romantic and thought a heartrending story might be worth my time and since my daughters are die hard Miley Cyrus fans I believed it would be remiss of me not to take this review opportunity. I am so glad I took my own off handed advice!

In my recent recollection I cannot remember the last time I literally shed tears over a novel. I took this book on my last camping trip and I am sure I was quite a spectacle to my family, intensely enamoured by my novel, reading by the light of a flashlight by the camp fire and then lying in my sleeping bag--unable to put it down--tears rolling down my face, sniffling as my nose ran uncontrollably. The Last Song is a poignant novel which draws on one's pure human emotion. Nicholas Sparks has the instinctual ability to capture the inner emotional world of his characters in a way his readers can intimately relate to. I was drawn into a personal relationship with the characters feeling their pain, their fears, their simple joys as though they were my own or those of a close companion!

The Last Song is the story of a seventeen year old girl, Ronnie, full of rebellion and adolescent angst yet still controlled by her innate sense of right and wrong. After three years of estrangement from her father--much to Ronnie's discontent--her mother has insisted she spend the summer with him at his home in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. It's a long way from her New York night clubs and alternative friends. Ronnie's father Steve, a former concert pianist, has been resigned to a simple life, in his hometown, on the beach where he spends his days playing his piano and creating a stained glass window for the local church. Ronnie resents having to endure small town life and her father's constant piano playing. She learns very quickly that she is a misfit in her new environment and senses she will never fit in. It is a chance meeting with a heartthrob named Will, and her serendipity at finding a loggerhead sea turtle nest which soon turns her nightmarish summer into a summer of self-discovery, love, understanding, and true heartbreak. This highly emotive tale explores the love between child and parent, young love in bloom, and the comfort faith and family can hold.

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. (Sparks 2009: 376)

Nicholas Sparks in an interview with Hachette Books said good literature always "comes down to a good story, and you have to tell the story well". With eight #1 New York Times Bestsellers I think Sparks has more than a few "good" stories to tell and certainly knows how to tell them. The film industry recognizes Sparks remarkably moving storytelling ability and you can look forward to three new films adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels in the near future! Oh, and incidentally I think Miley Cyrus will be perfect in this uncharacteristically serious role. This role will definitely define Cyrus as one who can take on characters with depth and true dimension!

Reading The Last Song set me on an emotional journey, perhaps inspiring a journey of personal self-discovery. This novel sheds light on the knowledge that what parents truly want is simply to know that their children will live a happy, fulfilling life--something we as children and as parents ourselves in essence know innately but often allow to be blurred by our everyday stresses.

The story is relate-able and speaks to the heart! 5 lucky Northern Mama readers better stock up on kleenex to soak up the inevitable tears they will shed when they read their copies of The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.

To Enter:

• Be a Northern Mama Follower and tell me if you have read any of Nicholas Sparks' novels {Required}

Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents. Giveaway closes September 24th, 2009 10:00pm CT. For further details read the General Giveaway Rules.