When my friends Chi and Ngangi asked me what I wanted for my birthday present, I asked for Nicholas Sparks’s latest book, The Last Song. What’s different about this book compared to all his others is that he first completed the screenplay before the book and that he wrote it specifically for Miley Cyrus. Here is its trailer. And below is the synopsis from Nick’s site.
Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.
My verdict? It was a good read, even though there certain lines in there that were very similar to Nick’s other book, A Walk to Remember, such as the way he described Ronnie’s first kiss with Will and the last part where she waited and waited for inspiration to strike her as to what to do for her dad. I was sobbing towards the last few chapters of the book, as expected of a Sparks book.
Nicholas Sparks is the only author whose books I have all read. I decided to list and give my comments about each one. The *’s after the book titles are my ratings.
The Notebook*****
Among all of Nick’s books-turned-movies, I think the movie of this one turned out the best. I loved the dual stories in the book, of the same two people but of their lives as two young people in love and two old people in love. The main character, Noah, is a poet, so this book also has the most poetic lines among all of Nick’s works. Quotable quotes galore.
Message in a Bottle***
Though this was a beautiful book with the usual tearjerking twist at the end, I found it a tad too long. And was that ending really necessary? It reminded me of the way I felt at the end of the movie City of Angels.
A Walk to Remember*****
“When I was seventeen, my life changed forever.” That’s how this book starts. I was nineteen, however, when my life changed upon reading this book. It was the first Sparks book I ever read, and it left such a great impression on me that it made me want to read all of the author’s works after that. I’ve read it four more times since then, and each time I’d end up with tears in my eyes. The book was waaay better than the movie, by the way.
The Rescue***
I remember Kris Aquino mentioning that she liked this book more than the three previous ones. I guess she could relate to it more because of its character, a sick child like hers. Later on, I found out that the story was based on Nick’s real life experience with his own sick child. I didn’t really relate to it that much because I’m not a mom, though.
A Bend in the Road***
This was a story about love and forgiveness. It was okay, but nothing too great.
Nights in Rodanthe*
This was a disappointment. I don’t understand why this was picked to become a movie. Some people have said that the movie wasn’t that good either.
The Guardian****
Nick breaks his romance mold and tries his hand at writing a thriller. There was still romance in it, though, and it was pretty good, though not so much on the thriller side. I think he should stick to romance.
The Wedding*****
One of the main characters is The Notebook’s Noah and Allie’s daughter. A beautiful romantic love story with a lovely twist at the end. I remember Cate and I telling this story to Tyne and Rodel over a picnic. They loved it too. That’s when I realized that what I really love is not writing or talking per se, but the act of telling a story.
Three Weeks with my Brother*****
A non-fiction account of traveling with his brother after the men lost both parents and their sister in a quick succession of tragedies. This is my favorite Nicholas Sparks book. It made me understand why he likes to writes tragic stories – because they are based on his own.
True Believer***
It’s a story about of Jeremy and Lexie, two people who couldn’t be completely different, who come together and fall in love. It’s also a story about faith, hence the title.
At First Sight***
This is a continuation of True Believer. The book starts off by talking about love at first sight and you think you know what or who he’s talking about until you read the last chapter and realize how wrong you were.
Dear John*****
He begins the story asking, “What does it mean to truly love another?” He satisfactorily answers this question in the last chapter of the book. It’s the story of the long distance relationship between Savannah and a soldier named John. It’s a tearjerker that will break your heart for two different reasons. This is another book that’s being turned into a movie, for release next year.
The Choice*****
Like At First Sight, the book starts of talking about something that you interpret wrongly till you get to the second half of the book and realize what it’s really about. It reminds me of The Notebook in that it is essentially separated into two sub stories – the far past and the present. The story addresses this question: “How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?”
The Lucky One*
A weird premise with an anticlimactic ending.