The Last Song has more substance than the usual Sparks novel. It explores the aspects of familial love and the storm and stress that come with having a teenager in the family. The angst generated by a 17-year old female is contrasted with the complete love a 10-year old son has for his father. Secondary themes briefly explore the father's relationship with his ex-wife and with slightly more emphasis on Ronnie's (the teenage daughter) relationship with a new boyfriend. As usual, there are a couple of other permutations that create roadblocks to happiness.
The story is formulaic, but is imbued here with a great deal of life. The formula has each novel begin with a problem. A new player enters the playing field and it seems the problem will go away. This story is familiar. Whether you are a teenager or older, you understand the conflict between parent and child. You understand the difficulties associated with love, especially first love, in all its permutations. The story tugs at one's heartstrings because it is so familiar and this time Sparks gets the reader invested in the story and the culmination of the characters' stories. Of course, there are further complications and problems, but all's well that ends the way life ends. We know, and the novel shows, that love brings both happiness and pain, that when everything seems to be working out the way we want, Life can, and often does, throw us a curveball. As in Elizabethan drama, no matter how dire the apparent ending, there is always an up tick which promises happiness.
The story is formulaic, but is imbued here with a great deal of life. The formula has each novel begin with a problem. A new player enters the playing field and it seems the problem will go away. This story is familiar. Whether you are a teenager or older, you understand the conflict between parent and child. You understand the difficulties associated with love, especially first love, in all its permutations. The story tugs at one's heartstrings because it is so familiar and this time Sparks gets the reader invested in the story and the culmination of the characters' stories. Of course, there are further complications and problems, but all's well that ends the way life ends. We know, and the novel shows, that love brings both happiness and pain, that when everything seems to be working out the way we want, Life can, and often does, throw us a curveball. As in Elizabethan drama, no matter how dire the apparent ending, there is always an up tick which promises happiness.
The Last Song is more overtly religious than Sparks' previous books, all of which have had a strong moral compass. This does not interfere; rather, it infuses the themes with added depth. The author speaks to the "fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Despite her strands of rebellion, it is fitting that Ronnie's saving grace may be the manner in which she treats children.
Sparks has now had nine number one books on the NY Times' list with 50 million books in print and 4 movies. He continues to live in New Bern, North Carolina and set his novels in the state. The current novel is set on Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington, which, ironically, is the center of television and film production in North Carolina.
Sparks has now had nine number one books on the NY Times' list with 50 million books in print and 4 movies. He continues to live in New Bern, North Carolina and set his novels in the state. The current novel is set on Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington, which, ironically, is the center of television and film production in North Carolina.
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