Book Review
Hello folks!
After all these holidays i come back with a new task from
our English teacher, Mrs. Wiwin.
She gave us a very fun task, which is BOOK REVIEW!
Im very happy, because im a book-lover so i like doing this
task.
So, my book choice is... THE LAST SONG!
 |
| book cover |
SUMMARY
The Last Song is a 2009 novel by American author Nicholas
Sparks. The Last Song is Sparks' fourteenth published novel (fifteenth
published book), and was written specifically as the basis for the film
adaptation by the same name. It was released on September 8, 2009 by Grand
Central Publishing. The story revolves around the summer of Ronnie (Veronica)
Miller's seventeenth year, during which she is sent to stay with her estranged
father. Through their shared love of music, the duo reconnect.
 |
| Miley Cyrus as Veronica "Ronnie" Miller |
PLOT
17-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller is a troubled
teenager who is wanting to live her own life and is trying her very best to
ignore her divorced parents: Kim, her mother with whom she lives in New York,
and Steve, her father who lives in his hometown of Wrightsville Beach, NC. Her
mother decides that it would be in everyone's best interest if Ronnie and her
10-year-old brother, Jonah, spent the summer in Wrightsville Beach with Steve.
Jonah is excited, while Ronnie can only wonder why her parents hate her so much
as to send her there for the summer.
Once they arrive, Kim leaves and Ronnie runs off to the
carnival down at the beach, where she watches a volleyball game in the crowd.
As she turns to leave, one of the players, the privileged Will Blakelee, knocks
into her while trying to reach the ball, spilling her soda all through the
front of her shirt.
When she tries to find a stand selling shirts, Ronnie bumps
into Blaze, an estranged teenager like herself, Blaze helps her find a T-shirt
booth and they leave to watch a show by Marcus, Blaze's boyfriend, on the pier.
The show includes "harmless" fireballs, and when it's over, the
police runs Marcus off. They go to sit under the pier, where Blaze heads off to
get Marcus another beer. In Blaze's absence, Marcus attempts to hit on Ronnie,
causing her to leave.
Later, when Ronnie finds a nest of Loggerhead turtle eggs in
danger of racoons behind her house, she decides to camp out next to it to save
it. She learns that Will volunteers at the aquarium, and after a few nights of
talking with him on the beach, she realizes she has feelings for him.
Ronnie then finds out that her dad has cancer, as his cancer
progresses, and After finding out, she, Jonah, and Will finish the window;
Ronnie finishes a song for him on the piano; and Pastor Harris, Steve's friend,
installs the window at the new church. Kim arrives to say goodbye to Steve one
last time and take Jonah home. Ronnie stays with Steve. Will had left in August
to go to Vanderbilt; however, he shows up at the funeral once Steve has passed.
He leaves again for Europe, and Ronnie returns to New York. While at Juilliard,
auditioning for a spot, Will shows up to surprise her; he reveals that he's
decided to go to Columbia to be closer to her.
 |
| Liam Hemsworth as Will Blakelee |
RELEASE
A book tour for The Last Song was announced on July 11, 2009
and reached around 13 cities. Despite the relatively short tour, The Last Song
debuted at number one on weekly bestseller charts. It headed the Publishers
Weekly and New York Times charts for hardback fiction and the Wall Street
Journal chart for fiction. According to USA Today's chart, which combines sales
of all formats of a book, The Last Song outsold all other titles in its first
week. The book dropped to number 2 on all lists the following week, due to the release
of Dan Brown's highly anticipated The Lost Symbol, the sequel to The Da Vinci
Code.
 |
| Steve Miller and Jonah Miller |
INSPIRATION OF THE LAST SONG
After finishing The Lucky One in June, 2008, my mind
immediately began moving to my next possible story. Again, I wanted the story and characters and
events in the novel to be original, interesting and universal. Almost always, these are the words that pop
into my head in the early stages of conceptualizing a story, but as I’ve
continued to write, I’ve found that it becomes more and more difficult to meet
those criteria. There are, after all,
some “certainties” in my novels: two
people will fall in love, the story will be set in eastern North Carolina, and
the ending will either be happy, bittersweet or tragic.
How then is it possible to come up with something
original? A story that surprises the
reader? One that feels fresh and
interesting, yet still feels as if it could happen to anyone?
Usually, after those words pop into my head, I move into a
process of elimination by asking myself what I’ve done recently. In this instance, I thought back to Dear John
(characters were in their early 20s), The Choice (characters were in their late
20s, early 30s and early 40s) andThe Lucky One (characters were in their late
20s). At the same time, the movie for
Nights in Rodanthe (with characters in their 40s and 50s) had come out the
previous fall. Thus, my first step was
to eliminate all those age groups. That
left characters older than 60, or younger than 20.
Which then should I choose?
Because the somewhat recent film version of The Notebook had been such a
success, I was gravitating toward writing another “teen” story, especially
since I hadn’t done one since A Walk to Remember. But again, those three words (originality,
interesting and universal) popped into my head, and I knew I had to make the
novel as different from A Walk to Remember as possible, while still retaining
all those wonderful emotional elements.
Ironically, it was exactly at this time that I received a
phone call from Jennifer Gipgot, a producer associated with Disney (and the
sister of Adam Shankman, who’d directed A Walk to Remember). She said that Miley Cyrus loved A Walk to
Remember, that she wanted to do something in the same vein, and then asked
whether I “happened to have a story lying around.”
“No,” I said, “but it’s funny you should call about that . .
.”
I didn’t commit to the story at that time – my idea for the
story hadn’t proceeded far enough by that point – but I began focusing more
intently on it, and a couple of weeks later, I had most of the general outline
of the story. One element still eluded
me – what was it specifically that draws the characters together? – but I spoke
to Jason Reed at Disney who reiterated that they were interested in the idea of
me writing the screenplay (as well as, obviously, the novel).
Still, for the next three weeks, that one element eluded
me. Essentially, it came down to
this: I wanted the characters to feel
the need (or almost feel forced) to spend time together, even though they
didn’t much like each other at first.
And whatever this element was, it had to (a) be at the coast of North
Carolina, (b) be something that could happen to anyone, and (c) begin in June
and end in August.
A couple of (unoriginal and uninteresting) ideas immediately
spring to mind: summer camp or a summer
job. I had no intentions of doing either
(both are unoriginal and hence, uninteresting).
What then could it be? A
“tournament” of some sort? (unoriginal
and uninteresting). And so it went,
right down the line. One idea after
another just didn’t work the way I wanted.
Until, of course, I stumbled onto the idea of sea
turtles. Or rather, a sea turtle
nest. And, more specifically, a nest
behind her house that she feels the need to guard, and a young man who
volunteers at the aquarium, who’s sent out to guard the nest.
Again, it’s one of those seemingly simple ideas, but once I
had it, I knew it was exactly what the story needed.
By then, I was getting ready to head to Los Angeles for the media
tour for the film, Nights in Rodanthe, and I spent time with both Jason and
Jennifer, and the Cyrus family. By then,
I’d worked out all the major elements of the story, and I presented it to all
of them. Fortunately, they liked the
idea, and I agreed to write the screenplay first, since they wanted to start
filming in the summer of 2009.
Because the screenplay and novel were going to be similar
(at least in my version, prior to director changes), it was less odd than you
might think for me to write the screenplay first, but sometimes, when working
with Hollywood, that’s the way it goes.
Q: What was your inspiration for The Last Song?
A: I hadn’t written a younger love story since A Walk to
Remember and, as I was kicking around ideas for my next book, I received a
phone call from Jennifer Gipgot, a producer associated with Disney (and the
sister of Adam Shankman, who’d directed A Walk to Remember). She said that
Miley Cyrus loved A Walk to Remember, and that she wanted to do something in
the same vein. After meeting with Jennifer, Adam, and the Cyrus family a few
weeks later, I had some ideas about writing a coming of age story where the two
lead characters would be forced to spend time together, but I also wanted to
include a story that adults could relate to. And somehow, I came up with the
idea of sea turtles, so I agreed to write both the screenplay and the book for
The Last Song.
(written by Nicholas Sparks himself)
 |
| Nicholas Sparks |
MY COMMENT
i bought this book when about to summer in a bookstore in
the mall. I think i bought it in very perfect time because the whole book tell
us about some activities that happened in summer. So i can feel the taste of
the writer a little bit well.
+: this book is a very interesting romance-drama book. I
bought it because i read the synopsis that written in the back of the book.
When i opened the first page, yeah i should tell you it felt like ‘oh no, this
book is boring’. But i kept reading that book until it took its rythmic. Well i
love how Nicholas Sparks wrote that book because i could feel what the
characters feel in that book (or maybe because i have read so many books so i
can use my feelings? Idk). But im pretty sure that book is amazing, because i
cried, people!!!!!!! Yeah i cried when (SPOILER ALERT) Ronnie’s father and Jonah
(Ronnie’s little brother) have to say goodbye because of illness of their
father. No, i didnt cry when Ronnie and Will have to seperate because im not a
typical person who-can-cry-easily-because-of-love-story. Yeah, i cried because
im afraid that will happen to me and what should i do?
-: i cant write any bad comments here because that book is
good enough and i dont like to write something bad about people or their
creativity. I think he had done a very wonderful job to write this novel, it is
just about perspective. My rate 7,5/10 (although i cant judge other people.
‘remember only God can judge us’ by i forget, maybe that’s Miley Cyrus sayings)
J
After all, it’s nice.
 |
| Marcus, Blaze, and Ronnie |
FILM ADAPTATION
The film version of The Last Song was released in the U.S.
on March 31, 2010, Unlike previous adaptations of Sparks' novels, Sparks
participated in writing the film's screenplay; after agreeing to the project,
Sparks invited his college roommate Jeff Van Wie to co-write the script. With
Van Wie's help, Sparks finished the screenplay before he began writing the
novel. The Last Song is director Julie Anne Robinson's first feature film. The
film stars Miley Cyrus as Ronnie, along with Greg Kinnear as Steve, Liam
Hemsworth as Will Blakelee, Kelly Preston as Kim, and Bobby Coleman as Jonah.
(imDb ranked 5,8/10)
 |
| movie poster |
Here is the link of The Last Song’s trailer:
here’s the link of The Last Song’s soundtrack (originally by
Miley Cyrus herself):
you can go buy online that book here:
you can go buy online that DVD in here:
 |
| the scene |
so, maybe that’s all from me now, i hope you guys enjoy the
book! And the last, i say thank you. Jaa ne~
 |
| The Last Song quotes |
QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. what have you learned from the story?<br>
a. people come and leave<br>
b. dont trust stranger completely<br>
c. that love of family comes first *<br>
d. dont play with fire unless you want to get burnt<br>
e. spend your holiday with new people<br>
<br>
2. what is the main character of this story?<br>
a. Veronica Miller *<br>
b. Will Blakelee<br>
c. Jonah Miller<br>
d. Marcus<br>
e. Blaze<br>
<br>
3. which word is appropriate to describe Ronni's father?<br>
a. arrogant<br>
b. high-temper<br>
c. full of love and forgiveness *<br>
d. cruel<br>
e. evil<br>
<br>
4. what is the main problem that written in the book?<br>
a. how Marcus and Blaze broke up<br>
b. Ronni's shirt that get wet<br>
c. Jonah didnt want to go home<br>
d. the burnt church<br>
e. Ronni's problem with her father and Will *<br>
1. what have you learned from the story?<br>
a. people come and leave<br>
b. dont trust stranger completely<br>
c. that love of family comes first *<br>
d. dont play with fire unless you want to get burnt<br>
e. spend your holiday with new people<br>
<br>
2. what is the main character of this story?<br>
a. Veronica Miller *<br>
b. Will Blakelee<br>
c. Jonah Miller<br>
d. Marcus<br>
e. Blaze<br>
<br>
3. which word is appropriate to describe Ronni's father?<br>
a. arrogant<br>
b. high-temper<br>
c. full of love and forgiveness *<br>
d. cruel<br>
e. evil<br>
<br>
4. what is the main problem that written in the book?<br>
a. how Marcus and Blaze broke up<br>
b. Ronni's shirt that get wet<br>
c. Jonah didnt want to go home<br>
d. the burnt church<br>
e. Ronni's problem with her father and Will *<br>
<br>
5. which word is appropriate to describe the book?<br>
a. such a trash<br>
b. boring<br>
c. written by a not so amazing writter<br>
d. such a good book *<br>
e. its cover is not good enough<br>
<br>
6. what problem that Blaze had?<br>
a. abandoned by her mother and Marcus *<br>
b. want to feel the fresh air from the ocean<br>
c. want to play volley<br>
d. want to get job<br>
e. make a friend with Ronnie<br>
<br>
7. where did the story take place?<br>
a. London, UK<br>
b. New South Wales, Australia<br>
c. Wrightsville Beach, NC <br> *
d. Hokkaido, Japan<br>
e. Washington DC, USA<br>
<br>
8. where did Ronnie come from?<br>
a. Texas<br>
b. New York *<br>
c. Wrightsville Beach<br>
d. Los Angeles<br>
e. California<br>
9. what other books that the author has written?<br>
a. Harry Potter<br>
b. The Notebook *<br>
c. Trilogy The Hunger Games<br>
d. Percy Jackson and the Olympians<br>
e. Trilogy The Maze Runner<br>
<br>
10. what is the time period in which the book happen?<br>
a. 2024<br>
b. 1999<br>
c. 2016<br>
d. it is not mentioned *<br>
e. 2005
* = THE ANSWER
1. what have you learned from the story?<br>
a. people come and leave<br>
b. dont trust stranger completely<br>
c. that love of family comes first *<br>
d. dont play with fire unless you want to get burnt<br>
e. spend your holiday with new people<br>
<br>
2. what is the main character of this story?<br>
a. Veronica Miller *<br>
b. Will Blakelee<br>
c. Jonah Miller<br>
d. Marcus<br>
e. Blaze<br>
<br>
3. which word is appropriate to describe Ronni's father?<br>
a. arrogant<br>
b. high-temper<br>
c. full of love and forgiveness *<br>
d. cruel<br>
e. evil<br>
<br>
4. what is the main problem that written in the book?<br>
a. how Marcus and Blaze broke up<br>
b. Ronni's shirt that get wet<br>
c. Jonah didnt want to go home<br>
d. the burnt church<br>
e. Ronni's problem with her father and Will *<br>
1. what have you learned from the story?<br>
a. people come and leave<br>
b. dont trust stranger completely<br>
c. that love of family comes first *<br>
d. dont play with fire unless you want to get burnt<br>
e. spend your holiday with new people<br>
<br>
2. what is the main character of this story?<br>
a. Veronica Miller *<br>
b. Will Blakelee<br>
c. Jonah Miller<br>
d. Marcus<br>
e. Blaze<br>
<br>
3. which word is appropriate to describe Ronni's father?<br>
a. arrogant<br>
b. high-temper<br>
c. full of love and forgiveness *<br>
d. cruel<br>
e. evil<br>
<br>
4. what is the main problem that written in the book?<br>
a. how Marcus and Blaze broke up<br>
b. Ronni's shirt that get wet<br>
c. Jonah didnt want to go home<br>
d. the burnt church<br>
e. Ronni's problem with her father and Will *<br>
<br>
5. which word is appropriate to describe the book?<br>
a. such a trash<br>
b. boring<br>
c. written by a not so amazing writter<br>
d. such a good book *<br>
e. its cover is not good enough<br>
<br>
6. what problem that Blaze had?<br>
a. abandoned by her mother and Marcus *<br>
b. want to feel the fresh air from the ocean<br>
c. want to play volley<br>
d. want to get job<br>
e. make a friend with Ronnie<br>
<br>
7. where did the story take place?<br>
a. London, UK<br>
b. New South Wales, Australia<br>
c. Wrightsville Beach, NC <br> *
d. Hokkaido, Japan<br>
e. Washington DC, USA<br>
<br>
8. where did Ronnie come from?<br>
a. Texas<br>
b. New York *<br>
c. Wrightsville Beach<br>
d. Los Angeles<br>
e. California<br>
9. what other books that the author has written?<br>
a. Harry Potter<br>
b. The Notebook *<br>
c. Trilogy The Hunger Games<br>
d. Percy Jackson and the Olympians<br>
e. Trilogy The Maze Runner<br>
<br>
10. what is the time period in which the book happen?<br>
a. 2024<br>
b. 1999<br>
c. 2016<br>
d. it is not mentioned *<br>
e. 2005
* = THE ANSWER
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