The Last Song (2009) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters edit see section history

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• Will Blakelee: To the outside world Will is a happy, attractive, athletic eighteen year old boy who works at his father's brake shop and loves playing beach volleyball with his bestfriend named Scott. Will has never had a hard time getting girls, but he has never met one deep enough to meet his personality. When Ronnie Miller comes to town, Will is intrigued by her outspoken and down to earth personality. Ronnie turns out to be the only one he feels comfortable enough with to open up the deepest secrets of his past and share his biggest fears of his future.
• Steve Miller: Ronnie and Jonah's dad. Steve used to be a teacher both at Julliard and his daughter piano. He & Ronnie both are very gifted pianist. He loves his kids more than anything & is very patient with them.
• Jonah Milller: Ronnie's little brother who likes helping out his dad and making Ronnie crazy. He begins to love his father and spends every waking minute with his father. Likes to talk/ask questions.
• Scott: From Wilmington. Will's best friend. A party boy. Also plays volleyball and is determined to win tournaments to get a college scholarship. His other interest is Cassie, whom he can never seem to go out with because she and Ashley travel as a pair.
• Kim: The mother of Jonah and Ronnie and the ex wife of Steve Miller. Lives in New York with her soon to be husband, Brian. She sends the kids to live with there father for the summer.
• Galadriel "Blaze" Conway: Party girl dating Marcus but that changes when Ronnie shows up and turns Marcus' head. Blaze becomes very jealous of Ronnie throughout the book.
• Veronica "Ronnie" Miller: 17 year old (almost 18 year old) who became angry and rebellious after her parents divorced. As a result of that she decides to quit the most important thing in her life, the piano. She is forced to live with her dad for a summer.
• Cassie: Friend of Ashley's & Scott likes her.
• Susan Blakelee: Will's mom. Doesn't like Ronnie and always thinks the worst of her. Wants the best things for Megan's & Will.
• Daniel: Engaged to Megan and is from New York.
• Teddy: Friend of Marcus. Lance, Marcus and Teddy are always drinking too much.
• Tom Blakelee: Will's dad. Very nice person and likes Ronnie. Owns a wealthy business - whole town knows of him & his wealth.
• Kayla: Ronnie's friend from New York. They were very close but drifted after the summer.
• Ashley: Will's ex-girlfriend. Over the summer she kept trying to get him to date her again.
• Brian: Engaged to Kim.
• Landry and Tyson: Volleyball players from Hermosa Beach, Ca. Scott and Will's opponents in tournament.
• Pastor Harris: Pastor of a church in Wrightsville Beach and friend of Steve's. Steve's first piano teacher. Was burnt when his church was set on fire.
• Megan Blakeslee: Will's sister. Ronnie reminds Will of her. Is engaged to a man from New York - not one of Mother's choices.
• Rick: Tattooed druggy that Ronnie dated for a 'very' short time. Snuck out of house to meet up with him. Say 'Fall Out Boy' with him.
• Lance: Friend of Marcus. Lance, Marcus and Teddy are always drinking too much
• Mike "Mikey" Miller: Will and Megan's younger brother.

Quotes edit see section history

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• “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.”

  Steve Miller

• “You have to love something before you can hate it.”

  Will Blakelee

• “I mean, if the relationship can't survive the long term, why on earth would it be worth my time and energy for the short term?”

  Megan Blakelee

• “Truth only means something when it's hard to admit, don't you get that?”

  Ronnie Miller

• “Sometimes you have to be a part from people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you love them more.”

  Steve Miller

• “Jonah: "Mom says its because she has PMS." Steve: "Do you even know what PMS is, Jonah?" Jonah: "Of course I do dad, I'm not a little kid anymore. It's the Pissed At Men Syndrome."”

  Jonah Milller and Steve Miller

• “We're not perfect. Any of us. We make mistakes, we screw up but then we forgive and move forward.”

  Kim Miller

• “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

  Steve Miller

• “'Ronnie: Whatever.Blaze: You too.Ronnie: What?Blaze: ... Once my gymnastics coach said 'whatever' is another word for the F word then you, so when someone said 'whatever' I say 'you too.'”

  Ronnie and Blaze

• “Jonah:*talking about his dad* "It's not fair. If he wants a cookie, he can have one. If you want a cookie, you can have one. But if I want a cookie, the rules don't count. Like you said, it's not fair"Ronnie: " So what are you going to do?"Jonah: " I'm going to eat a sandwich. Because I have to. Because the world isn't fair to ten-year-olds."”

  Jonah and Ronnie

• “"I have faith that God will show you the answer. But you have to understand that sometimes it takes a while to be able to recognize what God wants you to do. That's how it often is. God's voice is usually nothing more than a whisper, and you have to listen very carefully to hear it. But other times, in those rarest of moments, the answer is obvious and rings as loud as a church bell."”

  Pastor Harris

• “He stared at her, knowing with certainty that he was falling in love. He pulled her close and kissed her beneath a blanket of stars, wondering how on earth he'd been lucky enough to find her.”

• “He liked her; it was as simple as that.”

• “She was a stranger now, but she'd been a friend once, and that was enough for him.”

  Will Blakelee

• “I’m stuck babysitting turtle eggs while a volleyball player slash grease monkey slash aquarium volunteer tries to hit on me.” "I’m not hitting on you,” he protested. "No?” "Believe me, you’d know if I was hitting on you. You wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from succumbing to my charms.”

  Ronnie & Will

• “I call it God Light, because it reminds me of heaven. Every time the light shines through the window we built or any window at all, you'll know I'm right there with you, okay? That's going to be me. I'll be the light in the window.”

  Steve Miller

• “In a lifetime of mistakes, you two are the greatest things that have ever happened to me.”

  Steve Miller

• “As far as I can tell, dumping soda on people is the equivalent of ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you’ in this part of the world. Frankly, I think standard greetings work better, but what do I know?”

  Ronnie Miller

• “God, he suddenly understood, was love in its purest form, and in these last months with his children, he had felt His touch as surely as he had heard the music spilling from Ronnie's hands.”

  Steve Miller

• “At times, he even admitted that he'd been more an observer of the world than a participant in it...”

  Steve Miller

• “Wait. Let me guess. You’re giving me the cold shoulder, right?” With that, she sighed. “Shouldn’t you be with your friends, staring at yourselves in the mirror?” He laughed. “That’s funny. I’ll have to remember that.” “I’m not being funny. I’m being serious.” “Oh, because we’re so good-looking.”

  Ronnie & Will

• “Will: It's the first line in your book. I always thought there was a lot of truth in that. Or maybe that's what my English teacher said. I can't really remember. I read it last semester. Ronnie:Your parents must be so proud you can read. Will: They are. They bought me a pony and everything when I did a book report on Cat in the Hat.”

  Ronnie & Will

• “This is who I am, and this is what I enjoy, and of all the people I know right now, I want to enjoy this experience with you.”

  Ronnie about Will

• ““In my thoughts forever"”

• “'I used to compete in gymnastics, and for maybe four or five years, it was the biggest thing in my life. I ended up quitting because of my coach. He was a real hard-ass, always telling you what you did wrong, never complimenting you on what you did right.'”

  Blaze

• “Still, it seemed that whenever her friends smoke or drank or popped the pills they swore made the evening worthwhile, they'd spend the rest of the night slurring their words or staggering or vomiting or losing control completely and doing something really stupid. Something usually involving a guy.”

  Ronnie

• “I have faith that God will show you the answer. But you have to understand that sometimes it takes a while to be able to recognise what God wants you to do. That's how it often is. God's voice is usually nothing more than a whisper, and you have to listen very carefully to hear it. But other times, in those rarest of moments, the answer is obvious and rings as loud as a church bell.'”

  Pastor Harris

• “God, he suddenly understood, was love in its purest form.”

  Steve

• “i never stopped loving you, ronnie. and i never stopped thinking about you. even if summers do come to an end.”

  will

• “Sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you love them more.”

  Steve Miller

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• 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.

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• That in the end, people should be judged by their actions, since in the end, it was actions that defined everyone.

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• “It’s Galatians 5:22,” he said, pressing the Bible flat in his lap. He cleared his throat before he started. “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

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• “There are guys who grow up thinking they’ll settle down some distant time in the future, and there are guys who are ready for marriage as soon as they meet the right person. The former bore me, mainly because they’re pathetic; and the latter, quite frankly, are hard to find. But it’s the serious ones I’m interested in, and it takes time to find a guy like that whom I’m equally interested in. I mean, if the relationship can’t survive the long term, why on earth would it be worth my time and energy for the short term?”

  Highlighted by 312 Kindle customers

• “I have faith that God will show you the answer. But you have to understand that sometimes it takes a while to be able to recognize what God wants you to do. That’s how it often is. God’s voice is usually nothing more than a whisper, and you have to listen very carefully to hear it. But other times, in those rarest of moments, the answer is obvious and rings as loud as a church bell.”

  Highlighted by 277 Kindle customers

• “Mom says it’s because she has PMS.” Steve almost choked but composed himself quickly. “Do you even know what that means?” Jonah pushed his glasses up. “I’m not a little kid anymore. It means pissed-at-men syndrome.”

  Highlighted by 258 Kindle customers

• They promised patience when it was easy to be impatient, candor when it was easier to lie, and in their own ways, each recognized the fact that real commitment could be proven only through the passage of time.

  Highlighted by 216 Kindle customers

• And the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

  Highlighted by 211 Kindle customers

• And I’d be willing to bet that you were great at it, if only because you have to love something before you can hate it.”

  Highlighted by 203 Kindle customers

• God, he suddenly understood, was love in its purest form, and in these last months with his children, he had felt His touch as surely as he had heard the music spilling from Ronnie’s hands.

  Highlighted by 174 Kindle customers

Setting & Locations edit see section history

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• New York City: Ronnies home town & mom lives here.
• Vanderbilt: The school in Tennessee Will's family wants him to go to.
• Juilliard: School where her father taught when he lived in New York.
• Wilmington, North Carolina: Bigger town near Wrightsville Beach.
• Carnegie Hall: Where Ronnie performed piano as a young girl.
• Manhattan: A borough in New York City--mentioned by Ronnie.
• Wrightsville Beach: Where Steve (Dad) now lives. Popular tourist destination in the summer.
• Bower's Point: Wrightsville Beach hangout place for parties, drinking etc.

Organizations edit see section history

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• The Juilliard School: The Juilliard School is located in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established during 1905. It is identified informally as simply "Juilliard," and currently trains about 800 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music.
• Fall Out Boy: Fall Out Boy is an American pop punk band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. Top ten singles "Sugar, We're Goin Down"; "Dance, Dance"; "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race"; "Thnks fr th Mmrs"; "The Take Over, the Breaks Over"; "I Don't Care"

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Audible: Loud enough to be heard
• Demeanor: behavior
• Feigned: assumed
• Eloquent: forceful, persuasive launguage
• Surmised: guessed
• Undulating: wavelike movement

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Friendship: One theme in this book is that with the right friends and a short period of time you can be a whole different person
• Love: Love is something that can conquer any problem, if it is an absolutely unequivocal love. It can change you for the better or for the worst, depending on how you use and deal with it.
• Forgiveness: Not forgiving someone tends to hurt you more than it hurts them. Forgiveness is very freeing. Forgiveness does not mean what the other person did was okay--just that the incident is not harbored in your heart and held against them.
• Make the most of the time you have: Our days are numbered but we don't know what number they are--so don't count on having tomorrow, but instead, treat every day like it might be the last time you see the person--and make the most of it.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Nicholas Sparks (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Miley Cyrus - Sparks wrote this book with Miley in mind to play the lead in the movie. He asked her to give him the name of the main character. Miley choose 'Ronnie' because her grandfather's name was Ronald and he passed away recently.

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Best Seller - N.Y. Times, Publisher's Weekly, etc. (2009: Fiction, Top ten from 09-27-2009 to 11-15-2009)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Drug abuse and some sexual innuendos

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( S ) › Sparks, Nicholas
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Parenting & Families › Family Relationships › Divorce
• Books › Teens › Social Issues › Dating & Intimacy › Fiction
• Books › Teens › Social Issues › Being a Teen
• Books › Teens › Social Issues › Death

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Nicolas Sparks

Movie Connections edit see section history

• The Last Song (IMDb): Released in 2010

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history