The Last Song is a book written by Nicholas Sparks. This is a story of Veronica, a 17-year-old girl, whose life is turned upside-down since her parents divorced. It is a story of family, love and forgiveness. Three years after the divorce of her parents, Veronica is still mad at her them for divorcing, even more so now that her father has moved to North Carolina from New York. Her mother tells Veronica she should make an effort to keep her relationship with her father and that she should spend the summer with him. She reluctantly agrees to go to North Carolina with her brother for the whole summer even though she hasn't spoken to her him in three years, and doesn't want to reconnect with him.
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The children arrive to their father's house and he is happy to see them; feelings his son reciprocate but not Veronica. Veronica ignores her father most of the time and one day, she decides to walk around the neighbourhood., Veronica meets a guy named Will and after spending several nights together, sitting and discussing their lives, she develops feelings for him even though he has a girlfriend. Will cannot stop thinking about Veronica and Veronica about Will.
Meanwhile, Veronica's father is spending a lot of time with her brother, teaching him how to surf and waits for Veronica every night because she is never home as she is trying to avoid him. Every night, he sits at the piano and plays a song; feeling sad his relationship with his daughter is tarnished. Veronica runs into Will at some other times and they eventually spend even more time together - taking long walks on the beach and going to his volleyball games. Will tells Veronica that he has broken up with his girlfriend. Veronica, realizing she has to spend a whole summer at this house with her father, decides to make an effort; she starts having breakfast with him and they watch television together. Will and Veronica spend some more time together, they eventually kiss and she invites him for a family dinner at her father's house which he accepts to go to. At dinner, Veronica realizes how stupid she was to ignore her father for three years. Will tells Veronica he has fallen in love with her and she reciprocates and they become a couple.
One day, Veronica notices that her father is getting increasingly weak but he shakes this fact away. Things worsen until one night, he has a coughing fit and his face is covered with blood. Veronica and her brother then learn that their father has stomach cancer which has spread to other organs and that he is going to die in less than a year. Veronica and her brother then spend the remaining months of summer caring for their father and spend as much time as possible with him. Will and Veronica break up as Will is going away to college in Europe. Ronnie decides to not return to New York even though summer is over but her brother goes back with his mother as Veronica doesn't want him to see their father die. Ronnie continues to care for her father. She discovers he had been working on an unfinished song and so she completes it, and plays it to him on the piano which becomes their last song. Her father dies and one day Veronica runs into Will at the church and he tells her he will call her when he gets back from Europe for the holidays. Ronnie decides keep practicing the piano and she gets into Juilliard, and she one day receives a phone call from Will who tells her he has decided to request a transfer to Columbia University - they are going to be together.
Best part of story, including ending:
I love this story as this is a story of forgiveness and of leaving the past behind.
Best scene in story:
When Veronica discovers her dad has an unfinished song and she decides to complete it, and then she plays it for him and he has never been happier.
Opinion about the main character:
She grew incredibly from her arrival at her father's house. She went from a frustrated teenager who had no idea what she wanted to do with her life to a woman who now has a sense of purpose.
