The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Written by: Nicholas Sparks
Narrated by: Pepper Binkley
Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
Format: Unabridged

About the book: 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 alientated 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.

My thoughts: This was one of my very first audiobooks, back then I used to love Nicholas Sparks! I believe I listened to this back in 2009. Anyway, I'd written down a short review after listening...

I thought this was a skilful work of fiction. Nicholas Sparks has not only written a teenage romance novel, but has weaved in an intricate story of a beautiful father-daughter relationship and the maturing of a young girl into an adult. At first, I hated the character of Ronnie Miller. She seemed like your typical ignorant teenage girl. By the end of the audiobook she was transformed, not only likeable but admirable. Will Blakelee, the popular volleyball player who falls in love with Ronnie, as sweet as he is, I would've liked a more distinctive personality. The character of Marcus, however, is something new, because he is depicted as a teenage sociopath, cunning and manipulative. His destructive relationship with Blaze is appalling but not uncommon in real life. Steve's journey of self-discovery, his search for the presence of God and his intense desire to show his children he is worthy of their time is so beautifully portrayed that in the end you are heartbroken. For the most part, the book was predictable, but that won't stop you from being affected. The book was developed after the screenplay was written, and this becomes obvious because there's many typical 'movie moments' (boy 'crashes' into girl, dramatic confrontations, bad boy gets busted, and complete resolution of all events in the story). I hope the movie is just as good. Altogether, this was a simple story told in a complex narrative and there's lots of emotional turmoil. If you're in the mood for a heartrending tragedy, this audiobook is for you.  

I hadn't written anything about the narration, but I do remember 'growing' into Pepper Binkley's voice. Not very picky about narrators at all - in fact, I tend to love all of them by the end of it!