The Last Song
by Nicholas Sparks | Teens | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0446570966 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 0446570966 Global Overview for this book
1 journaler for this copy...
REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON GOODREADS
The Last Song
Musings But No Review
---------------------
There has been a takeover.
Teen love stories and "young" loves stories are now the purview of Young Adult and "New Adult" writers.
When did this happen? Well, over the last twenty years or so. The takeover started slowly enough, but after a while, some of the "young adult" stories turned out to be decent. They involved "adult" themes and fresh ideas, and people started to read more and more of them. Then came Harry Potter (really, its own animal), Twilight, and dystopia, and now young love and love triangles are standard fare for the genre.
So what does this have to do with Nicholas Sparks?
Well, "die-hard" Sparks fans are going to hate me for saying this, but most YA/NA writers do "young love" better. Of course, this is just my opinion, but if we are all honest with ourselves, we might come to the conclusion that people (including me) who pick up Sparks' books are not aiming for a teenage love story. True, he has written some decent "young love" stories, but they are generally mixed with actual adult love stories or involve protagonists who are least in college. For example, The Notebook, while a "young love" story, is also an adult love story.
So, in summary, I think Sparks' often writes better love stories when they involve older, more mature protagonists--or, at least protagonists not in the throes of teen angst. Moreover, I, personally, did not pick up a Sparks book in order to read about yet another 17-year-old's drama with her parents and her love interest. If I wanted to read that (and sometimes I do), I head straight for the YA/NA section. However, as readers "age out" of YA/NA or just crave stories with older, more mature protagonists, it is tough to swallow yet another teen love story (with some admittedly interesting and mature sub-stories).
To address the book and the writing specifically, I appreciate that it is more complex and developed than some of Sparks' other novels, and I like that the young protagonist redeems herself. The writing, as always, is not exceptional, is rife with errors, and merits skimming in places. But overall, it was an okay read.
The Last Song
Musings But No Review
---------------------
There has been a takeover.
Teen love stories and "young" loves stories are now the purview of Young Adult and "New Adult" writers.
When did this happen? Well, over the last twenty years or so. The takeover started slowly enough, but after a while, some of the "young adult" stories turned out to be decent. They involved "adult" themes and fresh ideas, and people started to read more and more of them. Then came Harry Potter (really, its own animal), Twilight, and dystopia, and now young love and love triangles are standard fare for the genre.
So what does this have to do with Nicholas Sparks?
Well, "die-hard" Sparks fans are going to hate me for saying this, but most YA/NA writers do "young love" better. Of course, this is just my opinion, but if we are all honest with ourselves, we might come to the conclusion that people (including me) who pick up Sparks' books are not aiming for a teenage love story. True, he has written some decent "young love" stories, but they are generally mixed with actual adult love stories or involve protagonists who are least in college. For example, The Notebook, while a "young love" story, is also an adult love story.
So, in summary, I think Sparks' often writes better love stories when they involve older, more mature protagonists--or, at least protagonists not in the throes of teen angst. Moreover, I, personally, did not pick up a Sparks book in order to read about yet another 17-year-old's drama with her parents and her love interest. If I wanted to read that (and sometimes I do), I head straight for the YA/NA section. However, as readers "age out" of YA/NA or just crave stories with older, more mature protagonists, it is tough to swallow yet another teen love story (with some admittedly interesting and mature sub-stories).
To address the book and the writing specifically, I appreciate that it is more complex and developed than some of Sparks' other novels, and I like that the young protagonist redeems herself. The writing, as always, is not exceptional, is rife with errors, and merits skimming in places. But overall, it was an okay read.
