Book vs. Movie : The Last Song

Book vs. movie is back! This time I compare and contrast the novel, “The Last Song” by Nicholas Sparks with the movie version. Let’s go!

Book

To start off yes, I actually like Nicholas Sparks books a lot! I know he’s one of those authors that gets some love and hate from readers. But hey, what can I say? I like sentimental, romantic books. The Last Song was released in 2009. The main character is Ronnie (Veronica) Miller, a seventeen year old troubled teenager who tries to ignore her divorced parents. After getting into some trouble in New York (where she lives) her mom sends her down to North Carolina to her dad’s house along with her 10-year-old brother.

Her brother, Jonah, is more than excited to see their dad and Ronnie, however, is not. At first, the relationship is estranged between her and her dad, but the two slowly start to reconnect over time through music (as they are both piano players). Throughout the summer Ronnie also experiences making new friends, finding herself, and also falling in love.

This book was really good! I loved the story line and all of the characters. Like all of other Sparks’ books it involves romance and is a definite tear-jerker. I remember when I got to the ultimate sad parts of the novel, I was reading in public and almost started to cry. As I looked up from my book I saw people pass by with that “what is wrong with her?”  look. I was thinking “has no one ever seen someone cry over a book?” Lol! Anyways, this novel is one of my favorites.

Movie

The movie version of the novel was released in 2010 and directed by Julie Ann Robinson. It stars Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth as the characters Ronnie Miller and Will Blakely (Ronnie’s love interest). It also stars Greg Kinnear as Steve Miller (Ronnie’s dad). The actors/actresses were good picks for the characters. At first, I was little unsure of Miley playing Ronnie, but she dd a really good job.

The film’s shooting location was also beautiful and it matched the original description of the beach town in the novel. I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Liam and Miley on-screen. It felt very real, and they work well with one another/ look compatible.

And last but not least the tear-jerker moments, like this…

Whereas I was crying while reading the novel, I was bawling my eyes out for the latter part of the movie… the feels…the feels….

So needless to say, the directors and actors/actresses did their job.

Final Verdict:

Book and movie were both equally enjoyable. The movie really didn’t derive from the novel at all so I was happy. I’d recommend reading the book before watching the movie though.

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