The Last Song

The Last Song is Nicholas Sparks' latest book, and I loved it. I know I've mentioned this before but some of his stories have the greatest plots and you can't help falling in love with the characters and then there has to be this sadness for no real reason. Well this story isn't like that. I think it is the deepest of all his books I've ever read. It had many layers and I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. Yes, it is sappy. Yes, I laid in bed and cried on and off for a good 30 minutes, but I really got something out of it that can be applied to my own life. Ronnie, the daughter in the book, always saw her dad as weak. Then, she is forced to spend the summer with him on the beach in North Carolina (shocking I know), away from her life in NYC. Through this she learns so much about herself and what kind of person he truly was. The Bible ends up having a lot of presence in this story without being forceful. There is a particular verse in Galatians that he reads to her that talks about how the Holy Spirit is always with us, guiding us, helping us make decisions and get through life. Instead of seeing her father as weak, she finally sees what a good person he is and how he makes his decisions in life. He is stronger because he has self-control and doesn't let his temper or other life problems control him.