The Last Song Book Club Final Discussion Post

The Last Song Book Club is hosted by The Book Vixen and The Book Junkie's Bookshelf.

1. Ronnie is a difficult teenager who is prone to acting out and is alienated from both her parents at the start of the novel. Were you rebellious as a teenager? How was this manifested? On the other side, have you ever had to deal with a rebellious teenager? Did Ronnie’s behavior touch a nerve?

Kelli:  I was not rebellious in the least, nor have I had to deal with a rebellious teenager, thank goodness!

Natalie: Me rebellious...no... heck yes I was :) But I think most teenagers think they know everything. I am currently on my second teenager (a brother and a current niece now).

2. What do you think about the very different approaches to parenting taken by Ronnie’s mother and father? Do you think Ronnie’s mother is too intrusive or can you understand her relationship with Ronnie? Do you think Ronnie’s father is too absent, or can you understand why the relationship is the way it is?

Kelli:  I think Ronnie's mom is way too intrusive but I can understand her reasons for being so.  I think I would probably be the same way.

Natalie: Well, this is a catch twenty-two question. Parenting is not black and white. What works for one child will more than likely not work on another. I feel that Ronnie was more responsive to her father's trusting attitude versus her mother's more brash approach.

3. Early in the novel we learn that Ronnie was a piano prodigy who performed at Carnegie Hall when she was thirteen. However, when we meet Ronnie she hasn’t played in many years and she’s sworn to never play the piano again. Why does Ronnie feel this way? Who do you think Ronnie hurts more by not playing the piano, herself or her father?
Kelli:  I think Ronnie hurts herself by not playing, but she hurts her father more.  It was what they shared together, and she's essentially turning her back on him by giving up the piano. 
Natalie: I agree with Kelli.

4. Reflecting back on his life, Steve wonders: “Was it still possible for someone like him to experience the presence of God?” Why does Steve ask himself this? What role do religion and belief play in this novel? How would you characterize Steve’s religious faith?

Kelli:  I think Steve's faith is shaky and uncertain.  There is more religion in this one than in Sparks' other novels, which I enjoyed. 

Natalie: I think it is really common for terminally ill patients to question and ponder faith. Sometimes life is so fast paced that some may live their entire life not thinking/questioning faith in general. I think by the end of the summer when Steve got to see his kids "live" he was satisfied with where he was ending his life's journey and what may or may not come in the hereafter.

5. Why does Will fall for Ronnie? Can you understand the attraction from both Ronnie’s and Will’s point of view?

Kelli:  Not really...I have no idea why Will falls for Ronnie.  She's so bratty! 

Natalie: Oh Kelli... They both were damaged goods. Will was struggling with the death of his brother, a overbearing mother and the supossed cover-up of a crime of a best friend. He needed a beautiful, strong-willed girl. Ronnie was just so bitter and pessimistic about her father (I couldn't help but be mad at her mother for never fessing up that she was the cheater!). Will called Ronnie out on her attitude and fake "bad girl" attitude and I think that was the first sign of attraction.

6. What do you make of Blaze? How would you characterize her relationship with Marcus? Have you ever been in a relationship that was not particularly healthy? Did you stay in the relationship? If so, why?

Kelli:  I feel sorry for Blaze and think she stays with Marcus out of low self-esteem.  No, I have not been in an unhealthy relationship and don't plan to!

Natalie:  I would have kicked Marcus' butt! I agree with Kelli about Blaze having such a low feeling of self worth.

7. Ronnie and Will fall in love very quickly over the course of the summer. Have you ever had a summer romance that became something more than a fling?

Kelli:  Never, I'm way too practical for all that mushy love stuff. 

Natalie: Pick Me, Pick Me!!! I met and married my hubby in 6 months!

8. This novel is, in large part, about loyalty and trust. Which characters exhibit the most trustworthiness and which exhibit the least? How does a betrayal of trust affect various relationships within the novel?

Kelli:  Hard question!  Will seems pretty trustworthy and Blaze is the most untrustworthy.

Natalie: I think her mom is so untrustworthy!

9. In the middle of the novel, Will asks Ronnie how far she would go to protect a friend. Why does Will ask Ronnie this? How far would you go to protect a friend?

Kelli:  Will is justifying not turning his friend in for setting the church on fire.  I'm not sure if I would go that far to protect a friend...I don't know if I could break the law like that. I would not protect a friend at the expense of someone else.

Natalie: I would not protect a friend at the expense of someone else taking the blame.

10. How are Jonah and Ronnie affected by their parents’ divorce? What effect does divorce have on children, in your experience?

Kelli:  It has a huge effect that spans a lifetime and probably gets passed on to future generations. 

Natalie: Both my husband and myself come from divorced families. The effects last a lifetime and we hope to avoid passing on the insecurities that come from it to our children.

11. Both Will and Ronnie come from families that have certain expectations of them. How do these familial expectations shape them and in what ways do they reject these expectations?

Kelli:  Oh, I think these expectations and rejections of them are just Will and Ronnie exhibiting typical teenage rebellion. I think Will had a lot more pressure than Ronnie. Will really had to stand up to his mother and Ronnie just had to make a decision on her own. It's funny how familial money can change the dynamic of expectations.

Natalie: I think Will had a lot more pressure than Ronnie. Will really had to stand up to his mother and Ronnie just had to make a decision on her own. It's funny how familial money can change the dynamic of expectations.

12. Why does Ronnie get angry at Will toward the end of the novel? Do you think her anger is justified?

Kelli:  I think Ronnie's anger is justified by I understand why Will won't turn his friend in. She is completely justified. Ronnie's father and longtime friend were affected by the fire. It was personal for her and not just some story of a friend who made a poor decision.

Natalie: She is completely justified. Ronnie's father and longtime friend were affected by the fire. It was personal for her and not just some story of a friend who made a poor decision.

13. What do you think of the choices Steve and Kim make as parents? Do you think they were right in keeping certain things secret from their children?

Kelli:  No, I don't think they were right.  Secrets always come out in the end and hiding them is always worse than the truth. 

Natalie:They were WRONG... Steve should not have taken the brunt of Ronnie's anger just to shield her mother. She was unfaithful.. bottom line but I do think it was such a shock to him that he just initially didn't know what do do and then later didn't know how to fix it.

14. Ronnie makes an important choice at the end of the novel. Would you have made the same choice if you were in her position?

Kelli:  Which choice?  To take care of her dying father?  To go back to Julliard?  I agree with both choices, I think they represented much-needed character growth. 

Natalie: I would have made the same choices. I can't believe that her mother wanted them to leave and let Steve be cared for by hospice... obviously she has never dealt with hospice care before... I think she just really disgusts me!

15. In what ways does Ronnie change over the course of the novel? In what ways does she stay the same?

Kelli:  She grows up a little and manages to drop some of her resentment. 

Natalie: She learns what falling in love feels like both with the reconnection with her father and with "first love" with Will. I don't think she is completely mature but she is at the average level of a college freshman... trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be...