FUCK YOU, NICHOLAS SPARKS

[a_white_rain]

So, I read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (shut up). There much to be said about this book. The poorly done emotional manipulation (SPARKS KILLS OFF A CHARACTER TO MAKE HIS READERS CRY NEWS A ELEVEN), frankly offensive treatment of abuse (emotional abuse as a plot device to make your lead angst, sometimes, maybe, is always a great idea!), and

Comments

[selphish]

wow, just wow

so sorry you had to read this; not sure i could have sat through it

[a_white_rain]

I need to get myself to the library and find less enraging things to read.

[chaeri]

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent is fun.

[ellenel13]

If you want to read a book with a strong female lead, try The Hunger Games. The book is not even about gender issues and it's not perfect about gender issues, but it does have two very interesting leads. It does challenge gender roles, the girl is the hunter and gatherer and the boy is raised by bakers so he ends up being the one who can cook and shit. I do like that flipping of the gender roles feels natural.

It has a post-apocalyptic setting though so if that ind of stuff depresses you it's better to stay away from it.

[a_white_rain]

I'll look into it, thank! :)

[akai_senshi]

Almost puts Stephanie Meyer to shame, this does.

[a_white_rain]

He recently said his stuff was like Greek Tragedies. Ebert sums up my feelings:

"The Last Song" is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, who also wrote the screenplay. Sparks recently went on record as saying he is a greater novelist than Cormac McCarthy. This is true in the same sense that I am a better novelist than William Shakespeare. Sparks also said his novels are like Greek Tragedies. This may actually be true. I can't check it out because, tragically, no really bad Greek tragedies have survived. His story here amounts to soft porn for teenage girls, which the acting and the abilities of director Julie Anne Robinson have promoted over its pay scale.

link

Meyer hasn't done that so... she sucks less. Maybe. It can be debated.

[lisaquestions]

I also liked:

To be sure, I resent the sacrilege Nicholas Sparks commits by mentioning himself in the same sentence as Cormac McCarthy. I would not even allow him to say "Hello, bookstore? This is Nicholas Sparks. Could you send over the new Cormac McCarthy novel?" He should show respect by ordering anonymously.

[a_white_rain]

LOL. I loved this review. I love that he was fair to Cyrus and didn't have to take a dig at her looks. Seriously, I have plenty of racefail issues with Cyrus, but the digs at her everywhere for how she looks and dresses are making me feel very defensive of her.

[leskuh]

I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book and the more I hear about him the less I want to. Not only do his plots seem sort of boring and overplayed (and apparently full of gender issues, which I can easily believe), but as a person he just seems so... full of himself.

I read the article you linked to about The Last Song and figured I'd throw out this one:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-03-11-lastsong11_CV_N.htm

He is really unlikable.

[a_white_rain]

He even looks like a douche on the picture *clicks*

[leskuh]

My favorite part is actually in the comments where someone says:

I really just want to commend the photographer for getting all of Mr. Sparks's head in the shot. In person, that thing must be massive.

So true!

[bunnymcfoo]

dude, there's two rants about Nicholas Sparks on my flist today. he must have done something epic to the universe to be stirring up this kind of negative attention. couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

*g* I've hated him and his books for a decade, and had to repress a great deal of tooth gnashing and snarling every time someone bought one of his books and/or told me how wonderful he is. Uh, no thanks. I like my love stories to feature people with actual personalities and plots that don't further the conservative Christian view that the 1950s were swell, just swell, and shouldn't we all go back to behaving like it's that simpler, sweeter, (racist, sexist, abilist, etc etc etc) time?

[a_white_rain]

oh can I have a link to that rant?

[bunnymcfoo]

et voila! http://foxxcub.livejournal.com/643769.html

[a_white_rain]

LOVED IT