Book: The Final Note

“Ethan never expected to meet the love of his life on a trolley near an artistic waste incinerator in Vienna, Austria, but that’s what happened. Flat broke, finishing up a Master’s thesis at the University of Music and Performing Arts, he is forced to play his guitar to earn enough money to live on until he returns to the States. After listening to one of his impromptu concerts, Anna leaves a note instead of a tip between the strings of his guitar, and Ethan discovers that love, not Brahms, is the sweetest music. On their wedding day, along with “love, honor, and cherish,” Ethan promises to write a song especially for her.

Neither of them are quite prepared for the music to stop and the nails on the chalkboard to commence when life suddenly intrudes on their idyllic world. As heartache, tragedy, and increased pressure at work begin to erode the feelings that used to come so easily, Ethan questions everything that once seemed unshakable–his faith, his priorities, and his marriage.

When a final, unthinkable calamity happens, Ethan is devastated. Is it too late to finish the love song he began for his wife on their wedding day? In this tale of loss and heartbreak, love and forgiveness, Ethan is about to discover that the final note has yet to be written.“

Well, that was a bit wordy, wasn’t it?

The reason I picked up The Final Note was because of author goodwill from Sweet Misfortune. It’s been a while, but I remember liking the book enough–and, well, this one seemed likeable enough too. And it was. It just wasn’t as special as I thought it would be. Unlike the first book I’ve read off author Kevin Alan Milne, The Final Note seemed to be aiming for more drama. It had drama. But at the end of it all, it felt like a sweetened version of a Nicholas Sparks novel.

That’s not a bad thing for a book to be, especially since I know a lot of people who are fans of Nicholas Sparks’ novels. I used to be one of them, actually. But, after a while it does get tiring. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. Something bad happens to one or both. Life threatens to tear them apart. And then they patch it up. In a lot of the novels by Sparks, the ending is bittersweet. I was expecting the same from this particular Milne book, especially with the build up that The Final Note gives us throughout the story. So when the book gives us an ending on a silver platter, with a nice little bow on top, it feels like a cop out. It sets you up for a life lesson, which comes up short because your characters still get the ending they want–not the one they need.

Of course, I’m not the author, so who am I to say what the characters need or want? But I’m just giving my reaction here. And my reaction is that I feel the ending ruins the book for me. I feel that if the “Postlude” is taken out, the book comes out stronger. And then I’d say it’s one of the most heart-wrenching books I’ve ever read, and it might lead me to read more Kevin Alan Milne books. But it’s there. And I have read it. And, I guess, I’m wondering whose decision it was to put it there.

It’s still a solid book, don’t get me wrong. It just– For me, it doesn’t hold up its promise.

But these are my thoughts on the book. Check out what other people have to say about it:
Steph the Bookworm
Silver’s Reviews
Good Reads

book: sweet misfortune

what drew me to SWEET MISFORTUNE was the fortune cookie. and the fact that it looked like a chic-lit book, read like a chic-lit book, and was written by a man. seeing as i was browsing a website and this book drew me in, i knew i was in for a ride. and what a ride it was.

SWEET MISFORTUNE tells the story of sophie jones, an orphan who doesn’t believe that happiness lasts. and with good reason. on her ninth birthday, she lost both her parents and her grandmother in a vehicular accident. almost two decades later, she almost gets left at the altar. almost, because she didn’t even reach the alter before the guy scampered.

and then her life takes another turn when her ex-fiance returns, wanting to prove that lasting happiness does exist. but is he really the guy who can convince sophie?

the cover showcases one of the book’s gimmicks: misfortune cookies. the one on the cover says, “some people are lucky in love. you aren’t one of them.” and that sets the tone for the actual story, wherein sophie jones believes in all her heart that whatever good thing happens in her life is only fleeting. especially when it comes to relationships.

split into three parts, we begin the story in the middle–where we already know that sophie was left by her fiance, and then go back to the beginning where we see how sophie met her fiance and the events that led to their eventual estrangement, and lastly we follow how the story ends.

to be honest, when the fiance first showed up inside the book’s pages, i thought the reason he left sophie was because he discovered he was gay. there was something obviously misleading in the dialogues given to the character. i was glad to be proven wrong though, as the story progressed. but i have to admit that i really have a problem with the perfect-ness of the fiance’s character whereas our main character is very flawed. i don’t know if this was intentional, but i really can’t reconcile the perfect guy persona with the fiance who left sophie at the altar.

eventually we see chinks in the fiance’s shining armor, but it’s a little too little, too late.

fortunately, this doesn’t detract from the book’s overall charm. as you get to know sophie, your main character, you begin to root for her, even when her doom-and-gloom attitude starts to get you down. and the promise of change in character, as chic-lits are wont to give, is never far off. you never entertain thoughts of the story beginning to lead nowhere, because you can always see the path it’s going to take, while giving you a few surprise, and welcome, twists.

SWEET MISFORTUNE is a special order book, so i’m not sure of its availability here in the philippines. but if you do find a copy, grab it. if you’re interested to look for one, ask FULLY BOOKED if they ordered more copies, and which branch has a copy in stock.