I love books. I love all kinds of books. I love novels, memoirs, non-fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, classic. I love books about those four legged furry creatures, specifically dogs. I love books about families, relationships, identity, motherhood, finding yourself, your purpose, your love. I love funny books, dramatic books, tear-jerkers. I love romance and like many women out there, I take pleasure in reading Nicholas Sparks' novels. He is one romantic writer, who knows how to tug at my heart strings and through his elaborate story lines yet simple writing style, he continues to tell stories filled with twists and turns, often ending with a unique surprise, that makes you want to keep on reading, until the very end. Yes, a Nicholas Sparks' novel is my kind of guilty pleasure!
I just finished reading Nicholas Sparks most recent bestseller, "The Longest Ride". I enjoyed it so much! In fact, as late as it was and unable to put it down, I found myself finishing the book at three o'clock in the morning. I definitely slept past my bedtime and lost a few hours of sleep, but it was also well worth it. Having finished the book, I am now ready to finally watch the highly anticipated movie version, that premiered this month in theaters everywhere! Personally, "The Longest Ride" has definitely become one of favorites by Nicholas Sparks. I hope the movie is just as heart racing, romantic, full of substance and lovely as the book. I know movies do not always live up to the expectations, especially when being compared to the book version, but I am excited to watch this particular film adaptation. I believe with this story line, the movie has the potential to be as interesting and exciting. The Notebook definitely showed us all how wonderful and fulfilling the movie version can be even if compared to the book. I am excited about all the actors and actresses, chosen to portray the characters. I look forward to enhancing my experience of "The Longest Ride", through film and engaging visually with the cinematic interpretation of this truly romantic story.
"The Longest Ride" is two love stories in one. They are love stories that not only take place in different time periods but are about couples with very different lives, and very different circumstances. These two love stories are told in separate chapters, Nicholas Sparks going back and forth between the two couples and the unfolding of their stories, through out almost the entirety of the book, until the moment in which their lives intersect. It is one of the longer novels by Nicholas Sparks, but simply because it is filled with so much content, details, substance and heart. It is in many ways different than the other books I've read by him, but also in classic Nicholas Sparks fashion, concludes with twists and unexpected surprises and of course, the perfect ending .
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- Title: The Longest Ride
- Author: Nicholas Sparks
- Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (September 30, 2014)
BOOK JACKET SUMMARY
Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife, Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to retain alert by reminiscing about their lifetime together- how they met, the precious paintings they collected, the dark days of World War II, and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can't possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and joys that defined their marriage.
A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, a Wake Forest University senior's life is about to change. Recovering from a recent breakup, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes are high: Reward and ruin - and even life and death - loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans - a future that Luke has the power to fulfill... if the secret he's keeping doesn't destroy it first.
Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.
MAIN CHARACTERS AND THE ACTORS/ACTRESSES WHO PLAY THEM
Sophia Danko - Britt Roberston
Luke Collins - Scott Eastwood
Ira Levinson - Alan Alda
Young Ira - Jack Huston
Young Ruth - Oona Chaplin
